Resorts World enters its next chapter after 5 years on the Strip

Five years after opening, Resorts World Las Vegas is still a property in transition.

A retooled executive team has spent much of the past year trying to move beyond a tumultuous period that included a $10.5 million anti-money laundering settlement with Nevada gaming regulators and numerous headline-grabbing public relations missteps.

More recently, Resorts World has turned its attention toward reworking its approach to casino customers, conventions, hotel guests and entertainment. If that were not enough, the executive team is also shooting for an NBA arena to be constructed on the property footprint, a prospect which has the potential to bring more crowds and tourist dollars to a section of the resort corridor that is in need of both.

Amid all the change, there are signs the $4.3 billion north Strip resort is gaining momentum.

“I think things have turned the corner,” Carlos Castro, president and chief financial officer of Resorts World Las Vegas, said during an executive roundtable in late-July.

There is growing evidence to support that assessment.

Resorts World’s first quarter was nearly a record quarter after accounting for one-time items, according to Castro, and newly released financial results from parent company Genting Berhad show improvements in hotel occupancy, room rates, convention business and high-end casino play continued during the second quarter of 2026.

Hotel occupancy reached 88 percent during the quarter, up from 80.2 percent a year earlier, while the average daily room rate increased to $274 from $265. Through the first six months of 2026, occupancy climbed to 89.7 percent from 81.3 percent and the average daily rate increased to $281 from $270.

Genting said Resorts World’s revenue and adjusted earnings benefited from increased convention attendance, while the property also saw improvement in high-end casino play.

The numbers align with what Castro and four other Resorts World executives described during an hourlong discussion about the property’s changing strategy: a resort that is performing better but remains a work in progress.

A property charting its own course

“We’re going to do things our way,” said Castro. “We’re going to compete on our uniqueness…we’re going to compete on our service and on our team.”

That philosophy is a recurring theme throughout the property’s top ranks.

Several executives said the company has shifted away from watching competitors and instead focusing on making quicker decisions based on what fits Resorts World’s business.

Jason Glascock, vice president of hotel sales, summarized the approach simply.

“We’re playing by our own playbook,” he said.

Building a new culture

Josef Wagner, senior vice president of operations, pointed out that Resorts World remains one of the Strip’s newest integrated resorts and still has room to mature.

“It hasn’t reached its full potential,” said Wagner.

Unlike established Strip properties, he said, Resorts World has embraced a nimbler approach. He recalled last summer’s softer-than-expected demand, saying leadership quickly assembled to determine what guests disliked about visiting Las Vegas during the hottest months before introducing new offerings.

“We made those decisions very quickly and swiftly,” he said.

Suzie Rugh, vice president of communications, said the environment at Resorts World encourages experimentation rather than hierarchy.

“It’s not the highest title in the room, it’s the best idea that wins,” she said.

The resort’s luxury all-inclusive package, launched earlier this year, was one example executives repeatedly cited as a calculated risk that paid off.

“We’re open to trying things,” said Rugh.

Winning guests through experience

Executives argued Resorts World’s biggest competitive advantage is not simply its newer facilities, but its ability to create personal relationships with guests.

Castro said guest satisfaction exceeds 90 percent while online review scores continue improving.

Wagner said customer surveys consistently reinforce that strategy.

“Guests tell us over and over again…they feel like they’re coming home,” he said.

Greg Shulman, executive vice president of international marketing, said that personalized approach is particularly important for casino customers.

“Ultimately, when it comes to gamblers, that’s all they want — to be recognized,” said Shulman.

Castro acknowledged the company has become more aggressive in rebuilding its slot database, including additional promotional offers, but said the broader objective remains creating long-term customer relationships.

“We’ve treated them better,” he said.

Rather than competing solely through free play or room offers, executives said the resort has expanded entertainment and dining programming designed to activate the property throughout the week.

Those efforts include Resorts World Live concerts, Savor Society dining events, mixology classes, restaurant experiences and improvements to the pool complex.

Rethinking international marketing

One of the property’s more notable strategic discussions centered on international visitation.

Like much of Las Vegas, Resorts World has experienced slower visitation from overseas markets, particularly Asia.

Instead of viewing international marketing solely through geographic boundaries, Shulman said the company has fundamentally changed its approach.

“We’re not in the international marketing business,” he said. “We’re in the ethnic marketing business.”

Rather than focusing exclusively on travelers arriving directly from overseas, Resorts World increasingly markets to affluent diaspora communities already living in major U.S. metropolitan areas, including Southern California, Texas and New York.

Many international customers now maintain businesses, families and multiple residences in the United States, making traditional country-by-country marketing less effective, he said.

The strategy also reflects increasing gaming competition throughout Asia.

“There’s just a lot of options over there,” Shulman said.

Convention business fuels momentum

Convention business has become one of Resorts World’s strongest-performing segments.

Glascock said 2026 is on pace to become the property’s best convention year, with bookings running roughly 15 percent ahead of 2024 and about 40 percent ahead of last year.

Executives credited flexibility and collaboration across departments for helping attract groups despite having less meeting space than many competitors.

Castro praised the sales team for maximizing existing facilities while generating high-margin catering revenue.

He suggested meeting space could eventually become part of the property’s long-term expansion plans.

“I’ve never heard a president of a hotel say we have too much meeting space,” said Glascock.

Looking beyond today’s turnaround

Although much of the discussion focused on operational improvements, executives repeatedly returned to the property’s undeveloped acreage.

Castro made clear the company’s long-term vision still centers on bringing an NBA arena to the north Strip.

“It has to be here in the north Strip,” he said. “We think it’s best here at Resorts World.”

Executives argued an arena would accelerate additional hotel, retail and convention development while increasing pedestrian traffic across the northern portion of Las Vegas Boulevard.

Shulman said broader development of the north Strip appears inevitable.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of if,” he said. “It’s just a matter of timing.”

Meanwhile, Wagner noted Resorts World has already completed infrastructure projects, including a new employee tunnel and parking facilities, that also position the property for future expansion.

For Castro, however, the turnaround extends beyond financial metrics.

He repeatedly returned to what he considers the foundation of Resorts World’s next chapter.

“We’re trying to create a culture here that people want to be part of,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a team that’s going to outwork us, out hustle us, or outthink us.”