After years of stops and starts, refinancings, ownership changes, and a host of other delays, the Fontainebleau Resort Casino has finally opened in Las Vegas. The $3.7 billion hotel welcomed a group of celebrities and dignitaries last week as part of a ribbon-cutting and ceremony to officially welcome the new casino to the Las Vegas Strip.
Development of Fontainebleau CEO Jeffrey Soffer thanked those involved in completing the project.
“When you build a building like this, it usually takes about six years to plan and build it,” he said. It’s so big and huge. So, doing it in less than three years, it’s not going to happen without a great development team.
It may have been three years for the current developers, but the project was originally proposed in May of 2005.
Aim for the high end
a lot Wait outside the property to be one of the first To enter the property.
“I’ve been living here for 23 years, and I didn’t want to miss this casino opening,” Carlos Aguirre said. Las Vegas Journal Review. “[Construction] It started in 2007 and it took forever. I expect the latest from the latest.
The site was originally home to the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino, which opened in 1948, and later changed its name several times before settling on the El Rancho Hotel and Casino, closing in 1992. The building collapsed in 2000 to make way for a project that was later canceled due to the attacks. September 11. Turnberry Associates purchased the land, including the adjacent site that had previously been the Algiers Hotel.
Initially scheduled to open in 2008, the property instead faced lawsuits and numerous financial issues including bankruptcy, new ownership, and a new name that was eventually returned to the original.
As part of the grand opening celebrations, the hotel highlighted the upscale atmosphere that the Fontainebleau project hopes to provide. Models in wigs and white gowns greeted guests in the gaming room, and there were Chinese dragon dancers and live music to keep the atmosphere lively before the casino started accepting bets.
The event included quarterback Tom Brady, singer Cher, rock star Alice Cooper, and actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. Singers Paul Anka and Justin Timberlake later gave special performances for the first time on the BleauLive stage. Anka even became the first player to roll dice at the craps tables.
The company operates resort hotels in Miami, Boston and Nashville as well as several residential properties. In Las Vegas, the new Fontainebleau features a 67-story, 3,644-room hotel, 150,000 square feet of casino space with 42-foot ceilings, a 3,800-seat, 90,000-square-foot theater, and a 50,000-square-foot amphitheater. ft. nightclub; And many restaurants and bars. However, the property does not have a poker room.
Meet The Strip’s newest icon. Opening 12.13.23. pic.twitter.com/9CU5X3Mivb
— Fontainebleau Las Vegas (@fblasvegas) December 11, 2023
The northern end of the growth strip
Not only is Fontainebleau the newest property on the Las Vegas Strip, but insiders expect the project to be part of A rebirth of the north end of the world-famous stretch of road.
“I think it’s cleaned up a lot at that end of the strip by bringing in these bigger, nicer casinos,” said John Martin, assistant director of Peppermill. KVVU. The restaurant has been in the area for over 50 years. “It’s great. Business is always great.”
Recent years have also seen the reopening of the Desert Zone, and the debut of Resorts World at the northern end of the strip. The Las Vegas Convention Center was also expanded in 2021 and Westgate Casino is also located in the area just off the Strip.
In 2022, Houston businessman and billionaire Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Golden Nugget, announced plans for a new casino at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue.
Fertitta hopes to build a property that includes a 2,420-room hotel and 59,000 square feet of casino space. Filings with Clark County estimated the project would begin in March and be scheduled for completion in March 2025.
Howard Hughes Holdings also recently announced plans for a new Strip Casino as well. The company plans to build a new casino tower that will rise above Fashion Show Mall at the north end of the Strip as well.
