The Palms is back as Las Vegas continues to emerge from pandemic
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Las Vegan Mary Bowens, right, leads a line of people into the Palms as the doors open to the public during the Palms reopening Wednesday, April 27, 2022. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians bought the property from Station Casinos in 2021.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | 11:19 p.m.
When Mary Bowens showed up for the public opening of the Palms at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, she was ready to party.
A three-hour wait did nothing to dampen her mood when she was the first patron to enter the newly reopened casino resort through its main entrance off Flamingo Road, about a mile west of the Strip.
Moments after Bowens and about 75 others who were in line at the casino’s porte cochere entered, the casino floor, which was dark since March 2020, was packed nearly shoulder-to-shoulder.
It was a bustling casino once again as gamblers asked about player’s cards and people made their way to their preferred slot machines or table games.
“I used to almost live at the Palms,” Bowens said about an hour before the resort opened. “When they closed it down, I was upset. When I found out it was opening, I said ‘oh, I can go back home now.’”
Officials with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, owners of the Palms after a $650 million purchase from Red Rock Resorts, hope the excitement of opening night carries through 2022 and beyond.
The property opened in 2001 — it was owned by the Maloof family then — and went through a $690 million renovation that was completed in 2019.
Before the public opening, a private party took place for several hundred attendees. During the event, people walked the casino floor — though there was no gambling allowed until 9 p.m. — and ate samples from the resort’s restaurants, such as Mabel’s BBQ and Send Noodles.
One of the attendees was John Andrews, a Las Vegas resident who owns and manages properties for a living.
He owns and rents out several 600-square-foot units at Palms Place, the condominium tower adjacent to the Palms.
“I think this reopening is going to be good for the local economy,” Andrews said. “The party, I thought it might be a zoo like the opening was in 2001, but it’s not at that level.”
As Andrews displayed a photo of his VIP pass from the November 2001 Pals opening gala, he adjusted his facemask. Andrews was one of only a few partygoers who wore a mask.
When members of the public entered later to gamble, about half of the table-games dealers wore masks, a sign that Las Vegas isn’t yet completely out of the clutches of the pandemic that forced the Palms and other casinos to temporarily close.
Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson was at the party, as was Commissioner Michael Naft. Gibson said the opening of the Palms is another sign that Las Vegas’ economic recovery is progressing.
“This is an important event,” Gibson said. “Having anything closed is not what we are hoping for. To have the San Manuel come here and invest in Las Vegas — they have a record of success in California — I think this is a wonderful landmark kind of thing.”
As she waited in line before the doors opened, Bowens visited with her friend and neighbor, Corina Warren.
Warren previously lived in San Diego and spent time gambling over the years at San Manuel’s casino in Highland, Calif.
Since she had two appointments scheduled for Thursday, Warren didn’t plan to party all night, but she wanted to make sure to come out for the festive opening.
“When I heard the tribe bought this, I thought that would probably be good,” Warren said. “I play slots mostly. I’m excited to get in.”
Warren also said she was excited to go to the A.Y.C.E. Buffet at the Palms, though that wasn’t set to open until Thursday morning.
Marcus O’Brien, an executive chef with the Palms and the buffet manager, said he expects the buffet to be busy.
“We’re excited to be back,” O’Brien said. “I was here for 12 years when we closed, and it’s been nice to see a lot of familiar faces as I’ve been back. We have a lot of returning staff, which has been great. Having the tribe as owners, they’ve been great. I’m excited to see where this property can go.”
Not long after the opening was a fireworks show at the resort’s pool.
Throughout the night, live music was played at various points at the resort, including at a stage at the William Hill sportsbook following a ribbon-cutting there at 7:30 p.m.
The Brenden Theaters movie complex at the resort is set to reopen Friday.
At 9:30 p.m., vehicles continued to spill from Flamingo Road into the resort’s garage parking ramp.
“The hope is that this place doesn’t end up being dead,” Andrews said. “The (Palms) brand, I think, has a good history and is well-known. From what I’ve heard, the new owners know how to run a casino. The NFL Draft is going to be a mile from here this week, so it’s a good time to open.”
