Skift Take
The $3.7 Billion Fontainebleau Las Vegas is officially now open. Close to two decades in the making, the vertically integrated luxury mega-resort is a reality at last.
Paul Anka used to hang out with the Rat Pack at the original property in Miami in the Fifties. That is why it was apropos for him to be the first performer on stage at BleauLive Theater. He also rolled the dice for the first time at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ brand-new casino.
The resort’s grand opening celebration peaked with a dazzling performance from Justin Timberlake. Post Malone is the main attraction for what promises to be an exclusive New Year’s Eve experience.
The vertically integrated luxury resort stands at 67 stories, making it the tallest occupiable building in Nevada. This 3,644-room, $3.7 billion resort can efficiently accommodate entertainment and business functions.
The BleauLive Theater is a three-level, 90,000 sq. ft. theater with generous pre-function space. It joins more than 550,000 sq. ft. of customizable meeting and convention space, including 33 meeting rooms with much-desired natural light and a 105,000 sq. ft. pillarless ballroom, one of the largest in Las Vegas.
In many casino resorts, the lobby bar is the place for B-list entertainers. This wasn’t the case at the grand opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Country music superstar Keith Urban took the stage in the lobby bar, to the crowd’s surprise.
Other celebrities in attendance included famed NFL quarterback Tom Brady, Cher, Bryan Cranston, Eva Longoria, Lenny Kravitz and Sylvester Stallone. Clearly, the Las Vegas property follows Miami’s legacy, known as a hangout for celebrities, movie stars, and music icons like Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, and Frank Sinatra.
Perfect Complement to the Las Vegas Convention Center
The new resort’s proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center is sure to impress meeting planners as it is steps away from its newest addition, the $1 billion, 1.4-million sq. ft. West Hall.
The resort is designed with meeting planners’ needs in mind, so the meeting space is set away from the gaming area and the rest of the hotel. This is a welcome design feature, as planners have complained for years about their attendees having to traverse smoke-filled casinos to get to their meetings.
“We’ve designed it with planners in mind,” said Colleen Birch, chief operating officer of Fontainebleau Las Vegas. “We wanted to create a service proposition that was good for planners and hotel guests alike.”
The owners of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach conceived the idea for the Vegas property in 2005. However, construction halted in 2009 due to the Great Recession. After this, the project went through several different owners and names. In 2021, the original developer, Jeffrey Soffer, bought back the property and restarted construction.
“It’s fitting that Las Vegas is a city of dreams and possibilities, as this resort stands as a symbol of perseverance, our unwavering commitment to excellence, and our belief in the transformative power of genuine, world-class hospitality,” said Soffer during a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Amenities Galore
When the meeting has ended, there is no lack of things to do. Gaming is spread across 150,000 sq. ft., complemented by a 96,500 sq. ft. luxury boutique retail district. There are plenty of wellbeing and wellness options as well. There is a 14,000 sq. ft. fitness center, a 55,00 sq. ft. spa with 44 treatment rooms, and a six-acre pool district.
The collection of 36 high-profile restaurants, all of which are exclusive in Las Vegas, is impressive. Culinary options include Chyna Club, featuring eclectic Chinese cuisine from Hakkasan and Wagamama founder Alan Yau; Don’s Prime, Komodo; KYU, a wildly popular Asian-inspired barbecue restaurant; La Fontaine, a French restaurant; Mother Wolf, the Las Vegas debut of pasta master Evan Funke; steakhouse Papi Steak; The Tavern, serving American classics; Vida, an American bistro; and Washing Potato that features Cantonese comfort street foods.
The nightlife star is LIV Las Vegas, built to rival the original LIV inside Fontainebleau Miami Beach, one of the world’s top nightclubs. The 50,000 sq. ft. nightlife venue offers an ultra-VIP experience in its banquette areas and private skyboxes–each catered with signature table service.
The resort has impressive art throughout, including colorful murals and kinetic sculptures. Art, architecture, and design are the focuses of the property and add to the guest experience. The Fontainebleau’s iconic bowtie motif, introduced when the Fontainebleau Miami opened in 1954, appears throughout the new Vegas property.
Photo credit: Fontainebleau / Las Vegas
