Las Vegas and its famous Las Vegas Strip are re-opening following a city-wide shutdown due to COVID-19. Several of the city’s resorts began reopening their doors on June 4 and more will follow. Alongside the return to business, the properties are implementing stringent health and sanitation plans in compliance with directives from Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, the Nevada Gaming Control Board and public health authorities, which include following comprehensive cleaning and health guidelines based on CDC and WHO recommendations.

“Las Vegas is a city built on hospitality, and we are thrilled to open our doors on June 4 and welcome visitors from around the country,” says Steve Hill, president and CEO for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. “While our restaurants, pools and resorts will once again welcome guests, the health and wellbeing of those guests continues to be our top priority. So, while things might look a bit different for a while, your ‘Only Vegas’ experience is waiting.”

While some amenities are limited at this time, MGM Resorts International reopened its Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand Las Vegas and The Signature properties in early June. Luxor and The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay Place will reopen on June 25, while Mandalay Bay and Four Seasons Las Vegas are reopening on July 1. Complementary self-parking will be available for guests as valet parking is not currently operational.

“It was exciting and emotional to see the energy in Las Vegas last week as we welcomed back our employees and reopened our doors to guests for the first time in months,” says Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts’ acting CEO and president. “Our guests are having a great time and are thrilled to be back in the city they love. We are eager to get more of our employees back to work and enhance the Las Vegas experience with additional resorts.”

MGM has released a comprehensive “Seven-Point Safety Plan” for its hotel and casino guests that reflects a multi-layered set of protocols and procedures designed in conjunction with medical and scientific experts to mitigate the spread of the virus, protect customers and employees, and rapidly respond to potential new cases. The company also says that it will continue to evaluate and evolve its safety protocols.

Key initiatives in the safety plan include employee screening, temperature checks and COVID-19-specific training; COVID-19 testing offered for employees as they return to work in partnership with the local medical community, and employees will be required to wear masks. Guests are strongly encouraged to wear masks, and in some settings where physical distancing is more difficult and/or barriers do not exist, will be required to do so.

A physical distancing policy will be implemented, with floor guides serving as reminders, and for areas where physical distancing presents challenges, plexiglass barriers will be installed, or other measures will be used to reduce risks.

MGM’s full Seven-Point Safety Plan can be reviewed at mgmresorts.com. PPAI is planning to return to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in January for the PPAI Expo 2021. See details in the related Healthpitality story under PPAI News in this issue.