Paul Szydelko
Making predictions amid the pandemic is foolhardy at best, but what's planned for Las Vegas in 2021 is worthy of sweet anticipation, and there's plenty of cautious optimism for a steady recovery.
With vaccination for Covid-19 getting underway, it's a bit easier to look forward to all that Las Vegas offers, said Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "There's certainly hope and some level of confidence that as we get into the second half of 2021, things do start to return to something that makes things feel more normal," Hill said last month.
By far the most ambitious project set to reach fruition in 2021 is Resorts World, the behemoth structure sporting an exterior LED screen that has lit up Las Vegas Boulevard for months. The 3,500-room, $4.3 billion, 88-acre luxury resort will include three Hilton brands: Hilton Hotels & Resorts, LXR and Conrad.
"The Resorts World brand is strongly recognized and valued around the globe, and its arrival to Las Vegas will draw business to the north end of the Strip," the company's president, Scott Sibella, said in an email. He hopes pandemic concerns will have subsided when his resort opens in the summer.
"New investments have shown to draw more visitation to Las Vegas as a whole, and we think the opening of Resorts World will play a large role in the city's rebound, beginning with the creation of 6,000 new jobs and new experiences for the city of Las Vegas," he said.
Sibella, who attended the opening night of Circa Resort & Casino in October, a rare 2020 highlight, praised owner Derek Stevens for a successful launch.
"Derek is a friend and a smart businessman," Sibella said. "He did a great job with the project, and it is a wonderful addition to downtown and the city of Las Vegas. I admire how they navigated opening the resort through the pandemic. Seeing the outpouring of support they received from visitors and locals alike was encouraging and made me even more excited about our opening."
Also on Vegas' drawing board:
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has delayed its Jan. 15 opening because of the pandemic, but the extensive renovation of the off-Strip Hard Rock Hotel & Casino continues for a 2021 opening.
Meow Wolf, a New-Mexico based arts and entertainment company, is on track to unveil the 52,000-square-foot, permanent Omega Mart art installation at Area15, just off the Strip. The large-scale, immersive, interactive "grocery store" experience will "bring storytelling alive through a hands-on experience of art," said Marsi Gray, senior creative producer of Omega Mart.
A $13 million renovation of McCarran Airport's Concourse C is expected to be completed in the summer.
Usher at Caesars Palace and Donny Osmond at Harrah's are hoping to lead a rebound of residencies for which Vegas has become known.
"With all these restrictions right now, I honestly believe Vegas is going to explode with enthusiasm. Everybody is so sick and tired of being cooped up," Osmond told Las Vegas Weekly. "This [pandemic] has been the toughest thing on Vegas, and you watch, Vegas is going to rebound bigger than ever. I'm very honored to be part of that wave, one of the first to be announced in a big way right now and help bring some life back into this city."
"Magic Mike Live" is getting a new home at Sahara Las Vegas in the spring, and the rest of the city's production shows are anxiously hoping to return to stages quickly.
While Cirque du Soleil has not announced any reopening schedule, the company has emerged from bankruptcy-protection proceedings with new investors and former MGM Resort International CEO Jim Murren among those at the helm. The show "Zumanity" at the New York-New York will not return, but "Mystere" at TI, "O" at the Bellagio, "KA" at MGM Grand, "The Beatles Love" at the Mirage, Michael Jackson One at Mandalay Bay and the Cirque-owned Blue Man Group at the Luxor are expected to resume when theater capacity restrictions are lifted.
Also waiting for the day bigger gatherings are permitted is the convention industry, which is looking to fill the city's 14 million square feet of meeting and exhibition space.
"The convention and event business and its return will really be the turning point in terms of seeing a significant step toward recovery," Sibella said. "The tremendous amount of work, planning and research that all the properties have put into to safely bring back these large-scale events is impressive and a testament to our industry. The city is still seeing bookings for late 2021 and into 2022 -- leads have been picking up, which is encouraging."