The ranks of Las Vegas Strip casino resorts to temporarily shut down their hotel operations continue to swell, with Palazzo being the latest addition on the list. The luxury resort announced it intends to temporarily keep its hotel accommodations closed both on weekdays and weekends.
A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Sands Corporation confirmed the move and explained it with the decline in hotel occupancy on the Las Vegas Strip. According to the spokesperson, the closure of the hotel accommodations will better reflect recent occupancy patterns.
Las Vegas visitors will be able to book rooms in the company’s adjoining Venetian tower. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority revealed in October occupancy levels over the weekend were 64%, compared to weekday levels which slumped to 39%.
Most conventions with over 250 visitors continue to steer clear of Sin City as a result of the pandemic. The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, a major tourist attraction in December, decided to move this year from Vegas to the Globe Life Field baseball park in Arlington, Texas.
The Palazzo hotel tower will remain closed for customers until December 23, the spokesperson said. In the meantime, the bars, eateries, and restaurants in the Palazzo will remain operational, including Mott 32, Rosina, Majordomo Meat & Fish, and Electra Cocktail Club. The same goes for the resort’s parking lot and the Grand Canal Shoppes mall. Customers will be able to visit the casino but the latter will operate with reduced table capacity.
Bars and eateries will continue to operate at a 25% capacity until December 15. The possibility of stricter limitations looms over Sin City. Governor Stephen Sisolak said he might impose additional restrictions if the number of new coronavirus cases jumps throughout the Silver State.
Encore and Park MGM Have Also Reduced Hotel Operations
The company’s spokesperson also confirmed employees of the hotel will continue to receive salaries and benefits throughout the hotel shut-down. Casinos in the Silver State reopened for business at the beginning of June with various restrictions in place. A month later, Palazzo announced it will stop accepting hotel reservations during weekdays due to insufficient demand.
The Palazzo is hardly the only casino resort to suffer the consequences of the pandemic. In mid-October, Encore Las Vegas was forced to cut down on its operating schedule. The casino resort houses over 2,000 rooms but announced it will operate only from Thursdays to Mondays at noon due to poor consumer demand.
The same thing happened to Park MGM, which adjusted its hotel operations due to low occupancy rates during weekdays. Starting November 9, Park MGM announced it will accept reservations for hotel stays only Thursdays through Sundays. Meanwhile, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will resume its operations on December 22 with reduced dining options and weekend occupations (from Thursdays to Mondays).
The casino floor will serve patrons through the entire week, however. An exception will be made for the holiday season only, with the hotel operating throughout the entire week from December 23, 2020 to January 3, 2021. As of December 8, the number of new coronavirus cases in Clark County, which is home to Las Vegas, reached 10,597, with 1,852 fatal outcomes since the pandemic began.
