Things have to be pretty bad when Las Vegas casinos are opting to shut down for part of the week. That’s the case with Wynn Resorts’ Encore, which will only operate on a Thursday to Sunday basis.
The Encore has been operating on a 24/7 basis, but citing weak demand, Wynn says it had to cut the resort’s hours. They’ll keep it that way until “consumer demand for Las Vegas increases,” the company said.
For Wynn fans who are let down by the news, the Wynn Las Vegas just next door will continue operating at all hours of the day, every day of the week. Sadly though, employees won’t get to take the short stroll to save their jobs.
Wynn wouldn’t immediately confirm how many employee cuts would be necessary, but it did imply there could be some. “We have not yet determined the number of employees who will be furloughed as a result of the reduction in operating hours,” a Wynn spokesperson stated.
That could come as a double whammy for some Wynn employees. In September, we found out that over 500 had tested positive for Covid-19. That represents only 3.6% of their total workforce, but if a property is going to be closed for half the week and furloughs are coming, some of them may also see furloughs in their future.
Tourism just hasn’t shown the surge necessary to keep both properties open, and that’s not good news for everyone. Both the Wynn and Encore were closed from March to June, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority notes that room occupancy during the midweek period is won 50% year over year. Solutions to fix that mid-week lull, like possibly a bullet train, are also so far away from happening, leaving one to wonder just how bad this year is going to be for the casino industry.
The Encore’s Wynn Poker room, which reopened in September, will move to the Wynn during the midweek period.
