A botched booking system update at Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV) recently left guests stranded in the lobby and unable to check-in. The resulting chaos presented a similar vibe to the delays experienced during the 2023 cyberattack affecting MGM Resorts International properties, including MGM Grand. However, unlike the cyberattack, RWLV’s technical glitch reportedly stemmed from a planned software update that took longer to complete than expected, not outside hackers.
As NBC News reported, things went awry for Resorts World—which holds the record as the strip’s costliest resort build at $4.3 billion—on Feb. 21. RWLV expected a scheduled booking software update to complete between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, well ahead of the weekend rush. But on Friday, the upgrade was still running.
As a result, that Friday, as weekend guests attempted to check in, visitors were stranded in the resort’s hotel lobbies. Overwhelmed front desk attendants did their best to check in those left waiting manually, but the delays lasted hours.
In a statement, RWLV said an “unforeseen outage” related to the update caused the delays.
Resorts World Las Vegas recently implemented an upgrade to our booking and hotel technology platform. We experienced longer-than-expected delays in our guest check-in process due to an unforeseen outage related to this upgrade.
Digital tech presents risks for retail and online casinos
A Resorts World official said the system-wide upgrade aimed to give its on-site reservation desks more autonomy than its standard Hilton-connected technology could offer.
Typically, Las Vegas hotel and casino operators require more flexibility to make on-the-fly booking adjustments—to accommodate perks, including complimentary stays, meals, and more.
Resorts World intended to complete the scheduled upgrade during slower business days when manual check-ins would likely be sufficient. Things went sideways when the upgrade took longer to update.
As this highlights, retail casinos and hotels’ heavy reliance on digital infrastructure can shutter a brick-and-mortar property as quickly as an online casino.
In RWLV’s case, some guests reported that their longer-than-expected delays spanned up to seven hours. Several recently posted reviews on the Resorts World Google page reference the technical meltdown and the resulting delays.
RWLV’s failed system upgrade attracted further international attention as players and fans of Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) got caught in the technical brouhaha.
As part of a strategic plan to attract an international rugby audience, the NRL committed to playing regular season matches in Sin City until 2028.
Sydney Sun-Herald columnist Danny Weilder, who was in Vegas covering the weekend’s matches, posted a video on X showing Friday’s chaos.
In his post, Weilder questioned the “reboot” excuse and warned Aussies traveling to the exhibition about the delay at the NRL’s official hotel. “What a joke,” he added.
Resorts World offers guests make-up perks
Resorts World received additional attention when the delay-drama spread to Resorts World elevators when two NRL players got into a dustup over rooms the night before.
According to The Guardian, Canberra forwards Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies clashed “when a hotel mix-up left one of them without a room.”
Said, Young:
I want to apologise for the actions on Thursday night… We went downstairs to sort our room out and that’s when they’ve reviewed the footage and asked us to leave. The club sorted it out and we’re very thankful to be staying here at Resorts World.
Resorts World has since said it is contacting affected individuals to offer vouchers or coupons.
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