Feature: Fontainebleau
E
yesore no more. The long-vacant, big, blue building on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip has an opening date. Fontainebleau Las Vegas is set to reveal itself in grand style with a massive VIP opening on December 13. The arrival of the long-anticipated, 67-story, luxury resort is exciting for many reasons. Not only will the Fontainebleau skyscraper be the tallest building in Nevada but it is also helping revitalize the north Strip (between Wynn Las Vegas and the Sahara)—an area where construction has been creeping into in recent years. Fontainebleau will be the first new-built megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip to open since Resorts World made its debut on June 24, 2021. Ironically, Resorts World is Fontainebleau’s neighbor across the street. Fontainebleau is simply massive. It sits on nearly 25 acres of land not far from the Las Vegas Convention Center (on the former site of both the El Rancho Hotel and Algiers Hotel for those who crave Las Vegas history or just want to win a trivia bet). The resort will have 3,644 rooms and suites, a six-acre pool complex, 36 restaurants and bars, a casino, convention halls, dozens of luxury shops, a giant fitness center and the 55,000-square-foot Lapis Spa to relax at after you take in all the property offers. Fontainebleau is the near-two-decade-long vision of Jeffrey Soffer, chairman and CEO of Fontainebleau Development. The resort, first announced in 2005, was supposed to open in 2008, but construction stopped when the building was just 70 percent complete and never re-started. With the blue bones left exposed, the project was sold to investor Carl Icahn who sat on it for seven years before selling the property for a rather hefty profit. One more sale (and 13 years) later, it was reacquired by Fontainebleau and back in Soffer’s hands. Now, the $3.7 billion luxury resort is on the brink of opening.
Creating a Vibe
Fontainebleau Las Vegas executives took the ‘if ain’t broke don’t fix it’ approach, partnering with many of the same designers, restaurateurs and nightlife gurus that have made Fontainebleau Miami the talk of South Beach. The all-star design team consisted of exterior architectural designer Carlos Zapata, plus a stellar group of interior designers that included, the David Collins Studio, Rockwell Group and Lissoni & 10
Partners, headed by designer Piero Lissoni. “This dream could be realized only by partnering with designers that bring an unrivaled depth of knowledge and skill to the project, and a shared history of successful collaborations with Fontainebleau Development,” Fontainebleau Development President Brett Mufson explained in a press release. The resort, as a whole, will have a laid-back vibe and a similar look and signature style to Fontainebleau’s sister property on Miami Beach. The rooms and suites, a design collaboration between John Rawlins and the company’s in-house team, are a distinct appreciation for the beach. Bathed in blue and silver water tones with pops of coral-pink, the modern rooms have mercury-glass mirrors, custom brass finishes (like fun, bowtie-shaped drawer pulls), Art www.casinolifemagazine.com