When Las Vegas Reopens, You May Not Recognize It

The Los Angeles Times revealed that around 35 Las Vegas properties are slated to begin accepting reservations again on Friday, May 22 (just in time for Memorial Day weekend), including the iconic Sahara and Treasure Island hotels. Reportedly the Wynn-Encore is also hoping to reopen its doors on May 26, immediately following the federal holiday.

Frustratingly, all plans still remain subject to change at any moment, given the still-evolving nature of the COVID-19 crisis. At the time of publication, it’s still unclear whether these hotels are jumping the gun by taking Memorial Day bookings since Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has yet to announce when hotel-casinos will be allowed to reopen and is carefully adhering to a phased plan for reopening the state.

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As part of Phase I, he did allow certain businesses and dine-in restaurants to reopen on May 9, subject to limited capacity rules. According to the Las Vegas Sun, Sisolak said during a May 15 news conference that state officials are monitoring COVID-19 data on a daily basis to inform further decisions regarding whether it’s safe to continue easing restrictions.

He also revealed that health officials insist upon reviewing a full two weeks’ worth of results following the rollout of Phase I, in order to gauge the impact of the initial reopenings, before any further decisions are made, which would mean that the Strip wouldn’t likely open in time for the holiday weekend.

Even after hotels and casinos begin to reopen, guests who can’t wait to visit won’t be witnessing the bustling vibe that Sin City is famous for. Sidewalks and corridors won’t be crammed with tourists, crowding around gambling tables elbow-to-elbow, mobbing outdoor attractions like the Fountains of Bellagio to witness the Strip’s signature spectacles, or packing the hotel pool decks to swim or sunbathe the way they did pre-pandemic.

The devil-may-care spirit that’s synonymous with Sin City looks to be largely subdued by restrictions on social distancing, and strict sanitization and hygiene policies that will pervade public spaces. So, “If it’s really going to bug you—that it’s not the way that you remember—then you’re not going to want to come out here in June,” Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor, told the L.A. Times.

“I think it will take some getting used to,” commented David Schwartz, a gambling historian at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. “It’s just going to be a different kind of experience, I think, where you’re not standing shoulder to shoulder at the craps table.”

Visitors will notice plenty of pandemic-prompted, enhanced health and sanitation protocols in just about every venue. MGM Resorts, as a major operator on the Strip, notably released its fresh, comprehensive reopening strategy earlier this week, which may serve as something of a bellwether for other hotels’ and casinos’ upcoming moves.

Bill Hornbuckle, acting president and chief executive of MGM Resorts International, indicated that social-distancing measures and caps on capacity would be key when reopening its properties. At Bellagio, for example, only 1,200 of its 4,000 guest rooms will be available. “We’re only going to let presumably 25 to 30 percent of the normal visitation in the door so that people can social-distance…without being concerned that they’re overcrowded or overrun,” he said.

In casinos, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is dictating that there be a maximum of six players at craps tables and three allowed at blackjack tables, and outlined rules for sanitizing playing cards, chips and dice. At the first of MGM’s Vegas properties to reopen, Bellagio and New York-New York players will note new hand-washing stations installed on the casino floor, complete with sinks, soap and hand-sanitizer.

Because of the near-nonexistent demand for air travel at present, it’s predicted that local Nevadans and Southern Californians (who typically make the trip to Las Vegas by car) will make up the majority of initial arrivals after the Strip finally reopens. No one is envisioning that there will be a real return to normalcy anytime soon. For that, said Hornbuckle, “I think we’re well into ’21...Our goal isn’t necessarily to make money. It’s to lose less money and to get people in the workforce back.”