The Venetian details new protocols for potential June reopening

28 April 2020

By Gary Trask

Face masks are “welcome”, but not required. Guests will be greeted in their suites with a “personal care” amenity kit filled with disinfectants, and table games will have a three-player max while the chips in play will be cleaned every two hours.

Those are just a few of the more than 800 initiatives and protocols rolled out in the Venetian Clean Commitment, a document updated today by The Venetian Las Vegas, the iconic Las Vegas Strip resort casino.

The Las Vegas Sands Corporation property, which closed in mid-March along with all other Nevada casinos and non-essential businesses due to the coronavirus outbreak, intimated last week that it is aiming for a June reopening, announcing on its website that resort reservations with arrivals between 18 March and 31 May will automatically be canceled with a full refund.

However, for guests scheduled to arrive 1 June and beyond, “reservations remain in place,” the website says.

When the resort finally does open, there will be an exhaustive list of changes waiting for its guests. Venetian Clean, a comprehensive document found on the resort’s website, is jam-packed with details on what the “new normal” will look like throughout all towers of Venetian Resort, including The Venetian tower, The Palazzo tower at The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino and Venezia tower.

“The health and safety of our Team Members, our guests, and our community is our top priority,” the introduction reads. ”By closely monitoring industry and government guidance regarding the COVID-19 virus, including information supplied by the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO), we have devised additional guidelines and procedures for sanitation and cleaning, with an emphasis on the prevention of virus transmission.”

For starters, cameras are in use at every resort entry point, allowing “discreet and non-invasive temperature checks” on all employees and guests. Those with a temperature at or over 100.4 degrees F will be subject to secondary screening.

Guests are not required to wear a face mask or gloves, but are “welcome” to do so. Masks that obscure the entire face are prohibited, “for added safety.” The document was not clear on whether or not dealers or other employees will be wearing face coverings, except for “pilots” at the famed Gondola Rides at the resort, who will indeed be masked as they cruise guests down the Grand Canal.

“Appropriate PPE will be provided to and worn by all Team Members based on their role and responsibilities, and in adherence to state or local regulations and guidance,” it reads.

Additionally, in every suite, guests will receive a Venetian Clean “personal care” amenity kit with hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, gloves and a personal face mask. Cleaning protocols for guest rooms have been “upgraded” and will now use “wide range II EPA-certified disinfectant” with an emphasis on “high-touch” items such as television remote controls, toilet seats and telephones.

In the casino and other gaming areas, nearly 100 disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer stations have been added. Casino areas will also be disinfected “around the clock” and casino chips will be cleaned at each table “approximately every two hours.”

Slot machines and chairs are arranged to allow for “appropriate distancing,” and table games have a maximum of three chairs per table, “under current guidelines.”

Other “physical distancing” requirements feature a “suggested limit” of four guests per elevator ride, while restaurant tables, slot machines, pool seating and meeting and convention spaces and other areas have been arranged to “ensure” appropriate distancing that complies with, or exceeds, local and state mandated occupancy limits.

In these uncertain times, we stand in solidarity with our friends in Italy and our neighbors here in the United States and around the world. Please continue to take care of yourselves, and each other. pic.twitter.com/lE43SUtlVf

— The Venetian Resort Las Vegas (@VenetianVegas) March 23, 2020

Other highlights of Venetian Clean include:

On-site EMTs: A team of approximately 25 certified Emergency Medical Technicians are “available 24 hours a day.” Approximately, a third of this EMT staff are on site every day.

Electrostatic sprayers: Sprayers will apply “hospital-grade disinfectant on high-touch surfaces during off-peak hours,” including hotel lobbies, the convention center, bell desks, luggage storerooms and belts, sidewalks, drop-off/pick-up waiting areas and other public spaces.

Fresh air: Throughout the resort, the “frequency” of air-filter replacement and HVAC system cleaning has been “increased” and in specific areas, “hospital-grade HEPA filters” will be used.

“These protocols are based on the most current information available on sanitation and cleanliness for the hospitality industry, as well as other pertinent industries.

“As we move forward, we will continue to monitor guidelines from the SNHD, CDC and WHO, the Nevada Gaming Control Board, government policy and mandates, and other public health innovations to revise these procedures.”