Last updated: January 17, 2024
After 16 years in the making, Fontainebleau Las Vegas celebrates its grand opening, marking a significant milestone in the city’s casino landscape. With performances by Justin Timberlake and Keith Urban, the 67-floor, $3.7 billion resort boasts 3,644 rooms, a sprawling casino, and various entertainment venues. A triumphant addition to the iconic Las Vegas Strip.
At last, the Fontainebleau casino resort in Las Vegas is open for business. The project has been developing since 2007, but the pandemic and the Great Recession severely disrupted plans.
Just before midnight on Wednesday, the public could access this property. Keith Urban and Justin Timberlake performed at a celebration to commemorate the event. Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady and seasoned actor Sylvester Stallone were among the other celebrities.
President of Fontainebleau Mark Tricano expressed his delight at the expressions on visitors’ faces during their first visit. The thought that went into creating the public areas, in his opinion, will result in a distinctive visitor experience.
With 67 stories and a height of 735 feet, the Fontainebleau is currently the tallest occupied building in Nevada. With an observation tower rising to 1,149 feet, the STRAT Hotel remains the highest building in the state.
The recently opened Strip property offers something for everyone, with 3,644 hotel rooms, a 150,000-square-foot casino, seven pools, a spa, and 36 bars and restaurants combined. The Las Vegas Convention Center is nearby, and it is situated near the northernmost point of the Strip.
On the El Rancho hotel site, which was demolished in 2000, developers constructed the Fontainebleau. The new resort will reportedly employ more than 7,000 people.
For many months, the Fontainebleau has been taking reservations. On opening night, a room cost $300.
Since the Resorts World opened in June 2021—when the city was still dealing with the effects of the pandemic—this is the first significant new casino resort to open in Las Vegas.
The Fontainebleau development plans were first made public in 2005, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2007. When the project was about 70% finished in 2009, the company behind it filed for bankruptcy, which resulted in many years of dormancy.
Jeffrey Soffer, the founder of Fontainebleau Resorts, regained leadership in February 2021.
The project’s ownership has changed multiple times over the years. In February 2021, Jeffrey Soffer, the founder of Fontainebleau Resorts, reclaimed ownership in collaboration with Koch Real Estate Investments, bringing the project full circle.
Owned by Soffer’s company, the opulent Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach has been operational since 1954.
Marilyn Chavez is an associate researcher at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she studied the mathematical probabilities and aspects of casino games like slot machines. She’s written several case studies which have been published by multiple problem-gaming institutions to help spread awareness about the dangers of online gambling and gambling addiction. She also presented a 2019 Ted talk on the topic of gambling among minors.
