A Las Vegas hotel says employees must either get vaccinated or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing at their own expense

• Wynn Resorts and Encore employees in Las Vegas must be vaccinated or undergo a weekly COVID-19 test.
• Workers who don't want the vaccine must pay $15 for the on-site testing lab, or go elsewhere for a free test.
• Las Vegas has recently seen a surge in visitors as vaccine rollout continues and restrictions are lifted.

Wynn Resorts and Encore has announced that its Las Vegas employees must receive the COVID-19 vaccine or undergo a weekly COVID-19 test. But employees who opt for the latter must pay out of pocket if they want to use Wynn's on-site testing lab.

Right now, about 60% of Wynn Las Vegas workers are already vaccinated, according to a note from the resort. By implementing a sweeping vaccine and testing policy, Matt Maddox, CEO of Wynn Resorts, hopes Wynn will become "one of the safest vacation destinations in the US," Maddox said in a statement.

The hotel currently has a Lighthouse COVID-19 Testing Lab on-site, giving employees easy access to a COVID test if they opt out of the vaccine. However, each test will set an employee back $15, and those who don't want to pay this fee will have to go elsewhere for a test (which is being provided for free by the state).

Crowds at the tourist hotspot have been picking up over the last few weeks as more people receive the vaccine and the state continues to ease virus-related restrictions, according to local reports. Now, almost all of the big hotels and casinos around Vegas are open to a certain capacity, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Other Las Vegas establishments like restaurants and casinos are currently allowed to operate at a 50% capacity.

Read more: Las Vegas is booming against all the odds as hordes of Californians move in and snatch up houses

Wynn Resorts isn't the only tourism-adjacent company with a vaccine policy for its employees. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Virgin Voyages are all requiring crew members to be fully vaccinated before sailings resume.

Several non-travel related companies are also mandating vaccines or offering its employees perks for being vaccinated. This includes Salesforce, which recently announced a vaccine mandate for employees interested in returning to its San Francisco office, and Kroger, which is giving its employees $100 for being vaccinated.

Are you a hospitality industry employee or have a hospitality industry story to share? Contact this reporter at bchang@insider.com.