{"id":28827,"date":"2020-11-21T08:32:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T16:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=28827"},"modified":"2020-11-30T07:34:58","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T15:34:58","slug":"vegas-recovery-a-mirage-illinois-closes-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/vegas-recovery-a-mirage-illinois-closes-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Vegas recovery a Mirage; Illinois closes … again"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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More from the Too Much, Too Soon? file: MGM Resorts International<\/strong>, despite its long pause in reopening The Mirage<\/strong> has evidently decided it jumped the gun. Hotel rooms there and at Mandalay Bay <\/strong>will be closed Mondays-Thursdays through December at minimum. Heck, even giddy Caesars Entertainment<\/strong> CEO Tom Reeg<\/strong> is only reopening The Rio<\/strong> on a four-nights-a-week basis<\/a>. Restaurants and “amenities” (read: gambling) at M’Bay and The Mirage will remain open week ’round, of course. The Delano<\/strong> is unaffected by the changes, as is Shark Reef Aquarium<\/strong>. (Need to de-stress? Watch the sea turtles for a while. Works every time.) Meanwhile, from his sickbed, Gov. Steve Sisolak<\/strong> (D) warned darkly of new restrictions<\/a>. Faced with runaway infections, Sisolak said, \u201cMy administration is exploring all mitigation options available to get this under control, while walking a tightrope to balance public health and economic impacts. The goal is to have the most impact on mitigating the spread and the least impact on our fragile economy.\u201d Obviously “all mitigation options” would have to include re-closing the casinos … but what would that do to “our fragile economy”? Based on the examples of Iceland<\/strong> and New Zealand<\/strong>, the obvious solution would be to discourage tourism to the greatest extent possible\u2014but at what price? What gets infected outside Vegas stays in Vegas, sad to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Looking beyond the current, desperate state of affairs, a panel of experts chaired by Dr. David G. Schwartz<\/strong> has sussed out a possible path to economic recovery. This isn’t a rah-rah crowd<\/a>, so we can take their findings at face value. Such discoveries are premised on a post-vaccine world but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. As Schwartz said, what happens next could shape the history of Las Vegas<\/strong> for decades, not just years. Calling the present situation “a crisis like no other,” the report says, \u201cThere has been a collapse in customer demand, particularly midweek, due to the inability of many visitors to access the market, and few ways of stimulating demand. Compounding this problem is that there is\u00a0no horizon to recovery, which limits future planning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the upside, 64% of consumers surveyed plan to return to within a year. But only 54% are comfortable flying and 52% have confidence that resorts are Covid-safe. Nonsmokers will be encouraged that 59% of respondents think smoking should be banned in casinos forthwith. (Park MGM<\/strong>, get those people’s phone numbers!) That will also be music to the ears of American for Nonsmokers Rights<\/strong>, which recently petitioned Sisolak<\/a> to impose a smoking ban\u2014a sensibly limited response behind which we could get. “One way to keep the casinos open, in theory, is if you wear the mask 100% of the time, and people can step outside to smoke,” said Cynthia Hallett<\/strong>, association CEO. Works for us. Besides, as Dr. Constantine George<\/strong> points out, “If you’re smoking yourself, or if you’re in touch with secondhand smoke, you’re more likely than not to cough, So if you’re going to be coughing, you’re going to also hear a lot aerosolize these particles as well.” Ewwwww!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tamares Group<\/strong>‘s Plaza Hotel<\/strong> is trying to get extra credit for introducing artificial intelligence into its surveillance. “The scan, detects firearms, explosives and\u2014given today’s pandemic\u2014it also detects thermal for temperature readings as well as face coverings and masks,” said General Manager Jay Franken<\/strong>. That’s as it should be but the Plaza is merely keeping up with the curve, not getting ahead of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So much for those rumors of a Sahara<\/strong> closing. Owner Alex Meruelo<\/strong> is planning a $150 million remodel that will encompass four new eateries. They include a sport bar, Chickie’s & Pete’s<\/strong>, Noodle Bar<\/strong> and two concepts TBA. They’ll go into the northwest corner of the property, late of NASCAR Caf\u00e9<\/strong> and the rollercoaster (pre-Sam Nazarian<\/strong>, of course.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day after Illinois<\/strong> recorded 14,612 new Covid-19 cases, Gov. J.B. Pritzker<\/strong> closed all casinos and slot routes<\/a> in the state. As the governor said, \u201cIf you don\u2019t need to do it, don\u2019t.\u201d Even one Rivers Casino<\/strong> patron agreed, philosophizing, \u201cI thought they would be like the last ones, but it makes sense … If that\u2019s what\u2019s going on and that\u2019s what\u2019s needed, so be it,\u201d There are two consolations for the on-the-ropes casinos. One, mobile sports wagering<\/a> will continue to generate revenue and, two, the hated slot routes are in a worse pickle. (Commercial casinos are also being closed in New Mexico<\/strong> but not tribal ones.) Pritzker’s edict is initially for 14 days and then will presumably be lifted or extended, depending on prevalence rates in two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy 85th birthday, Culinary Union<\/strong>. You’re looking good for your age. We often disagree but you’re a force for good in Nevada<\/strong>, which would be a much less worker-friendly place otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n