- The Las Vegas Strip is reopening after a 78 day shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Caesars Entertainment has already reopened Caesars Palace, the Flamingo and Harrah’s Las Vegas as well as the gaming floor at the Linq Hotel.
- At this time is doesn’t look like the Paris Sportsbook will reopen until further notice.
Caesars Entertainment is starting to speed up the pace of reopening their Nevada properties. The Caesars Palace sportsbook reopened on Friday though the books at the company’s other properties remain dark. So far Caesars Entertainment has reopened Caesars Palace, the Flamingo and Harrah’s Las Vegas along with the casino gaming floor at the Linq Hotel. For now, the actual hotel component of the Linq remains closed. They have also reopened the High Roller Observation Wheel. The next property to come back to life will be Paris Las Vegas which is planning to reopen at 10 AM Pacific on June 18.
Several of the restaurants at the property have already reopened including the Beer Park, Hexx Kitchen + Bar and Mon Ami Gabi. As should be expected by now, all are operating reduced hours. They’ll no doubt welcome the reopening of the hotel and casino on June 18. The Paris has done some renovation on the rooms and suites at the hotel and they’ll be unveiled at this time. Reservations are now being taken on the Paris website and they’re offering some nice discounts on accommodations.
Caesars CEO Tony Rodio led with the ‘health and safety’ improvements at the property in his statement from the Paris reopening press release:
“We will continue to emphasize our enhanced health and safety protocols and create the memorable guest experiences that draw people from all over to Las Vegas. This positive momentum also enables us to bring more employees back to work, which is great news for them, their families, the company and the community.”
No specific mention is made of the sportsbook but since the press release deliberately mentions that ‘slot machines and table games within the casino’ are reopening it sure sounds like the book will remain closed for the time being. The latest rumor heard on the street is that the Caesars Palace sportsbook will be the only one reopened until the purchase of the company by Eldorado Resorts is finalized. At that point, William Hill will take over all of the company’s sportsbooks per an earlier agreement with Eldorado. That’s just conjecture at this point but it definitely makes a lot of sense. Although there’s been little reported in the gaming media of late the William Hill takeover of the Caesars Entertainment sportsbooks remains one of the most persistent rumors with some suggesting that the change is ‘imminent’. Objectively speaking, it’s hard to see it happening before the Eldorado deal is finalized but that should be happening by the end of the month.
The best news from the Paris reopening is the return of many excellent dining options. Returning will be the Gordon Ramsay Steak house, Cafe Belle Madeleine, La Creperie, Arc Bar, Le Central Bar Gustav’s Bar, Le Cabaret Bar, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant and Cafe Americano. Some dining options will be open reduced hours at first so keep that in mind. Also reopening is personal favorite JJ’s Boulangerie which will be open 24/7. As if you need another reason to love Las Vegas the existence of a 24/7 boulangerie is definitely one of them. In addition, the Soleil Pool will be open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily weather permitting.
