The Venetian Las Vegas is gearing up to reopen its Strip hotel and casino on June 1 with enhanced safety protocols for guests and staff, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It’s an ambitious goal that sets a new standard for Vegas casinos and it will be interesting to see whether or not the public is as keen on returning to Las Vegas as Vegas is on reopening.
The company highlighted its vision of what post-lockdown Vegas casino life will look in a document titled Venetian Clean. In this new world, hotel and casino visitors will be required to submit to a thermal scan before walking through the opulent casino’s doors. Any guest that charts 100.4 degrees or higher will be subject to additional screening and may be barred from the premise. Medical protocols will be enforced by a newly hired team of 24 EMTs who’ll staff the Venetian in eight-hour shifts.
On the casino floor, the Venetian will have less flexibility as those protocols are mandated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. In that case, they’ll be looking at six players at each craps table, four at roulette wheels, and three at blackjack tables. Slot machine players will be socially distanced and discouraged from congregating around machines. Casino chips will be disinfected every two hours.
New cleaning protocols are in place throughout the facility and the use of ultraviolet light to assist in that effort is being explored by casino executives.
Las Vegas is definitely ready to reopen because there’s really no choice for the companies. The big question is whether or not the people who do have a choice, particularly out-of-town guests and convention customers, will find the new Vegas a place they actually want to visit?