MGM Reopening Luxor Later This Month, Aria Joins Party on July 1

Posted on: June 9, 2020, 09:39h. 

Last updated on: June 10, 2020, 10:14h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

MGM Resorts International will add the Luxor and The Shoppes at Mandalay to its roster of reopened properties on June 25. The largest operator on the Las Vegas Strip experienced strong demand last weekend during the first round of restarts following the coronavirus shutdown.

MGM Restarting Luxor
Due to stronger-than-expected reopening demand, MGM is restarting the Luxor later this month. (Image: Pinterest)

The company said ARIA and the Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay will join the list of reopenings on July 1.

Our guests are having a great time and are thrilled to be back in the city they love,” said MGM Interim CEO and President Bill Hornbuckle in a statement. “We are eager to get more of our employees back to work and enhance the Las Vegas experience with additional resorts.”

Nevada casinos reopened on June 4 following a more than two-months closure forced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first MGM properties to restart were the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and New York-New York. Excalibur is slated to join the fold on June 11.

Pulling Out The Stops

After its stock experienced a peak-to-trough decline of almost 83 percent and the company furloughed thousands of workers, MGM and its rivals on the Strip are pulling out an assortment of stops to lure visitors back to Sin City.

In the case of the Mirage operator, free self-parking is part of the equation (valet is out for now) as are rock bottom room prices. For example, rooms at Bellagio, a five-star integrated resort, can be booked later this summer for as low as $125 per night.

While getting gamblers back to the tables is vital to Sin City’s recovery efforts, rooms and restaurants are important as well. Lower room rates leave guests with more cash to spend on dining, gaming, and other amenities. In 2019, gaming accounted for 34 percent of the revenue generated by Las Vegas casinos, but room and food and beverage turnover combined for 53 percent.

When Aria and the Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay reopen on July 1, eight of MGM’s 10 Sin City venues will be back in business. In the Tuesday statement, the operator didn’t comment on when the Mirage or Vdara will welcome guests back.

More Reopenings to Come

In the US, MGM operates gaming venues in Nevada, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. MGM’s Mississippi properties restarted last month, while MGM Northfield Park in Ohio is slated to come back online on June 18.

On Tuesday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the state’s stay-at-home order. But Atlantic City operators believe it will be early July before gaming properties there will be open for business.

On Monday, the Michigan Gaming Control Board issued reopening protocols for Motor City casinos, including MGM Grand Detroit. Some of those guidelines include operating at just 15 percent capacity, the elimination of poker, and no smoking.

MGM is implementing a “seven-point safety plan,” including employee screening, contactless check-in via a mobile app, digital restaurant menus, and standalone handwashing stations located across gaming floors.