/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68478626/shutterstock_1537714517.0.jpg)
The Palazzo joins the ranks of hotels on the Strip temporarily closing, only this move keeps rooms closed seven days a week. Parent company Las Vegas Sands Corp. tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the move was made to “better reflect occupancy patterns” through December 23. Visitors instead can stay at the Venetian.
The Palazzo originally closed its hotel for weekday stays in July. Operations at the Palazzo’s restaurants such as Majordomo Meat & Fish and Mott 32, as well as bars including Electra Cocktail Club and Rosina continue, and restaurants and shops at the Grand Canal Shoppes and the resort’s casino floor remain open.
The closure represents the ongoing low midweek occupancy rates across the city. In October, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported weekend occupancy rates of 64 percent, while weekday rates plummeted to 39 percent.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to keep most conventions from coming to Las Vegas with more than 250 people. The National Finals Rodeo, typically a huge tourist draw during December with country western concerts and 10 nights of cowboys, moved to Arlington, Texas, for 2020. The state continues to curtail restaurants and bars to 25 percent occupancy through December 15 to combat the spread of COVID-19, and Gov. Steve Sisolak hinted that he may impose even stricter restrictions as the state’s case positivity rate continues to skyrocket. Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, reported 10,597 new cases of COVID-19 in the past seven days, with 1,852 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Encore Las Vegas closed its hotel on weekdays starting on Monday, October 19 and the Park MGM followed suit in November. The off-Strip Rio reopens on December 22 with weekend only stays. Starting November 30, the Mirage and Mandalay Bay closed their hotel for Monday to Thursday.
• Park MGM Closes Its Hotel Mondays Through Thursdays Starting November 9 [ELV]
• Mandalay Bay and the Mirage Prepare to Temporarily Close Hotel Rooms Midweek [ELV]