Virgin Hotels Las Vegas now open with city's first tribal casino

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas held a grand opening Thursday, boasting a $200 million renovation.

The property, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, opened its doors with 60,000 square feet of casino space and 1,500 rooms across three towers. The first look inside the location, which was once The Hard Rock Hotel, was absolutely electric, with new restaurants, bars and a few uncommon characters among guests. 

“It’s the result of so many years of incredible dedication and hard work on so many people’s behalf,” Virgin Hotels CEO James Bermingham told 8 News Now. “And it’s just extraordinary.”

When was the last time you did something for the first time?!? pic.twitter.com/coZioAbTet

— Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (@VirginHotelsLV) March 26, 2021

VIP guests arrived for the opening ceremony greeted by a red carpet. The socially distanced celebration included Mario Lopez, Matt James, Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz and Melissa Gorga. There was also a drumline and various creative photo opportunities.

“The doors are now unlocked. May we live in a world, and may Las Vegas live in a world, where we never have to close doors again to our resorts,” said Richard “Boz” Bosworth, president and CEO of JC Hospitality and owner of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

There’s a desert oasis theme, with natural colors, gems and plants filling the lobby and the whole property. The hotel also has contactless features, like an app to control the TVs, lights and to order room service.

3.25.21

A night we’ll never forget! pic.twitter.com/gLqhyLcQkX

— Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (@VirginHotelsLV) March 26, 2021

 “We have 1,300 returning employees from Hard Rock,” shared Bosworth. “That’s about 85% of the employees that stayed to the end when it was the Hard Rock. We’ve hired an additional 400.”

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas plans to hire an additional 400 to 500 employees throughout May, which is when the resort pool and dayclub are set to open. “Now seeing Vegas open and people investing in new hotels like this,” Daniel Hughes President of the Americas at Hilton said, speaking on the struggles of COVID-19 closures in 2020. “It’s symbolic to say we’re not out of the woods yet, but we are over the worst.”

The Mohegan Sun Casino, which is located on the Virgin Hotels property, is the first tribally operated casino in Las Vegas. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas also advertises free parking, no resort fees and free Wi-Fi. 

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas was originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2020 but the date was pushed back to January 2021, which was again delayed due to the pandemic.