Virgin Launches Cherry Rewards Program with Eyes on Locals

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is finally operating its own casino since Mohegan Gaming announced it was parting ways with the near-Strip property last year. The first major change was the introduction of the new Cherry Rewards program. 

If there’s anything special about Cherry Rewards, it’s that it now rewards propertywide spending. The previous program only rewarded for gambling since it was only a casino program, since that’s the only part of the property it was managing. 

However, since Virgin is individually operated, points can only be earned and used on site. Points and status earned from the old rewards program will be migrated to Cherry Rewards so existing customers won’t lose anything in the change. Most important with this change is that the cards from the old program no longer work at Virgin.

The website says there will be a tier match with other rewards programs coming soon. Rewards program tier matches are always a good excuse to explore what a casino offers its customers. 

Virgin was built using the bones of the old Hard Rock Hotel & Casino about one mile east of the Vegas Strip. Visitors expecting that Virgin will be the edgy, busy casino they remember from the Hard Rock days might be surprised when visiting the casino for the first time.

The Beginning of a New Virgin

Cherry Rewards is the beginning of a major change for the property. When the property first opened, it was Virgin Hotels Las Vegas with Mohegan Sun Casino. 

The two companies never seemed to have a singular cohesive marketing message that might help visitors remember either brand. Anecdotally, visitors would ask “where’s Virgin?” or “where’s Mohegan Sun?” The answer to both would be a somewhat confusing “they’re both the old Hard Rock.”

Cherry Rewards is allowing the parent company to bring operations under one roof instead of having mixed messages from multiple parties. JC Hospitality LLC is the owner with numerous partners, including Virgin Group. 

Turning the Page on the Past

When the property first opened, it was being touted as part of the Vegas Strip tourist corridor. Despite the messaging, Virgin is not on the Vegas Strip. 

Virgin hasn’t found its niche in the market since it’s also not trying to be the original Hard Rock Las Vegas. We’ll see that casino reborn on the Vegas Strip in a few years.

The original Hard Rock has a very special place in my heart. I was more emotional about the Hard Rock closing than I was during my .

During a Nevada Gaming Control Board meeting last year, Cliff Atkinson, president of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, detailed some of the plans to ignite excitement for the property:

“It’s not going back to the Hard Rock days. That brand is going down the street in a few years. Ours is being innovative in the way we have an opportunity with. It was very successful years ago before the neighborhood casinos like the Durango, Green Valley Ranch, and Red Rock. Getting back our mojo and our innovation remains a priority for us.”

That’s certainly a change of direction from Hard Rock and the flashy Richard Branson-led launch of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. 

Interestingly enough, Atkinson’s list of competitors didn’t include two other casinos in a similar position as Virgin on the other side of the Vegas Strip. Virgin’s new approach and rewards program is similar to individually operated casinos near the Vegas Strip like Rio and Palms. 

All three properties were once hot spots in Las Vegas for both tourists and locals alike. The experience is not quite the same as it was a decade ago.

Near Strip Casinos Being Reborn as Locals Casinos

Since being purchased in recent years, both Palms and Rio have been paying as much attention to marketing to locals as much if not more than tourists. Virgin is heading down the same road with its new rewards program and plans for the future.

Cherry Rewards now offers “complimentary check cashing” as a benefit. Tourists don’t usually visit a Las Vegas casino to cash their paycheck while on vacation. One of the surprises when I moved to Las Vegas was seeing that many Las Vegas casinos offer this promotion for locals.

This isn’t to say that Virgin or any other casino that offers free check cashing doesn’t want business from tourists. All of the casinos want to bring in the most people from wherever they can - local or tourist. 

Offering check cashing and complimentary pool access for some locals is a clear sign that Virgin has this segment of its customer base on the top of its mind. 

Vegas Strip casinos have their place with tourists looking for a unique “Only In Vegas” experience. Locals casinos have a different approach with lower food, beverage prices, complimentary parking, fair gaming conditions, and easy-to-earn and use rewards programs, and more.

There’s something to appreciate in both types of properties. Cherry Rewards is the beginning of Virgin’s new future.

(Image: courtesy of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas)