John Locher / AP
People play craps after the reopening of the Bellagio Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Tuesday, June 16, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Visit the Caesars Palace website and you’ll immediately notice a different kind of welcome: “When you’re ready, we’re here for you.” You’ll find a helpful guide to all the restaurants, pools and fitness centers available at the iconic casino resort and their hours of operation, plus plenty of deals on hotel room reservations and a reminder that parking is once again free. There are even entertainment options and tickets on sale, though it’s uncertain if any of those shows, from “Absinthe” on June 30 to Rod Stewart’s concert residency in September, will take place as planned.
Visit Caesars Palace in real life and you’ll be welcomed by a towering statue of Julius Caesar at the Las Vegas Boulevard entrance, his face covered by a gold mask. It’s a not-so-subtle reminder of the Strip’s restricted circumstances.
With 20 casino resorts on or near the Strip open again after nearly 80 days of closure due to the COVID-19 virus, it’s clear that different destinations are using different methods of communication and marketing to present their offerings in a way that feels fun and safe. While they work to meet the health and safety standards mandated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, some are adding more measures while others attempt to minimize the presence of the pandemic.
A few blocks north, there’s another statue wearing a mask. It’s the mascot for Señor Frog’s, the Treasure Island restaurant and bar with a patio overlooking the themed “Buccaneer Bay” waterfront that once hosted a free pirate ship battle.
“We’re going to get mixed reactions. Some people are going to want huge shields up everywhere, other people want it more normal,” said Don Voss, vice president of hotel sales and marketing at Treasure Island. “Every other slot machine or video machine is off. It’s subtle but it keeps people social distancing as much as possible.”
As a value-driven destination that has always maintained free parking and lots of casual dining and entertainment options, Treasure Island may have an advantage in the staged reopening on the Strip. It opened on June 4 and last-minute bookings lifted its hotel occupancy that weekend; Voss said the resort got above 40 percent that Saturday night.
“Right now it’s the young and brave and healthy coming out, people who have been cooped up and need to release some energy and relax. A lot of them are used to this already [because] they’ve been going shopping and wearing masks, and now they can come here and play a game, just see other people out, see some music and hopefully get away from the news,” Voss said. “I think it will be a similar audience for a few weeks and once people see reports coming out of Vegas, that it’s open on a limited basis and people are enjoying themselves and that there aren’t huge health concerns, we’ll start seeing more people.”
Caesars Entertainment has opened Caesars Palace, the Flamingo, Harrah’s, the Linq Promenade and High Roller Observation Wheel and the casino and several amenities inside the Linq. Its Paris Las Vegas property is set to reopen this week on June 18.
A new stadium gaming pit at Treasure Island.
“We will continue to emphasize our enhanced health and safety protocols and create the memorable guest experiences that draw people from all over to Las Vegas,” CEO Tony Rodio said in the Paris opening statement. “This positive momentum also enables us to bring more employees back to work, which is great news for them, their families, the company and the community.”
When Caesars Palace reopened on the morning of June 4, Rodio spoke of the resort’s 54-year history of never closing and positioned its return as a sort of rebirth, looking forward to the next 54 years. Seminal Vegas headliner Wayne Newton was there, donning a mask just like Rodio and Caesar himself.
While the same rules apply to every casino, different properties use different amounts of signage and direction to remind guests about those rules. MGM Resorts may have the most prominent signage program throughout the company’s recently reopened resorts. Bellagio, New York-New York, MGM Grand and its attached Signature hotel opened on June 4 and Excalibur resumed operations June 11. Next up is Luxor on June 25 and Aria and Mandalay Bay are scheduled to reopen on July 1.
The same Seven-Point Safety Plan posted on MGM’s websites is evident in various communications in hotel lobbies and casino spaces, intended to reinforce social distancing and the wearing of masks and recommending the use of digital innovations like a virtual check-in process that helps reduce contact and gatherings. MGM also created custom-built handwashing stations right on the casino floor so guests are never in a position where they can’t spot a restroom or sanitization station.
Hotel guests receive temperature screens at Treasure Island.
Back at Treasure Island, Voss said guest interaction is all about balancing the health and safety guidelines with visitors’ expectations.
“It is a balance but at the same time giving them a normalized experience. I’ve seen casinos with plexiglass between machines. That’s something we don’t do yet because it’s not in the guidelines, but also because we, like you, are six feet apart and offering masks to everyone gives everyone a level of comfort that you’re not at high risk,” he said. “Especially in our first few weeks, we don’t believe our customers are going to want that or expect that. They don’t want to feel like they’re walking into a health care facility. They want to be in Vegas.”
Voss also noted the TI hosted some locals for staycations in its opening days, which was something of a surprise. He believes the resort’s location right off Interstate 15, free parking and reputation for affordable fun at places like Señor Frog’s and country saloon restaurant Gilley’s give the property an advantage. It also completed all room and suite renovations ahead of schedule because of the shutdown.
One recent casino innovation that can be seen at Treasure Island, Venetian and other properties are stadium gaming pits, where chairs are arranged in stadium-style rows around video machines allowing for multiple players to participate in blackjack, roulette and other games. Most casinos limit each table to just a few players at a time for distancing restrictions and these energetic areas can accommodate more.
Circus Circus and Treasure Island are both owned by Phil Ruffin and both properties have reopened their family friendly attractions. TI has the Marvel Avengers Station, temporarily open for limited hours Wednesday through Sunday at limited capacity, and Circus Circus offers both the Carnival Midway with its free circus acts above the casino floor (open daily at 11 a.m.) and the Adventuredome five-acre theme park (open daily at 10 a.m.) Southern Nevada locals with proof of ID are eligible for a 20 percent discount to the park from 10 a.m. to noon every day this month.
The Sahara is looking to attract locals and visitors by waiving resort fees and creating special deals like a dine-and-stay offer. If guests book a Friday-Saturday, two-night stay in one of the Marra king suites, they’ll receive dinner for two at Bazaar Meat by José Andrés.
“We spent a lot of time during the closure being thoughtful about how to minimize risk, how to protect people and make them comfortable, but we don’t want the experience to change from what they expect,” said Rachel Hunt, Sahara’s vice president of marketing. “You will see hand sanitization stations and wipes all over the property and signage reminders for line queuing and social distancing, and in the hotel it’s more noticeable. When you check in you get a personal care kit with masks, pens, paper, sanitizer and towelettes, just a little extra that shows our commitment.
“We want to add a sense of comfort and a sense that we’ve thought about it a lot so our guests don’t have to.”
