Mandalay Bay elevators once again stopping at 32nd floor
Elevators at Mandalay Bay are again stopping at the 32nd floor after a pause at the end of last year.
Mandalay Bay closed off a few floors starting in late November amid a guest slowdown caused by the combination of the holiday season and fallout from the Oct. 1 mass shooting.
A lone gunman shot at concertgoers from a suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay, tarnishing the hotel’s image. The massacre left 58 concertgoers dead and injured more than 500 others.
Mandalay Bay reception officials said Sunday evening that all floors were back in use. In December, officials with MGM Resorts International, the hotel’s parent company, said they expected to reopen the floors once the convention season resumed in the first quarter. Mandalay Bay is home to the city’s second-largest convention center.
“As we stated previously, some portions of the 32nd floor were not being used due to occupancy demand, but that would change as occupancy increased,” said MGM spokeswoman Debra DeShong. “Some portions of the 32nd floor are now being used as we accommodate an increased influx of guests.”
DeShong said there are no plans to ever rent the rooms occupied by the gunman.
Restaurants at Mandalay Bay have all reopened after extended holiday closures caused by last year’s slowdown.
DeShong said 90 percent of the staff that had hours cut and placed on reserve in November are now back to full time. The remaining staff on reserve will return to full-time work in the coming weeks, she said.
With about 180,000 people expected in Las Vegas for CES, there is high demand for rooms. The massive show officially kicks off Tuesday and wraps up Friday.
The cheapest rate at Mandalay Bay for the four nights with check-in on Monday and checkout Friday is nearly $2,000, including resort fees and taxes.
MGM Grand’s lowest price for the same days is nearly $2,600, or 30 percent more. This might indicate the lingering impact on Mandalay Bay rates from the shooting. Mandalay Bay had a higher average room rate during 2015 and 2016 compared with MGM Grand.
Contact Todd Prince at tprince@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0386. Follow @toddprincetv on Twitter.