Las Vegas is reopening in one week

Las Vegas will be back as of June 4, but it won’t look like the destination we know and love. Like much of the country, the city effectively has been shut down to visitors since mid-March, an effort on the part of casino companies and local officials to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Now, after more than 70 days of locked resorts, shuttered restaurants, lap-less lap dances and a deserted Las Vegas Boulevard, Sin City is gearing up to lean into sin again — at least, as much debauchery as one can experience wearing a face mask, sanitizing hands regularly and standing or sitting six feet from everyone else.

On Tuesday, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said local casino resorts were set to welcome visitors back safely. "We're welcoming visitors back, but we're going to take every precaution possible," he said in an online briefing. "We're encouraging visitors to come and enjoy themselves and have a good time."

Still, Vegas will look different. Even a new television advertising campaign uses plain language to alert visitors that things may be unfamiliar in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future: "The world has changed, and Vegas is changing with it," the ad says.

That ad was produced by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the organization charged with marketing Southern Nevada and the same group that put together the famous "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" campaign. CEO Steve Hill said the idea behind the new ad is to reassure visitors that while Las Vegas might not look familiar, it's still the same place.

Without question, the most important aspect of reopening Las Vegas is reopening the hotels — people who are visiting from outside the city obviously need places to stay. At last check there were roughly 150,000 hotel rooms around the Las Vegas Valley; only a fraction of these will open June 4.

On the Las Vegas Strip, the 4-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard that runs from the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign to Sahara Avenue, casinos to open June 4 will include New York-New York Hotel & Casino, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, the Flamingo Las Vegas, the Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas.
Off-Strip, many Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming resorts are opening on the same date.

Derek Stevens, who owns both The D Las Vegas and the Golden Gate Casino downtown, will open his properties June 4 as well. Always a showman, on Wednesday Stevens offered 1,000 free one-way airplane tickets to Las Vegas to get visitors to return.

All the tickets were claimed on the D Las Vegas website within two hours, and when Stevens added another 1,000 free one-way tickets, they were also almost immediately snapped up.

"We knew there was a high demand for Las Vegas, and to see these flights book as quickly as they did is overwhelming and exciting," said Stevens in a press release. "Whether people decide to visit my casinos or explore other parts of the city, this is a strong indicator of how Las Vegas can quickly be restored to its former glory."

All casino resorts will reopen with ample hand sanitizing stations throughout the properties. They also will give out free face masks (some even branded with company logos). Some, such as Bellagio and New York-New York, will have actual hand-washing stations with water and towels and soap. New signage will recommend that guests always wear masks, but the face coverings will not be required for visitors — just for employees.

Some resorts will embrace additional precautions. Wynn Resorts properties plan to use thermal imaging cameras at every entrance to intercept people with fevers. The Venetian has put together a team of 25 Emergency Medical Technicians to be on hand in case guests require immediate attention.

Most hotels will reopen with pool access; some will have pool decks operating on reduced schedules. Though the raucous pool parties that Vegas is known for are probably not coming back anytime soon.