Fontainebleau Las Vegas Announces Opening Date
Set to open its doors on December 13th, theFontainebleau Las Vegas is eager to greet guests and allow them to enjoy its luxurious accommodations. This new casino resort is the first to be constructed along the Vegas strip since the debut of Resorts World in June 2021. With 67 stories and 3,644 hotel rooms, Fontainebleau will boast over half a million square feet of convention and meeting spaces. Its largest exhibition room spans a whopping 105,200 square feet.
Jeffrey Soffer, the property's CEO, expressed great excitement, enthusing, "For nearly 70 years, the Fontainebleau brand has pushed the boundaries and redefined expectations. With the new Fontainebleau Las Vegas, we usher in a new era of luxury hospitality, brimming with innovation, sophistication, and extravagance while remaining firmly connected to our roots at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach."
The project's original announcement occurred in May 2005, with a projected opening set for 2008. However, the Great Recession and COVID-19 thwarted these plans. In 2010, Carl Icahn acquired the property out of bankruptcy but never restarted the construction process. The Witkoff Group took over in 2017, renaming the venture The Drew, but their aims met an obstacle when the pandemic shutdown commenced. Consequently, the project was bought back by Fontainebleau Development and Koch Real Estate Investments in 2021. It is estimated that the cost of the development was $3.7 billion.
The Gambling Scene
Much like the Cosmopolitan, Fontainebleau will offer a vertically integrated casino resort experience, with its ground level devoted to gaming. Here, patrons will find 1,300 slot machines, incorporating video poker, keno, and blackjack, and 127 table games hosting blackjack and three-card poker. The sportsbook covers around 13,000 square feet. Additionally, the high-limit room, among the largest in Las Vegas, spans an impressive 18,000 square feet.
Shopping, Dining & Entertainment
Pyupon the completion of the resort, Fontainebleau anticipates filling most of its 90,000-square-foot retail space with 35 luxurious retailers. No details have been disclosed on which stores will move in. Additionally, it will house 36 high-end dining options, including Chef Evan Funke's new Italian restaurant Mother Wolf, American restaurant Vida, the Chinese eateries Grill 322 and Washing Potato, French joint La Fontaine courtesy of Chef Laetitia Rouabah, and Steakhouse Don's Prime. Also scheduled to open are the Asian-inspired BBQ spot KYU and Omakase from Chef Kevin Kim. According to Vital Vegas blog, patrons will find Papi Steak, the third location of Southeast Asia's Komodo, and Cantina Contramar, a Mexican concept by renowned chef Gabriela Cámara.
The resort offers three entertainment venues: a 3,800-capacity theater, a day club, and a nightclub called LIV, with all bookings managed by Miami-based Groot Hospitality and its nightlife grandmaster, David Grutman. The Caesars Entertainment aces behind the DJs Tiesto and Zedd have already been swooped up by Fontainebleau, moving them from their previous positions in Resorts World's Zouk Group.
Further, the third-floor rooftop boasts an exceptional pool deck, complete with seven distinct pool experiences spread across six acres plus an additional 2,300 square feet of gaming space.
Filling Roles
Fontainebleau is gearing up for its launch by seeking 6,500 new staff members, 1,500 of them slated to be hired during a five-day food, beverage, and nightlife job fair commencing on Monday, September 25th. This recruitment event will take place at Vū Las Vegas' production campus, located at 901 Grier Dr. near Sunset Road. (Click here for more info.)
Applicants will commence at the Fontainebleau by choosing between joining the Culinary Workers Local 226 and the Bartenders Local 165, both of which represent 60,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno. The culinary union revealed it had sealed a "card check neutrality agreement" with the resort only on Friday.
Finally, the grand opening will be marked by a private, VIP-exclusive performance from Justin Timberlake.
