Business Traveler, Dec/Jan 2021
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 1 b u s i n e s s t r a v e l e r u s a c o m C O V E R S T O R Y 3 5 L as Vegas is famous for its magic acts and currently in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic the city is bracing for its new trick Magically making meetings materialize The city was on a roll until last winter expecting a record year beating the 425 million visitor numbers of 2019 Then COVID 19 hit and the people disappeared Visitor counts went down to 127 million as of August from 284 million for the same months in 2019 Hotel occupancy vanished by more than 50 percent For a city built for and based on attracting tourism from far and wide these numbers did not sit well But the city is also based on brilliant pivots and bellwether reinventions that shape trends and headline the news The pandemic while a formidable challenge may just be another era for Las Vegas This is a city that rose from the dust and has lived to face down organized and disorganized crime recessions inflations mass shootings wars sell offs and buy ups droughts and a climate that could welcome the devil But every time it comes out on top Bringing back business travelers and meetings attendees may be the neon gaming meccas best bet amid the rabid unpredictability of the coronavirus culprit Its a big job and many destinations are competing to do this But they do not have the buying power and fleet footed visionaries available to create meaningful moves Las Vegas does The city that turned dining into celebrity chef entertainment and hotels into monuments of architectural imagination has yet more cards to turn and rabbits to pull out of thin air As some casino resorts are scaling back operating hours closing off guestrooms and imposing limitations on admission into public spaces unprecedented in a 24 hour town with no casino clocks MGM Resorts is saying bring it on when it comes to meetings and putting in cutting edge solutions to ensure health safety for all participants
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