Caesars Palace, Flamingo to open first in Las Vegas, company says

Operator to scrap parking fees, offer lodging, dining and access to pools

Image

Steve Marcus

An exterior view of Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip Dec. 26, 2017.

Published Thu, May 21, 2020 (6:55 p.m.)

Updated Thu, May 21, 2020 (10:30 p.m.)

When Las Vegas casinos are allowed to reopen, Caesars Palace and the Flamingo will be the first Caesars Entertainment resorts to do so.

The company made the announcement Thursday evening as part of a set of reopening guidelines, which included the news that Caesars will drop self-parking fees at its Las Vegas properties.

Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered gaming operations statewide to close in mid-March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s still unclear when casinos in the state might be allowed to open again.

Following the initial reopening phase with Caesars Palace and the Flamingo, the company said Harrah’s Las Vegas and the Linq gaming floor will likely follow in the next phase.

“Reopening Las Vegas in a phased approach will be a significant milestone for Caesars Entertainment as the country continues to emerge from this necessary closure period,” said company CEO Tony Rodio in a statement. “We are hopeful that the country’s continued progress in addressing COVID-19 and business conditions will allow us to reopen more of our properties and bring back more of our colleagues as it is appropriate to do so.”

Caesars said it will suspend all fees for self-park customers, joining MGM Resorts International, which announced it will waive parking fees earlier this month.

According to the release, Caesars will open its first two resorts whenever the state gives the green light. It also says the timing of the next phase of opening depends on customer demand.

When Caesars Palace and the Flamingo open, both resorts will offer lodging, dining and access to their outdoor pools. Slot machine chairs will be spaced out in accordance with social distancing guidelines, as will table games.

A Caesars official said Thursday that every other slot machine will be taken out of service, though those machines will still light up.

The company said it also plans to reopen a number of retail and dining establishments along the Linq Promenade, as well as its High Roller observation ride.

Some offerings — including live entertainment, bars, spas, buffets and valet parking services — will not resume, at least at first, the company said.

Caesars employees will be required to wear protective face masks and will be subject to temperature checks before each shift. Guests will be encouraged to wear masks.

Caesars, which has about 30,000 employees in Las Vegas, furloughed roughly 90% of its U.S. workforce following the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The company has nine resorts in Las Vegas.

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