Arizona Bilingual News

The Best Of Two Worlds

Casino Del Sol is Now Open.

 Re-Opening Plan

Dear Valued Team Members and Guests:

I want to take a few minutes of your time to share with you some of the many things we have been working on while Casino Del Sol has been closed. I look forward to talking with you about these issues, I look forward to your feedback, and I look forward to reconnecting with you in the near future. 

Casino Del Sol

Our Commitment to our Team Members and Guests

At Casino Del Sol, we are committed to the health and safety of our team members, our guests, and the community. Based on that commitment, we made the decision on March 17 to close our properties effective at 5:00 p.m. on March 18 due to the COVID-19 virus and the need to take steps to stop its spread. We believe that was a good decision, made for reasons of health and safety, and that it was the right thing to do.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely. We continue to look to guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control, the Arizona Department of Health Services, and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s Health Department for assistance as we plan to reopen our properties. 

Our commitment to you is to open Casino Del Sol’s properties in a way that enhances the safety of the properties and minimizes the risks of transmission of the COVID-19 virus. We continue to use hospital grade disinfectant listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as effective against COVID-19 in our cleaning processes, and have cleaned and sanitized the properties thoroughly. We have also spent the time since March 19 modifying some of the physical features of the properties and developing procedures upon reopening that will ensure that the properties themselves together with our enhanced sanitization and cleaning practices meet or exceed recommendations made by health experts. Note that while our cleaning and sanitization practices were excellent before COVID-19, they have been greatly expanded and enhanced. 

As we move forward, we will continue to monitor recommendations made regarding sanitization and cleaning, and we will continue to monitor guidelines put out by public health and medical experts.

We are proud to announce the steps we have taken during our closure to make Casino Del Sol a safe and enjoyable place to spend your time. 

Property-Wide Measures

To ensure the health and safety of our guests and team members, we have taken the following steps throughout Casino Del Sol’s properties:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Masks will be mandatory for our guests while on the properties. Masks will be mandatory for team members when on duty at Casino Del Sol, and we will provide those to our team members. Gloves will be required for team members in positions involving cleaning or food preparation. Gloves will be available to team members in other areas if the team member would like to wear gloves. We will provide the gloves to team members who are required to or who choose to wear them.

Smoking will only be allowed in designated smoking areas.
 

Social Distancing

Guests and team members are required to observe social distancing and stay at least six (6) feet away from others when standing in lines, using elevators, and otherwise moving about the properties.

Restaurants, bars at restaurants, slot machines, table games, and other areas have been modified and chairs have been removed to ensure that guests and team members can comply with social distancing guidelines. In addition, social distancing signage and floor markers will be placed around the property as a reminder to guests and team members of the need to practice social distancing.


Plexiglass barriers will be added to areas where guests and team members are face to face. These are being added at hotel front desks, food and beverage cashier and host stands, cages, Club Sol, table games, poker, and Sewailo Golf Club.

Certain property amenities will not reopen initially due to concerns that these outlets raise in relation to either sanitation or our efforts to socially distance. They are:

  • Festa Buffet
  • Valet parking
  • Paradiso (Paradiso will closed to the public and will be used as a beverage service area for our beverage servers so that they can get beverages for our guests in a setting that will allow them to socially distance)
  • Zebo’s
  • Tropico Bar
  • Hiapsi Spa
  • Hotel pools
  • Arcade at Estrella at Casino Del Sol
  • Wildcat Grill at Sewailo Golf Club

Signage

In addition to the social distancing signage referenced above, we will have signage at the property entrances reminding guests to not enter the facility if they have symptoms of the virus. There will also be hand washing signage in public and back of house restrooms. 

Gaming Floor Cleaning/Sanitizing. Our porters, slot attendants, and Club Sol team members will be busy throughout the day cleaning and disinfecting slot machines, ATMs, and kiosks. Our goal is to disinfect each machine after a guest leaves the machine. To that end, we ask that you notify a slot attendant or a porter when you leave a machine so that we can sanitize it.

Overnight Deep Cleaning/Sanitizing Will Continue. The overnight deep cleaning and sanitizing that we began prior to closing will continue. The overnight cleaning with hospital grade disinfectant listed by the EPA as effective against COVID-19 is specifically focused on those high touch point areas such as countertops, cages, slot machines, ATMs and kiosks, restaurant cashier stations, Club Sol, hotel front desks, concierge desk, and retail areas.

Additional hand sanitizer stations are being added to those already in place.

Hands free paper towel and soap dispensers are being installed in all front of house and back of house restrooms.

Self service beverage stations will not be open and beverages will instead be served by our beverage servers.

Casino Del Sol’s existing HVAC system has a maximized fresh-air intake such that the entire property’s air is replaced with outside air approximately every forty-five (45) minutes. 

Department-Specific Measures Implemented

Slots

We have removed many games from service and have removed chairs between positions to allow guests to socially distance.

Slot machines and chairs will be cleaned continuously throughout the day and night, and again in our overnight cleaning regimen.
 

Table Games

A plexiglass barrier will be between the player and the dealer.

Both dealers and players will be required to wear a mask on all games.

Dealers and players will be required to wear gloves on any game that permits the player to handle the cards; gloves are optional on all other games.

There will be a maximum of three (3) players per table on some tables and two (2) players per game on others.

The chair and table railing will be disinfected after each player leaves the table.

The manager or supervisor will sanitize each table every two (2) hours. At that time both the dealer and the players will take a five (5) minute break to wash their hands.

The card shoe, toke boxes, paddles, and discard rack will be sanitized each time a dealer enters a game.

The shufflers will be sanitized every two hours.

Blackjack cards will be sent for destruction at the end of each gaming day.

Cards on the carnival games will be changed every two (2) hours and sent for destruction at the end of the gaming day.
 

Poker

A plexiglass barrier will be between the player and the dealer.

There will be a maximum of four (4) players at each table.

Poker cards on live games will be changed and cleaned every two (2) hours.

The Poker Cage ledge will be sanitized after each transaction.

The self-service beverage station in the Poker Room has been temporarily closed; beverage servers will serve beverages to the guests.
 

Bingo

Seating has been removed to allow no more than three (3) guests per table.

The self-service beverage station in the Bingo Hall has been temporarily closed; beverage servers will serve beverages to the guests.

Tables and surfaces will be sanitized at the end of each session and each time a guest leaves the area.
 

Food and Beverage & Retail

Festa Buffet will not reopen when the property reopens.

Our casino bars – Zebo’s, Tropico, and Paradiso – will not reopen when the property reopens. The Paradiso bar will not be open to the public, but that space will be used as a beverage station for our beverage servers so that they can maintain social distance while they are preparing to serve our guests. 

No lids or straws will be used other than at Starbucks.

Disposable paper menus will be in use at all restaurants.

For our restaurants with table service, sanitized silverware will be rolled by team members who are wearing gloves and masks and will be placed on the tables. Pre-packaged and sealed plastic utensils and napkins will be available upon request. 

For our restaurants with table service, plate covers will be utilized when delivering meals from the kitchen to the guests’ table.

Sanitized place settings will be utilized. However, to go containers will be available at all restaurants upon request.

Seating has been removed at restaurants and restaurant bars to provide for social distancing.

Paper and cloth masks will be available for guests to purchase at our retail shops.
 

Hotels

A plexiglass barrier will be between the guest and the front desk agent.
We will continue to utilize hospital grade disinfectant listed by the EPA as effective against COVID-19 in our public areas, elevators, and guest rooms.

Non-essential, decorative fabric items such as throws and throw pillows have been removed from the guest rooms.

Valet parking will not reopen when the hotels reopen.

The Arcade at Estrella at Casino Del Sol will not reopen when Estrella reopens.

The pools at both hotels will not reopen when the hotels reopen.

At Estrella, the workout room will be limited to one (1) guest at a time. Hotel staff will disinfect the machinery in the workout room every two (2) hours.

At Casino Del Sol, the workout room will be limited to two (2) guests at a time, with social distancing. Hotel staff will disinfect the machinery in the workout room every two (2) hours.

Hotel elevators will be limited to two (2) guests per cab unless the guests are members of the same household.
 

Meetings/Conference Center

Seating capacities and floor plans will be reviewed on an event by event basis to ensure compliance with social distancing recommendations. 

Additional hand sanitizers are being placed in the conference center area.
Buffet style meals have been temporarily suspended.

Beverages and snacks will be provided by a banquet server.
 

Sewailo Golf Club

Carts are cleaned and sanitized before each use and again at the end of the day.

Cart staff are required to wear gloves.

The Wildcat Grill will be closed, but food and beverage items are available on the patio, and two (2) beverage carts are out on the course.

The water stations on the course are closed, but bottled water is available.
A maximum of two (2) guests are allowed in the pro shop at any time.

Guests are directed to enter through the North entrance and exit through the South entrance of the clubhouse in order to minimize contact with one another.


Entertainment

Inside entertainment will be limited to music that would provide entertainment but that would not draw large crowds and would not be suitable for dancing.

Concerts at AVA Amphitheater will not take place through at least July. It is possible, depending on how the situation develops in the coming months, that the concert season for the remainder of the year will be cancelled.


Back of House

Additional hand sanitizers have been added in the back of house.

All restrooms, locker areas, time clocks, key watcher areas, and break rooms have been cleaned and sanitized.

Upon reopening, to allow for social distancing at employee break times, the Junior Ballroom (at Casino Del Sol) and the Sunset Room (at Casino of the Sun) have been set up with additional seating.

Hands-free soap and paper towel dispensers are being installed.


Very truly yours,

Kimberly Van Amburg
Chief Executive Officer

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