Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has been planning to open the doors of the new property this fall. However, the property has seen delays and now it seems the opening day may be extended. The launch was discussed this week by casino executives due to issues connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. Delays in construction because of the pandemic as well as market conditions could lead to the decision to move opening day.
Details of the Possible Delay
An internal memo was sent to staff members this week by CEO of and President of JC Hospitality, Richard Bosworth. JC Hospitality is the owner of the casino complex. Media outlets reported that the memo revealed the opening date was being discussed due to current conditions. It was a painful decision to push back the opening date but one that the executives felt was necessary and the right thing to do.
Just recently, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered casinos along with other non-essential businesses to reduce capacity from 50% to 25%. This is due to the increase in coronavirus positive cases. Gathering sizes are also reduced, going from 250 to 50. This affects the convention industry as well as other events, which Las Vegas is known for.
In the memo, Bosworth said the current restrictions are scheduled for three weeks, but there could be an extension if the COVID-19 pandemic does not improve. The slowdown of services as well as the reduced gathering size would most likely impact the pre-opening services of the venue.
COVID-19 Continued Effects
The Virgin Hotels property was supposed to open on January 15 but the spike in COVID-19 now as well as what might happen by January has the property taking other steps. The memo pointed out information provided by the CDC and John Hopkins University which projects that the virus will see a spike again in early January, which would be when the Virgin property would open.
Bosworth pointed out that it is difficult to know if the projections would be accurate, however if they are, it would disrupt the opening process of the venue. In early November, the Las Vegas property began taking reservations for hotel stays. Based on data, Bosworth said in the memo that it is unclear as to if the property would be busy enough to require 50% of the staff to be onsite.
It is expected that the casino/hotel will open three weeks or longer from the first projected opening date of January 15. The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is located at the former Hard Rock venue. The casino closed back in February as it was transformed by Virgin Hotels to something completely new and different.
The new property once opened, will have 1,500 rooms and suites spread out across three towers. The hotel operations will be taken care of by the Curio Collection by Hilton. The casino will be 60,000 square feet in size. The Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment group will be taking care of the casino operations. The group is a tribal gaming and hospitality entity.
