Vegas Strip Casinos Reopen First
We have been following the saga of the reopening of the Las Vegas Strip for weeks now. While we still don’t have an exact date on when hotels and casinos will legally be allowed to reopen on the Las Vegas Strip and elsewhere in Nevada, we are inching closer to that moment.
Currently most of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are taking reservations for arrival dates ranging from May 15, 2020 through June 1, 2020. Additionally, Nevada has started reopening some other businesses as it moves towards re-starting the economy, which has been devastated by COVID-19.
MGM Resorts Will Not Open Completely
Despite all of their casinos being open for reservations from June 1, 2020 and after, MGM Resorts has now hinted they may not open the doors to all of their Strip properties right away. The company’s acting CEO Bill Hornbuckle dropped some hints during the company’s first quarter earnings call.
During the call Hornbuckle said that he believed all of the company’s casinos would be allowed to reopen at once, however “we’re probably looking at two or three offerings initially.” He went on to say that Bellagio and New York New York would likely be the first casinos to reopen. He explained NYNY is one of the company’s easier casinos to run and the Bellagio reopening makes sense given its customer base.
When Will Las Vegas Reopen & How It Will Look Completely Different
MGM Resorts Executive Shakeup
As one might expect given the limited nature of their business going forward, MGM Resorts has also shuffled things around a bit including a reorganization of management and the laying off of 4 resort presidents. On Friday May 1, 2020 MGM Resorts laid off the Presidents of Bellagio, New-York New-York, Luxor and Excalibur as part of these changes. Over the past few weeks MGM Resorts has also laid off or furloughed 63,000 employees as it burns through millions of dollars of cash.
So What Will Vegas Look Like?
Final guidelines have not been released for Las Vegas’ reopening, however we have some ideas of what guests might expect when visiting a Las Vegas casino post COVID-19.
Here are some of the rumored but unconfirmed changes we might see when Las Vegas reopens:
- Mandatory temperature checks for employees and possible temperature checks for guests
- You may be asked to fill out a health questionnaire when checking into a hotel
- Table capacity will be reduced with possible barriers installed between players
- Crowds around the tables may not be permitted
- Some machines may be turned off or have barriers installed in order to enforce social distancing
- Face masks may be required for employees and/or guests
For more info on when other casinos are looking to reopen plus a detailed look at what things will look like, check out our When Will Las Vegas Reopen post.
Vegas Strip Casinos Reopen First – Bottom Line
When the Las Vegas Strip reopens, the city’s largest casino owner will only open a couple of properties in order to scale up capacity to meet demand. That means NYNY and Bellagio are likely to open first with the company’s other casinos to follow as it makes sense.
If you could choose one Las Vegas Strip casino to reopen which one would it be? Let us know in the comments below!
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now
bonus_miles_full
Learn more about this card and its features!
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
when will mgm open the mirage its my favorite place I have changed my reservaill October I sure hope thing are going well by then
I would like to see the MGM be one of the ones that open by June 1. I have reservations there mid June. In am not opposed to wearing a mask, temp checked or answer questions as I currently have that done at the sheriff office.
So here’s a question. Most probably face masks will be required in the casinos. What happens to the smokers? (I’m not a smoker)
I can’t wait for the resort fees when they open. Nothing says welcome like $37/night in fees for a $50/night room. Sitting here in quarantine….I’ve sincerely missed the resort fees. Bring it, baby.