How Las Vegas Will Plan for Reopening
Due to the changes forced upon the United States by the COVID-19 pandemic and government response, Las Vegas and its attractions have been shut down for some time. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has made it a point that she would like to have the casinos and attractions of Sin City opened sooner rather than later to help the local economy and lower unemployment numbers where possible. While she has received her own fair share of controversy behind the rushed nature of her comments, the country as a whole is slowly opening up different businesses in hopes to return to a state of “normalcy.” Of course, this is not going to happen cold turkey; some attractions will indeed open but with obvious limitations and changes being incorporated, especially in Las Vegas.
Casino Re-openings
With the re-openings of casinos in Las Vegas inevitable and Mayor Goodman having a larger focus on the economy of the city, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has made sure to specify requirements of casinos set to open in the coming months. Here is a list of some guidelines and procedures that casinos are being required to follow once they do indeed reopen:
- Property occupancy must be limited to no more than 50% of max occupancy (a number assigned by local building and fire codes)
- The number of players at each table game will be limited in a fashion stated at a later date
- Properties are required to ensure that the floor plans for gaming machines promote social distancing for all guests. Some ideas for this are:
- Removing every other chair in front of machines
- Covering machine ticketing and bill validators or screens to show guests which machines are available for play and which are not.
Self-Cleaning Slot Machine Dividers
Most changes that are coming to Las Vegas hotels, casinos, and other attractions mark brand new territory for Entertainment Capital of the World. A lot of these changes are showing to be very experimental and none may be as experimental as the new Self-Cleaning Slot Machine Dividers being developed by Smith Rosen Gaming Partitions. This new invention is designed with both the health of guests and the flair of Las Vegas in mind. Each partition is designed to be self-cleaning with ultraviolet light technology and implemented in a way that promotes social distancing between all patrons. Simultaneously, the LED lights of the partitions add some fanciness to the set-up in a way only Las Vegas truly knows. With a soft launch coming later on in May of 2020, with some installations taking place, Smith Rosen expects the product to be more widely available in casinos in June 2020. Stating that the product is not only effective, but in high demand, the company expects the break-through devices to be wide spread throughout Sin City by June.
Wynn Resorts Plans
With the reopening looming, Wynn Resorts has made it a point to have a solid gameplan before patrons are back in the casinos. Main focuses of the plan surround the concepts of promoting social distancing and cleaning more often and more thoroughly than ever before. Some new additions will include thermal cameras on casino levels with additional training for staff to be prepared not only for the newer environment but for preparedness given any new situations that may result from it.
Wynn Las Vegas says it will reopen on June 4 with plans to open every amenity and outlet available.
Caesars Resorts Plans
Caesars Entertainment will re-open properties in phases. Caesars Palace will debut first when the state allows casinos to reopen. “We are implementing new protocols focused on the well being of our team members, guests and communities to create environments with high standards of sanitization and physical distancing practices,” Caesars CEO Tony Rodio said in a statement. “We are working closely with public health authorities, gaming regulators and infectious disease specialists to design our plan.” Employees will wear masks and masks will be provided for guests. Restaurants, bars and entertainment will be opened in phases with limited seating. Areas will be clearly marked for appropriate distancing.
Caesars Group: Caesars Palace and the Flamingo will reopen on Thursday June 4, 2020. Both Caesars Palace and the Flamingo will offer lodging, dining options and access to their outdoor pools, as well as slot machines and table games.
MGM Resorts Plans
Reopening Plans
While trying to get employees back to work and return to gaining revenue from its resorts and attractions, MGM has a plan for how to reopen properly. Since it is a “new world” the hotels will be reopening to, with reduced tourism in Las Vegas, the lodging giant is set on opening only a few hotels and stores with a spread of traveler budgets specifically in mind. Instead of opening every hotel at once, MGM is set on making sure that different traveler budget hotels are available to the public to be able to help gauge when more openings will become profitable. As of today, the Bellagio and New York-New York Hotel & Casino are planned for openings when the city reopens for travelers to come in. Each location has separate attractions, shops, and restaurants available for the public as well. That being said, not all restaurants will be open fully, with some staying closed and others doing takeout, exclusively.
Changes for MGM Hotels
MGM has made it a point that different cleaning and sanitizing procedures will be in place upon reopening the hotels. A big focus of this will be on new technology they have called “touchless.” This technology is designed for guests to check in and check out without direct contact with hotel staff. Digital menus will be available to view on personal mobile devices via QR codes, and virtual queues will be in place for guests when immediate seating is unavailable. On a similar note, room cleaning is going to be designed to be as thorough as possible. Digital menus will be available to view on personal mobile devices via QR codes, and virtual queues will be in place for guests when immediate seating is unavailable. The CEO of MGM, Bill Hornbuckle, has even acknowledged that guests will be declined housekeeping more often to avoid having people in their rooms due to the environment introduced by the pandemic. Knowing this, a plan is in place to make sure the rooms are carefully cleaned when possible.
MGM’s 7 point plan will including screening, temperature checks & employee training. Employees will be required to wear masks, and will be offered complimentary to guests. Enhanced sanitation and air quality improvement. Hand-washing stations will have a “visible presence” throughout each MGM property. A 6 ft. distancing policy will be in place with floor guides throughout the property. Every other slot machine will be out of service to further encourage social distancing.
The Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand Las Vegas and The Signature are set to reopen June 4, 2020
Las Vegas Workers’ Union Requests
Along with what could be scary times for workers to be on the front lines come union requests to make sure they are able to do their jobs as safely as possible. From the Culinary Workers Union and Unite Here, two of the largest casino worker unions in the United States, come protocols detailed out that ask for special procedures to be taken when everyone returns to their casino jobs when they reopen.
Obvious requests were met instantly by companies like Las Vegas Sands, Hard Rock, and Wynn Resorts with gloves and masks being promised to workers along with social distancing protocols set to be in place. The more extensive requests come in the form of allowing workers the time required to fulfill the new cleaning and sanitization requirements of hotels.
Here is a list of what the unions are requesting of hotels more specifically:
- Workers cannot be punished for refusing to work in environments that coronavirus cases have been reported within 14 days.
- Guests must be provided with masks upon arrival and should have doors opened for them so that they do not have to touch door handles.
- Clean dish and dirty dish room service food cards must be separate, not mixed to avoid unnecessary contact. Also, room service carts are to never be wheeled into guest rooms.
- High-contact surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected minimally hourly under all circumstances. This includes doorknobs, light switches, desks, chairs, tables, menus, bathrooms, etc.
Las Vegas Raiders Playing Without Fans
Like rumors surrounding most of the NFL and its upcoming football season, some suspect the newly formed Las Vegas Raiders will be playing without fans in its bleachers. This comes in the inaugural season of the Raiders not only coming to Las Vegas, but also the season the new Allegiant Stadium will be up and ready. Sitting as close to the strip as possible, the new stadium might only host the teams and necessary personnel to start the season. The NFL has also released a statement stating that all fans who purchased 2020-2021 season tickets will be refunded for any games that are being played with no fans in attendance.
Changes On the Horizon
In the wake of new changes coming with the COVID-19 pandemic, cutting back on the amount of smoking allowed in casinos in Las Vegas is a change being rumored about. This comes as a result of the known side effects of smoking and secondhand smoking in conjunction with the fact that COVID-19 has been known to be more dangerous to ex-smokers or those who are immuno-compromised in a similar fashion. While this change isn’t one that is expected to be seen in great quantities due to it having a staple existence in casinos in Las Vegas, it is one that some are entertaining with smoke-free zones and areas in general.
Obviously, this is a new time in hospitality, lodging, and travel. New cleanliness and sanitization standards are going to be necessarily met under all circumstances to allow the economy to come back, the spread of the virus to be diminished, and to help lower the death rate that has come with COVID-19. Hotels and airlines are continuing to change how they handle these things with reopening in different states already coming.
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