Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE) to Operate Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Slated to Open in 2020
UNCASVILLE, Conn., September 17, 2019 — Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, master developer of aweinspiring integrated entertainment resorts (IER) worldwide will enter into one of the most exciting casino markets in the world through a venture with JC Hospitality. MGE has entered into a multi-year agreement with JC Hospitality to operate the 60,000-square foot gaming space at the soon to be Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, contingent on the successful completion of construction and pending MGE’s regulatory approval by the Nevada Gaming Commission.
“Aligning the MGE brand with Virgin Hotels Las Vegas extends our growing reach into yet another legendary global entertainment capital. Together with Virgin Hotels, experience seekers all over the world will have the opportunity to partake in an extraordinary guest journey that only our strategic alliance can deliver,” said Mario Kontomerkos, MGE’s Chief Executive Officer.
MGE is currently in the midst of an exciting chapter of growth to become the world’s leading integrated entertainment resort (IER) developer. MGE’s brand presence in the world’s most exciting entertainment environment will establish the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, MGE’s owner, as the first Native American Tribe to operate in the Las Vegas Strip resort corridor.
“This new and exciting relationship brings together two ‘Best in Class’ organizations and continues the Mohegan Tribe’s tradition of blazing new trails for others to follow,” said James Gessner Jr., Interim Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe.
“Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, as an extension of the Mohegan Tribe, pride themselves on traditional principles, in sync with modern values. We are excited that Virgin Hotels Las Vegas will be their first entry in the Las Vegas market,” said Richard “Boz” Bosworth, president and chief executive officer of JC Hospitality LLC, owner of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. “MGE further expands on our commitment to partner with best-in-class operators for the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas transformation.”
The property recently announced an agreement with AEG Presents to assume the management, operations and booking for The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas beginning fall 2020 once the property is rebranded as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The eight-month renovation is slated to begin in early February 2020 and the re-imagined Las Vegas lifestyle casino resort is slated to open at the end of 2020.
JC Hospitality, LLC
JC Hospitality, LLC, a development, management and investment group, is the owner and property operator of Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas in partnership with Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group, LiUNA, Fengate Real Assets, Dream and Orlando Development.
About Virgin Hotels
Virgin Hotels is a lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service, straightforward value and a seamless, personalized hotel experience with a track record of innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson’s global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 40 years. Each property intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. Virgin Hotels Chicago – named the “#1 Hotel in United States” in 2016, and “#1 Hotel in Chicago” in both 2016 and 2017, by the Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards. Virgin Hotels San Francisco is now open. Locations in Nashville, Dallas, New York, New Orleans, Silicon Valley, Palm Springs, Edinburgh, Las Vegas and others are to follow. Virgin Hotels continues to explore hotel and office conversions as well as ground-up development in cities such as Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, Seattle, and London.
About Curio Collection by Hilton
Curio Collection by Hilton is an upper-upscale, global portfolio of more than 70 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts. Curio Collection properties provide travelers authentic experiences through distinctly local offerings and unexpected amenities tailored to every traveler type, all while providing the benefits of Hilton and its award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors. Read the latest brand and hotel stories at newsroom.hilton.com/curio; discover Curio Collection destinations through the eyes of locals with 48-hour itineraries at citiesbycurio.com; determine what kind of traveler you are by taking the curiosity quiz; and connect with Curio Collection on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.