Following the October 1 attack on concertgoers, Las Vegas hotels and casinos are reevaluating their security policies for guests who use the “do not disturb” door signs.
Gunman Stephen Paddock was able to hide thousands of rounds of ammunition and multiple firearms in his rooms at Mandalay Bay, and drilled holes in the walls to set up security cameras in the days leading up to his planned attack.
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Paddock used the “do not disturb” placard throughout his stay, so hotel staff never entered the room while he occupied it. Some, including Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn, say the attack would have been prevented if his prolonged use of the sign would have led to a check-in by hotel security.
Wynn says his hotel, Wynn Las Vegas, has a counterterrism unit to prevent such attacks from happening on its property.
He said Paddock’s use of the sign would have been caught at the Wynn, where staff follow a policy to check on guests who have the sign up for more than 12 hours.
“We certainly wouldn’t invade the privacy of a guest in a room,” Wynn told Fox News. “But…he didn’t let anyone in the room for two or three days. That would have triggered a whole bunch of alarms here and we would have, on behalf of the guest of course, investigated for safety and it would have been a provocative situation.”
Now, several resorts along the Las Vegas Strip are adopting new policies for how often they check on guests who put the “go not disturb” sign on their doors.
The Orleans Hotel and Casino is one. The Boyd Gaming resort now checks in on guests who have the sign up for two consecutive days, a new policy all guests are told upon check-in, an executive told KVVU. The hotel previously ran on a three-day policy.
One hotel giant who has stayed mum on the matter is MGM Resorts, who owns Mandalay Bay, the resort from which Paddock unleashed continuous rounds of gunfire. MGM has not responded as to whether it has made any changes to its “do not disturb” policies or taken any other security measures.
Caesars Palace has also remained quiet on the issue, vowing not to share any changes it may be making to hotel security tactics.
“We do not comment publicly on our security-related policies and procedures,” a spokeswoman for the company said. “However, we are evaluating security measures as a result of the 1 October shooting.”
