Tired of working from home? Try changing your scenery and doing it from Las Vegas.
MGM Resorts is rolling out the red carpet to target business professionals with a travel package called “Viva Las Office.”
Incentives include cheap rooms, discounted jet service, private pool access and even an “executive assistant.”
Remote packages
There are three different “Viva Las Office” packages offering remote workers a playful workweek in Sin City. There’s a three-day minimum stay, and prices starting at $100 with your choice of amenities that include access to a private pool, free massage, daily food and drinks credits and discounts to activities such as helicopter and Jeep tours.
Every package comes with an “executive assistant,” which is actually a personal concierge who handles reservations and experiences during the stay.
Check-in and check-out times are flexible — it’s possible to get keys to your room at 8 a.m. and check out as late as 6 p.m. on your day of departure with no additional charge.
The home-away-from-home accommodations kick in before you even arrive in Vegas.
Every “Viva Las Office” package offers special access to discounted airfare through a hop-on jet service called JSX along with access to a private terminal. That jet service is limited to flights in and out of California, Washington state, Arizona and Texas.
For now, “Viva Las Office” deals are available only at the Bellagio and the Aria hotels.
Luring back visitors
The marketing strategy comes as Las Vegas businesses work to make up for lost revenue during the long months of the pandemic that led to canceled conventions and postponed events.
According to the local Review-Journal newspaper, convention attendance was at a flat 0 in June compared with 514,000 the same month last year.
In July, CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show, announced its January 2021 event was going digital and will not take place in Las Vegas. And last week, the Electric Daisy Carnival joined the growing list of events canceling or pushing back large events because of coronavirus concerns.
Covid-19 cases across Nevada are rising. In Clark County alone, where Las Vegas is located, 48,466 Covid cases and 807 deaths have been reported so far. That’s according to the latest data from John Hopkins University.
Vegas resorts and casinos are making changes to prevent the spread and create a safe environment for guests.
At the Bellagio, MGM Resorts is requiring temperature checks in the hotel lobby before guests check in. Masks in public areas of the property are also required.
The Bellagio even rolled out actual sinks with water, soap and paper towels on the casino floor. Cleaning crews were seen constantly cleaning slot machines and the plexiglass barriers installed on table games. Changes are also visible inside rooms, where in-room dining menus have been replaced with QR codes.
Dialing up the workweek
MGM Resorts said it hopes the new work-from-Vegas campaign, along with the promise of a safe stay, will encourage more people to visit during the workweek.
“Viva Las Office pulls together all of the details necessary to have a seamless remote work experience while still enjoying the perks of visiting Las Vegas. Initial website traffic and early bookings would indicate that there is a real appetite around the country for this new type of offering,” said Atif Rafiq, president of commercial and growth for MGM Resorts.
“As millions of people continue to work from home for the foreseeable future, we recognized the opportunity to offer a change of scenery in a safe and curated way,” said Rafiq.
This strategy isn’t new. Several other cities are already offering to shake up the WFH routine with work from a hotel options.
Hotels in Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Washington, D.C., are also serving up cheaper rooms and perks for local work-at-home warriors looking to get out of their homes and spend the workday in clean, quiet and socially distanced spaces that come with high-speed WiFi, unlimited printing privileges and free parking.
The Vegas initiative goes a bit further to lure in people from all over the world, not just within the city.
And with no end to the pandemic in sight and more companies delaying a return to the physical office, it’s not too surprising companies are rushing to cash in on the opportunity.