The D Casino Owner
(the D Las Vegas)
Derek Stevens, owner of The D, Golden Gate and the under-construction Circa Las Vegas, gave away 2,000 flights to Las Vegas to help kick-start visitation and support airline travel following the COVID-19 shutdown. Las Vegas casinos have been closed since March 18, but many will reopen on June 4, 2020. Casino owner Derek Stevens buys downtown Las Vegas office building The office building at 302 E. Carson Avenue, right, as seen on Friday, June 1.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- Casino owner Derek Stevens wants people to return to Las Vegas, and he's helping people get here by giving away free flights to Vegas.
Stevens announced Wednesday morning that he is giving away 1,000 one-way flights to Las Vegas from more than 20 major U.S. cities.
According to a news release, 'Stevens' 'Keep America Flying' promotion is intended to help stimulate the tourism and airline industries while reminding the country of the fun to be had in Las Vegas.'
'Obviously, my team and I would like you to stay at one of our hotels. But if you don't, that's alright too, because Las Vegas needs you. Our community needs you. We're just trying to do our share. Keep America flying, keep Las Vegas rolling,' Stevens said in a video announcing the giveaway.
Stevens owns The D, the Golden Gate and Circa Las Vegas, which is expected to be completed later this year. The D and the Golden Gate will reopen June 4, according to a news release.
Visit https://www.thed.com/Keep-America-Flying/ for a list of offered origin cities and more information. All participants in the 'Keep America Flying' promotion must be at least 21 years of age, the release said.
“As we begin to reopen our doors across the city, we are proud to help reinvigorate travel to Las Vegas while supporting airlines in America impacted by the COVID-19 crisis,” said Stevens. “We can’t wait to safely bring visitors to the city and remind them why we’ve earned the title of ‘Entertainment Capital of the World.’ And while we’d love for visitors to stop by Downtown Las Vegas, we primarily want to get people back to Las Vegas to experience the attractions and amenities that make it one of the greatest places on Earth.”
Derek Stevens, owner of The D, Golden Gate and the under-construction Circa Las Vegas, gave away 2,000 flights to Las Vegas to help kick-start visitation and support airline travel following the COVID-19 shutdown.
Las Vegas casinos have been closed since March 18, but many will reopen on June 4, 2020.
Stevens initially offered up 1,000 free flights on May 27, 2020, but those were snatched up within a couple of hours. Another 1,000 flights were made available later in the day. Travelers grabbed those almost immediately as well.
Derek Stevens made it clear those who took advantage of the free flights did not have to stay at his Las Vegas casinos, although many booked rooms at The D and Golden Gate.
Reservation lines were overwhelmed, and many folks on the company’s player development team (VIP hosts) took to the phones to assist reservations staff. They still couldn’t keep up with the demand.
Demand, of course, has been a big question of late. Casinos across the country have seen record revenue since they’ve reopening, but some have questioned how quickly Las Vegas visitation will recover, or if it will at all.
Given our own level of pent up demand, we suspect Vegas will see a healthy level of visitation right out of the gate. Hotels, casinos and restaurants will be limited to 50% capacity, however.
Here’s one last look at an empty Longbar at The D. Let’s hope we never see this again.
The end of the sadness is near. Or “nigh,” if you’re fancy.
We did a complete walk-through of The D’s empty casino, so check it out.
While our usually reliable contacts at The D aren’t talking, we’re putting the over/under for the 2,000 one-way flights giveaway at $250,000.
As for the nearby Circa Las Vegas resort, it’s looking gorgeous.
Downtown’s oldest casino, Golden Gate, blends seamlessly with Circa, the newest. Bottom line: We should win far more awards for this blog.
Construction of Circa, set to cost in the neighborhood of $1.2 billion, has continued throughout the shutdown, so the new resort is on pace to open as planned in December 2020.
Circa’s floors are about two thirds built out, and it’s already the tallest structure in downtown Las Vegas.
It now appears the majority of casinos in downtown Las Vegas will open June 4, 2020.
Owners Of The D Casino
The D’s hotel will open June 3, with the casino opening one minute after they’re allowed to, per Derek Stevens.
The D Casino Owner
We’ll see you at Longbar one minute after that.