MGM Resorts International announced that its Las Vegas-based Mirage resort will reopen for business on August 27, following several months closed due to the novel coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic.
The company described how it would reopen the property in line with its seven-point safety plan, a set of protocols and procedures designed to prevent the spread of the virus.
Key policies to be put in place include employee screening, temperature checks and covid-19-specific training. Employees and guests will be required to wear masks, with complimentary masks provided for customers.
Social distancing policies have been put in place, as well as physical barriers in areas where social distancing is not possible. An increase in the number of hand-washing stations will see customers have easier access to sanitation facilities.
For the resort’s guest accommodation, staff will be expected to wear masks and gloves while cleaning guestrooms, for example, and will be required to change gloves between each room.
The protocols also see increased integration of mobile technology into the guest experience, with contactless check-in via smartphone to become the norm, as well as the use of digital smartphone menus in the resort’s food and beverage outlets.
Valet parking will not be available to guests at this time, however complimentary self-parking will take its place.
“As we have slowly and thoughtfully reintroduced our properties across the country, we have placed the health and safety of our guests and employees first at all times,” MGM Resorts president and chief executive Bill Hornbuckle said.
“Reopening The Mirage allows us to bring many more of our employees back to work, which is critical in the recovery of our community.”
The operator reported a net loss of $50.4m for the first half of 2020, after the pandemic saw net revenue fall over 60% to $2.54bn, down from $6.4bn for the same period in 2019.
The Mirage follows a number of properties recently reopened by the operator, with Las Vegas resorts Excalibur and Luxor returning to business in June. MGM’s Gold Strike location in Mississippi reopened on May 25, followed by Beau Rivage on June 1, MGM Northfield Park on June 20 and MGM National Harbor on June 29.
MGM’s operations in China also suffered greatly during the period, with travel restrictions for Macau causing a decline of 78.8% in revenue, down to $306.6m in the first half of 2020.
Figures from the American Gaming Association showed a year-on-year decline of 45.6% in US commercial gross gaming revenue for the first half of 2020.
While Nevada remained the nation’s biggest contributor in terms of GGR, its Q2 results showed a decline of over 80%, with revenue of just $576.3m across the state. The majority of this revenue was collected after casinos were permitted to reopen on June 4.