Downtown casino owner Derek Stevens thought an offer of 1,000 free one-way flights to Las Vegas would be a good way to celebrate the restart of gaming in Nevada next week while also throwing an assist to the sagging airline industry.
Two hours later, Stevens booked another 1,000 one-way flights into McCarran International Airport.
“We just put it out there because we knew that we needed to give a boost to the fly-in market,” Stevens, the owner-operator of the Golden Gate and D Las Vegas, said Wednesday as his casino concierge team booked the additional flights.
“We knew there was a high demand for Las Vegas, and to see these flights book as quickly as they did is overwhelming and exciting,” Stevens said.
All told, Stevens is writing a check to cover 2,000 one-way tickets into Las Vegas from more than three dozen destinations around the U.S. on five different airline carriers between June 3 and June 5.
And he’s not even sure if those quick enough to sign up for the offer will even be staying at one of his two properties. The guests are responsible for their return flights and booking their hotel stays. There are just a handful of suites and rooms at the Golden Gate, while the D has 629 rooms and suites.
“Whether people decide to visit my casinos or explore other parts of the city, this is a strong indicator of how Las Vegas can quickly be restored to its former glory,” Stevens said. “I just wanted to jump in and support Las Vegas.”
Nevada’s casino industry is reopening June 4 after being closed since mid-March in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stevens, who is reopening the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate next week under the state’s health and safety protocols for social distancing, cleaning, and sanitation, said the idea was to help bring out-of-town visitors back for the initial weekend.
He plans to reopen all areas of the two properties.
After more than two months of lost business, Stevens is looking forward to seeing customers return. Downtown Las Vegas properties rely on locals, as well as drive-in customers and the “fly-in” market. Stevens said the airlines have been hurt by the pandemic.
“It’s a different scenario for everybody,” Stevens said. “We just want to bring everybody back.”
Despite the casino closures, construction work continued on the Circa Resort and Casino, the downtown property Stevens is building on a city block along the front of the Fremont Street Experience and Main Street. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak deemed construction an essential business at the outset of the pandemic, citing the jobs it provided, and building continued on the planned 700-room resort, the first all-new property in downtown in 40 years.
“We’re still on time for an end-of-the-year opening,” Stevens said.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter
