The Mohegan Tribe has announced that it will stop operating Virgin Hotels Las Vegas by the end of this year. In a joint statement with Mohegan, Virgin said that Cliff Atkinson, President of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, will manage the property once Mohegan exits.
“Mohegan’s partnership with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was, upon inception, and is today in the very best interest of the guests and hard-working team members whose patronage and contributions to the business are deeply appreciated,” said Ray Pineault, President and CEO of Mohegan. “While Mohegan’s role will come to an end, we are confident that the Resort’s unwavering focus on guest and team member satisfaction will continue.”
Virgin does not anticipate any disruptions for its guests or employees.
Mohegan made history in September 2019 when it was announced that it would operate Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, then called Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, becoming the first Native American tribe to operate a commercial casino in Las Vegas.
Since then, tribes have made further forays into the Las Vegas market. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians bought the Palms Casino Resort for $650 million from Station Casinos LLC in May 2021 and Hard Rock International – owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida – acquired The Mirage for $1.1 billion from MGM Resorts International later that year.
The Mirage will be renovated and transformed into Hard Rock Las Vegas, complete with a giant guitar-shaped hotel like the one at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. Despite the switch to the Hard Rock brand, “The Beatles Love” show by Cirque du Soleil will close in two months.
The old Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas closed in early February 2020 after it was acquired by Virgin for $200 million and reopened in March 2021 as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. It was good timing, considering the COVID-10 pandemic essentially shut down Las Vegas in 2020, but it did delay the reopening of the property.
Neither company gave a reason for the change, though the property’s recent financial difficulties could have something to do with it. December cash flow was just $3.1 million, a ridiculous 434.2% drop from the previous year. Mohegan said the culprit was table game hold – the casino simply won much less than normal from its customers.
The Mohegan Tribe also operates the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, but like Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, it plans to relinquish operations by the end of 2024. Its flagship property is Mohegan Sun casino resort in Connecticut.
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