MGM Resorts International announced Tuesday that it will close the hotel portion of Park MGM during midweek, starting Nov. 9, and continue that through December.
The hotel’s casino, pool, restaurants and amenities will remain open throughout the week as will the NoMad hotel at Park MGM. The hotel opened Sept. 30 as a smoke-free operation
The move is not a total surprise. During an earnings call last week, MGM officials warned they were considering changing operations at some properties during the holidays because of a slowdown of midweek occupancy. MGM like the rest of the casino industry has been hurt by the lack of convention business due to the coronavirus.
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“As many of you know, the November and December holiday season is traditionally a slow period for Las Vegas in terms of visitation and business levels,” said Anton Nikodemus, president and COO of MGM’s Las Vegas portfolio said in a letter to Park MGM employees. “This year has proven to be especially challenging due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and the absence of the major meetings, conventions and events that typically fill Las Vegas’ calendars during the fall and winter months.
“With occupancy remaining low during weekdays, we have decided to temporarily adjust hotel operations to account for the current state of business.”
Nikodemus said while they don’t expect the midweek closures to remain in effect past December, they will continue evaluating business levels to determine how long Park MGM’s hotel closures remain in effect.
“Know that all of us on MGM’s leadership team are laser-focused on doing all that we can to bring business back,” Nikodemus said. “Progress is being made, and we are optimistic that we are headed in the right direction. There are bright spots on the horizon. Our recently announced Convene with Confidence plan for resuming meetings, conventions and entertainment events represents a major step forward for Las Vegas’ recovery. We are confident it will play a role in driving further visitation and business, getting us closer to pre-pandemic levels.”
Nikodemus said this comes as the state of Nevada is signaling intentions to begin relaxing restrictions on public gathering sizes and occupancy – a development that will lead to further growth for the industry.
“As (CEO and President) Bill Hornbuckle has said, the fundamentals of our industry will not change. We will get through this and bounce back stronger than ever,” Nikodemus said.