The Theater at Virgin Hotels — Attraction in Paradise

AVOID!WARNING! Visited July 2023 for a show and security would not let me enter the venue, and guest services refunded our ticket cost, $420. We arrived and headed toward the entry area where a guest services employee was yelling that everyone with tickets needed to enter to the left. We had early entry, but did not see a sign posted for where/how to enter, so we followed the directions and made the long walk. Exasperated after not only this long walk, but also about Harmon being shifted from 3 lanes to 1, which resulted in insane traffic, where we had to abandon our cab and walk a mile in 116 degree heat, we finally reached the security area. There were no signs detailing prohibited/allowed items. I anticipated having no issue bringing in an empty plastic collapsible ½ liter water bottle, some candy, and a tin of mints in my fanny pack as I had checked the website and found nothing about prohibited items. The metal detector picked up my mint tin and I was asked to remove my fanny pack. The guard went through every compartment and confiscated my candy. Demoralized at the thought of taking in the show without any candy to cut through my dehydration dry mouth, I shifted towards the door of the venue. A guard approached and said I wouldn’t be able to bring the water bottle in. Disgusted at how dehumanizing this was, I tossed my water bottle down towards the floor where it landed about 3 feet from her. She began yelling at me that I threw a water bottle at her and that she would not be letting me into the show. We pleaded our case to the guards to no avail. The head guard, Nacho (who refused to give us his real name) assured us he would check with his “team” about letting us in, but came back and said no. There was no manager to speak to, our fate was up to power-tripping security guards and Nacho. We spoke with the box office about a refund and were denied. We did observe the box office saying the show was “sold out” (it was not) and then upselling more expensive tickets. We spoke to the original guest services agent, Jan, that we had early entry, but she directed us around and we had a nightmare experience as a result. She was sympathetic because her line was the early entry line we should have entered, with a more mellow security screening. Jan got Tracy from guest services and we told her our experience and she was able to have the box office refund us. While we appreciated the refund, we were quite appalled that our entire evening was left up to Nacho, who refused to work with us on the issue, but issued his decision as if in a dictatorship. My husband then purchased a $20 ticket and entered the show because we figured at least one of us should see it. When he attempted to enter, the security guards said he couldn’t enter because of me, to which he responded the issue was with me, not him. Once inside he noted that the entire top floor area was roped off with tons of space everywhere, so the box office “sold out” line is just that, a scam to get the most $.

We are experienced concert goers having both attended hundreds of shows over the last 30 years. I can understand prohibited and allowed items, but communication about those expectations is a must. I will admit, I was caught off guard and reacted poorly, but did I deserve to have a teenager determine I wouldn’t be allowed entry over a false accusation? I appreciate that Tracy was able to make the refund happen–an action that is pretty unheard of in concert ticket sales, but indicates that somehow, the Theatre did acknowledge they did mess this one up substantially. Many other reviewers (on Google) echo my experience–”not welcoming and demeaning”, “security treated everyone like criminals”, “airport like security”, “security is awful”, “rudest event staff and faking sold out shows only to scalp their own tickets”, “events are not nearly as organized as when the hard rock owned it”, and “kicked out because wouldn’t meet the minimum”. Richard Branson should be embarrassed to have his name attached to this scammy, unprofessional, and unpleasant place....

My wife and I recently attended this venue to enjoy a concert by her favorite band, Motionless in White, on September 30th. We booked two VIP tickets and stayed in Suite 3.

Unfortunately, I feel compelled to share with you our rather disappointing experience, in the hope that it can be addressed for the benefit of others:

While everyone else in our suite received attentive service, my wife and I were consistently ignored on five separate occasions. Initially, we considered the possibility that our waitress may not have heard us. However, my wife made multiple attempts to make eye contact and even smiled at her, but she responded with a cold glare and refused to serve us. Furthermore, being the only person of color, I was subjected to disgusted looks throughout the night, and the waitress seemed to purposefully avoid acknowledging my existence. On one occasion, we overheard guests seated behind us plotting to steal our seats when we got up. Shockingly, the waitress leaned in and actively encouraged these patrons, saying, "Yes, you should." It wasn't until we left our suite to purchase water ourselves that we were able to obtain any service. We did bring our concerns to a manager, but regrettably, our encounter with him felt rushed and dismissive.

It is important to note that my wife was the only plus-sized individual in our suite, and I was the sole person of color. Both of us, familiar with the service industry in Las Vegas through many friends, were discreetly and respectfully enjoying the event, striving to avoid causing any trouble or inconvenience. As VIP ticket holders, we had hoped for, at the very least, the ability to order water within our suite and to be treated with the dignity and respect that one would expect in our hometown of Las Vegas, without being discriminated against. We are also very chill people and have never complained before, but this incident was so disappointing that it nearly ruined our experience.

We have attended concerts at The Virgin Theater on multiple occasions in the past, often with a group of friends, and we have always appreciated the inclusive atmosphere of your venue. While we do not consider ourselves celebrities or influencers, we do have a network of friends in the Las Vegas area who fit that description. It is our sincere hope that this incident does not reflect negatively on your venue or the artists who perform there in the future.

We believe that sharing this experience with you will help prevent similar discriminatory incidents from occurring and ultimately enhance the overall customer experience for all who...

I attended a performance by Nine Inch Nails on June 13th, 2018. The Joint is a great venue for large but still somewhat intimate performances. The venue only holds 4,000 people so it's not too big but not too small either. I enjoyed the acoustics with the huge vaulted ceilings, great sound overall. The large displays on both sides of the stage offered a different view of a handful of key performances. The displays were crystal clear, very high quality.

The only reason I can't give the venue 5 stars is for one reason, disorganization. It was very obvious that the security staff was very ill prepared for the large amount of attendees who were lining up several hours prior to the doors opening. This may have been due to a separation of Hard Rock Resort and The Joint security teams. Whatever the issue was, I could tell they were not prepared.

Overall I felt the entire experience of waiting in line and getting into the venue was a nightmare. Apparently a nameless security person had told a bunch of people a few hours before the doors opened to write numbers down and start a buddy system to get in. I don't know if this was true, this was just what we heard from a couple dozen people shouting about numbers. When staff started setting up some line barriers around an hour before doors, most of the numbered individuals were absolutely livid when they found out the numbers meant nothing when it came to their place in line.

People started lining up like normal once the barriers were in place. I was lucky enough to be in the front when the line started moving into the venue but I felt bad for the people who got stuck in the back. Needless to say I've been to a ton of shows and I have never seen a numbered system like this, what an absolute mess!

On top of the numbered debacle. I also noticed the security staff was very lackadaisical when it came to searching people before entering the venue. They had a few metal detectors setup for people to walk through before being met by a staff member with what looked like a wand. When people were walking through, it was more eyes than hands on. I had a security person point at my ankle and ask if I had something. I said no, and they didn't bother to physically check, they just let me in.

The only reason I bring this up is because of recent events in Vegas. I think security needs to be more hands on in order to assure people are able to see the show safely. For what it's worth, I felt safe on the floor once I was there. But it definitely gives you anxiety to think how easy it might be to sneak a weapon in with...