Las Vegas, especially the Las Vegas Strip, has a lot of projects that get announced but never get completed. Some, like the All Net Arena, a planned NBA-ready arena that would have been built on a plot of land on the North Strip between the Sahara and Fontainebleau, never moved beyond the approval stage.
Its owner former NBA and University of Las Vegas star Jackie Robinson tried to will the project into existence, but never actually landed financing. A groundbreaking ceremony was even held years ago, but after years of promised funding never coming through, Clark County commissioners declined to renew the permits for the project.
Related: Huge Las Vegas Strip project won't be happening
That's not an unfamiliar thing on the Strip. Projects — even really grand ones — get announced but never actually happen. Sometimes work even starts but the money runs out and the project moves into limbo.
Currently, the boutique Dream Las Vegas Hotel near the Harry Reid Airport sits partially built rotting in the sun. The resort casino's owner ran out of money in March and while its owner, Shopoff Realty, said that would be corrected quickly. Nine months later, the work has not restarted.
That makes the story of Fontainebleau Las Vegas something for a movie (if movies were made about building resort casinos). The north Las Vegas Strip casino has been roughly 20 years in the making. Construction stopped multiple times, and owners changed more than once.
Now, after an incredible, seemingly unbelievable odyssey, Fontainebleau has set a Dec. 13 opening date.
Image source: Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Fontainebleau set to open on the Las Vegas Strip
Any time a new resort casino opens on the Las Vegas Strip, it's a cause for celebration. The Strip's last big opening, Resorts World Las Vegas, happened in June 2021, during the covid pandemic. That made the celebration a bit more muted for the north Strip resort casino that's trying to lure customers away from the south and central strip where Wynn Resorts (WYNN) -), MGM Resorts International (MGM) -), and Caesars Entertainment (CZR) -) operate densely close to each other. .
Fontainebleau, which is essentially across the street from Resorts World, should help revitalize a somewhat bleak area.
"Seamlessly connecting the past, present, and future, the 67-story Fontainebleau Las Vegas – the tallest occupiable building in Nevada — is the first western expansion for the iconic brand. Reflecting the grandeur of its heritage, the resort's 3,644 rooms and suites present an aura of timeless elegance, while incorporating a lavish splendor and distinctive amenities unique to Las Vegas," the company shared in a press release.
The property will have 36 distinct restaurants including eateries from Chef Gabriela Cámara, Michelin-starred chefs Masa Ito and Kevin Kim, Alan Yau, Evan Funke, David Grutman, and more. Fontainebleau will also offer a 14,000-square-foot fitness center and 55,000-square-foot Lapis Spa designed by Milan-based Lissoni & Partners. Lapis Spa.
In addition, the resort will include a 96,500-square-foot luxury boutique retail area, located on the first two levels of the resort, a six-acre pool district, 550,000 square feet of customizable, indoor-outdoor meeting space; 150,000 square feet of gaming space; and the forthcoming LIV and LIV Beach experiences.
Construction of Fontainebleau began in 2007
After being announced in 2005, work actually began on Fontainebleau in 2007. The 2008 housing crisis and recession caused the project to run out of money in 2009. That led to it being a bit of a hot potato bouncing between owners including billionaire Carl Icahn in 2010.
Icahn actually did nothing with the property before selling it in 2017 — a decade after ground was first broken. In 2017, developer Steve Witkoff bought the property, renaming the project Drew Las Vegas.
The new owner got as far as announcing a 2022 opening date until the Covid pandemic hit and the project lost funding again. That's when Jeff Soffer, the Fontainebleau’s original owner, bought it back and has finally gotten it to the finish line.
