By Laurie Baratti

TravelPulse

MGM Resorts plans to shut down hotel operations at the Mirage and Mandalay Bay resorts during the midweek, due to the lack of consumer demand resulting from COVID-19.

Beginning Monday, the hotel towers at the two iconic Las Vegas Strip properties will be open for business only between noon on Thursdays and noon on Mondays, though the resorts’ casinos, restaurants and amenities will remain open.

The modification to Mirage’s and Mandalay Bay’s operating hours occurs three weeks after MGM Resorts’ decision to close its Park MGM hotel from noon on Mondays to noon on Thursdays.

MGM Resorts said in a statement that it does not expect the policy of midweek hotel closure to last past December, but that the company will “continue evaluating business levels to determine how long they are in effect.” It explained, “We are constantly evaluating occupancy levels and adjusting operations accordingly.”

While Nevada’s casinos reopened back on June 4, subject to a slew of new health and safety mandates, which include restrictions for reduced occupancy and social distancing, the majority of Las Vegas’ business is now dependent upon local regional and drive-in customers.

In October, just under 1,857,000 visitors came to Las Vegas, representing a 50% decline year over year, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported. Air traffic at the city’s McCarran International Airport was also down 57% in October.

The latest surge of COVID-19 infection in Nevada prompted Gov. Steve Sisolak to implement newly strengthened statewide restrictions, which he referred to as a “statewide pause” that went into effect Tuesday and will remain in place for at least three weeks.

The “statewide pause” expands upon Nevada’s existing mask-wearing mandate and applies capacity limits of 25% to venues where crowding could likely occur, including casinos, arcades, art galleries, aquariums, racetracks, bowling alleys, theme/amusement parks, mini-golf, libraries, museums and zoos.