Despite the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas will debut January 15, 2021, said Richard “Boz” Bosworth, the property’s president and chief executive. The former Hard Rock underwent a $200 million facelift. The pandemic delayed opening from the fall.
The public health crisis “has been really devastating to the hospitality market” and that it’s unclear when entertainment will come back and events start being rebooked, Bosworth said. More than 1.4 million people visited Las Vegas in July, down 61 percent from the same month last year, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported. There also was no convention attendance from April through July.
The 1,500-plus-room resort will bring “positive energy” to Las Vegas, Bosworth said. In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Bosworth said the hotel lost three major pieces of business for December and the mammoth CES convention in January, which will go virtual.
Guests can start booking rooms October 12; construction will be almost completed in November, Bosworth said. He hopes the drive in market will be sufficient to fill the hotels. And the renovations will make it a must-see property, he said.
Owners expected health and safety measures as thermal temperature readings for people who enter the property, keyless entry to guest rooms and birdcage-like pods for people during outdoor events to ensure social distancing, he said.
Bosworth and other investors, including flamboyant British billionaire Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group conglomerate, acquired the Hard Rock in spring 2018 for about $500 million.
In other casino-opening news, Circa Resort Casino will do the old soft opening on October 28, becoming the first all new hotel casino in downtown Las Vegas in 40 years. Developer Derek Stephens said he is already at work marketing the property now that the Nevada Gaming Commission gave a thumbs-up.
Stevens told the commission he is launching a national ad campaign for the resort, which takes up a city block on Fremont Street. Ads will run during the MLB playoff telecasts.
“Circa is about moments and we’re going to create moments,” Stevens told the five commissioners.
Commissioners approved opening the casino and public areas two months before the hotel.
“In a crazy year like 2020, this is a positive,” Stevens said. The first seven floors would be ready for guests December 28 with the remainder not coming online for at least a year. Circa is designed for the very Las Vegas-style number of 777 rooms and suites, he said.
Stevens, who also owns the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate, envisioned Circa as a 21-and-over, adult only property. The two-story casino will feature 1,350 slot machines and 49 table games, while a three-story sportsbook will have a capacity of 1,000 guests.
The property will offer six restaurants, all outsourced. Stevens hopes to have more than 1,000 employees hired by the opening date. Other additions include a fifth floor pool deck with six temperature-controlled pools, two spas, and TV screens, according to CDC Gaming Reports.
In other Nevada news, gaming regulators approved settlements of a handful of fines against casino operators on September 24 totaling $435,000. All but one of the violations fell under Nevada’s Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.
The Nevada Gaming Commission issued its largest fine—$300,000—to Boyd Gaming Corporation, which was unrelated to the pandemic, according to CDC Gaming Reports. It involved a November 2019 incident at Boyd’s downtown Fremont resort, in which security officers detained and accused a customer of theft.
“The incident discussed at the Nevada Gaming Commission meeting was an isolated incident that was both unfortunate and regrettable,” Boyd Gaming spokesman David Strow said in a statement following the commission hearing. “It is not consistent with our company’s culture…It does not reflect our values, the way we do business, or the way we treat our guests.”
Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman John Moran Jr., said he would “reluctantly” support the settlement, citing Boyd Gaming’s “lengthy track record of compliance.”
Boyd Gaming Executive Vice President of Operations Steve Thompson told the commission “The incident should not have occurred,” Thompson said. “Many things went horribly wrong.”
The other fines levied were for violations from non-enforcement of the requirement that customers wear masks inside casinos to a lack of adherence to social distancing guidelines.
“These settlements approved today reflect a range of violations at different sized properties,” Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan said following the hearing. “The common thread for me in reviewing these complaints is there had been a prior formal notice from the board.”
Morgan noted that there had been good signs over the past few weeks of compliance with guidelines concerning wearing facial coverings and social distancing.
In the complaint, the gaming agents said Grand Sierra employees did not take any steps to direct patrons to wear facial coverings. Grand Sierra General Manager Shannon Keel apologized “profusely” for the incidents.
“Some team members made mistakes, but there are thousands of examples here of how we keep our guests safe,” she said.
Disciplinary actions also involved casinos in Lake Tahoe, Ely and Minden.
