Casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip have been busy over the last year opening a new hotel-casino, closing a couple of classic casino properties, imploding one, and revealing the arrival of new hotels.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas opened its doors on Dec. 13, 2023 after breaking ground 16 years earlier and facing lawsuits, lender issues, and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2009.
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The 67-story hotel-casino, featuring 3,644 rooms, 36 restaurant concepts, and the 3,800-seat BleauLive Theater, finally celebrated its grand opening on Dec. 30-31, 2023, with superstar singer Post Malone's performances.
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The historic Tropicana Casino & Resort, which was the second oldest resort casino on the Strip, closed in April 2024 and was imploded on Oct. 9, 2024, to make way for the development of a $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat baseball stadium for Major League Baseball's Athletics that's supposed to begin construction in April 2025. The site will also feature a new resort hotel-casino built by Bally's Corp.
The Mirage resort casino on the Strip closed on July 17 and will be replaced by a Hard Rock International Guitar Hotel, which the owners are planning to open in 2027.
Hard Rock purchased The Mirage from MGM Resorts International in 2022 with plans to build a 600-room, 660-foot-tall Guitar Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on the current site of the former Mirage Volcano. The rest of the property will be modernized and themed to match the Guitar Hotel.
The 152-room Casino Royale, which was the third oldest casino on the Strip before the closing of the Trop, is in limbo as the Federal Aviation Administration approved a proposal to build a 699-foot-tall resort casino on the property, but Clark County hasn't approved the project yet. The Best Western flagged hotel's permit with the FAA expires in January 2025, so stay tuned.
Apollo Global Management's Venetian Resort Las Vegas earlier this year launched a $1.5 billion renovation of the 4,000 all-suite Venetian towers and the resort's casino. The renovation will include a $188 million overhaul of its expo center. The upgrades should be completed by September 2025.
MGM Resorts International
MGM converting Delano to new luxury property
Las Vegas Strip casino operator MGM Resorts International (MGM) has teamed with Marriott International (MAR) to convert the iconic Delano Las Vegas, a non-gaming property on the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino campus, to a new W Hotel brand on the Strip.
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The W Las Vegas, which will be within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, will complete its conversion later in 2024 and will continue the MGM/Marriott long-term strategic licensing agreement that the companies sealed in July 2023. Additional plans for the property will be announced in the future, according to an Oct. 21 statement.
The addition of the W Las Vegas to the MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy now encompasses 12 resorts on the Strip, including Bellagio, Aria Resort & Casino, The Cosmopolitan, and Mandalay Bay. Delano Las Vegas was not part of the MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy.
"Our relationship with Marriott has far exceeded our expectations, demonstrating the power of its brand portfolio and the strength of their distribution channels," Steve Zanella, president of MGM Resorts operations said in a statement.
"W Las Vegas, the latest hotel to come to life as part of our collaboration, will allow our guests to access a new luxury lifestyle experience recognized worldwide for its distinct personality, dynamic programming and elevated service culture," Zanella said.
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