Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas will be closed after next year’s Super Bowl Sunday and will remain closed for the greater part of its transformation into Virgin Hotel Las Vegas, news emerged on Friday.
Businessman Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels bought the property last year and announced a multi-million plan for its remodel into a Virgin-branded resort. It was originally announced that during its transformation, the property would be partially closed after the Super Bowl weekend in 2020 for a period of four months that would be followed by a total closure for another four months.
Richard “Boz” Bosworth, President and CEO of J.C. Hospitality, Virgin’s partner in the endeavor, said last week that they have scrapped the phased closing plan in favor of a total closure of the resort during construction work.
Here’s Mr. Bozworth’s full statement from this past Friday:
“We determined that a phased closing of four months, followed by a total closure of four months was not efficient from a construction process nor could we provide a hospitality service experience our guests deserve. Therefore an approximate eight-month closure would be most efficient and ensure a timely opening prior to January 2021. We might be ready in October, but construction is an imperfect process. Until early February 2020 it is business as usual at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas promises to be one of the most exciting, vibrant, and anticipated properties to open in Las Vegas in years.”
Property to Reopen by January 2021
Mr. Bozworth pointed out that they could be done with the resort’s transformation as early as October 2020, but “construction is an imperfect process”, so it make take them a little more time. However, the official said that the property will certainly open doors as Virgin Hotel Las Vegas before January 2021.
Business will go as usual at Hard Rock Las Vegas until the Super Bowl weekend next February. Programming at the resort’s entertainment venue – The Joint – will run through the end of the year with scheduled acts by Mary J. Blige, Caske and Ben Folds, Stone Temple Pilots, and Gary Allan, among other artists.
When news first emerged that Virgin Hotels had bought Hard Rock Las Vegas, the hospitality company run by British businessman Sir Richard Branson, it said that it would invest $150 million into the renovation and transformation of the complex. Earlier this year, Virgin Hotels said that it has upped that initial investment to $200 million.
The property’s planned overhaul will include renovation of its 1,500 hotel rooms, 5-acre pool deck, as well as of its food and beverage, gaming, nightlife and daytime entertainment, and gaming offering. Partners for the resort’s different amenities will be announced in November.
J.C. Hospitality revealed last month plans to team up with AEG Presents as its booking partner for The Joint. The entertainment venue will, too, be refreshed as part of the transformation process.
Construction work at Hard Rock Las Vegas was initially planned to kick off later this summer. However, the property’s new owners decided to push the start of the remodel to February 2020 and its launch to late 2020, as it did not want its grand opening to get lost in the distraction of the presidential election.
Mr. Bosworth said earlier this year he and his company “didn’t want to compete with the distraction of the campaign, with the state of Nevada and Las Vegas playing a pivotal role in the election.”
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the day’s top casino news stories
