The long dormant Fontainebleau building is shown during a ceremony to mark the commencement of development of the property at the north end of the Strip Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021.
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Cliff Atkinson
Cliff Atkinson likes to say Las Vegas is the pinnacle of the hospitality business.
That’s part of the reason Atkinson — a former president of the Luxor and senior hotel strategy executive with MGM Resorts International — accepted a job recently as president of Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the resort expected to open on the north end of the Strip late next year.
The 67-story, blue-glass building near Resorts World and the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall is being finished by Fontainebleau Development, a Florida-based firm, with financial backing from the real estate arm of Koch Industries.
A group that featured Fontainebleau Development Chairman Jeffrey Soffer originally started work on the project about 15 years ago. Work stalled and was eventually halted in 2009 because of the Great Recession. In 2018, a group that included New York real estate investor Steven Witkoff announced plans to open a resort at the site that would have included a JW Marriott hotel. That resort was to be called the Drew Las Vegas, but it never opened.
About 3,200 construction workers are expected to contribute to the project. Fontainebleau officials declined to say how many workers are at the site now.
Once it is complete, the Fontainebleau is expected to have more than 3,700 hotel rooms, more than 550,000 square feet of convention space, a collection of restaurants, shops, nightlife options and a casino.
The Sun spoke with Atkinson this week to get an update on the project.
You’ve been on the job about a week now. How did things fall into place?
I’ve known Jeff Soffer and (Fontainebleau Development President) Brett (Mufson) for about a year.
I knew they were taking their time to find the right person for this role for this important project. When I met Jeff, I knew he was someone who I wanted to work with. He’s such a passionate, hands-on owner. I’m just humbled and honored to have been selected to help lead Fontainebleau into the future.
This is a project that has had stops and starts over the years. What’s the latest on the renovations and various improvements being made to the building?
I live in this community and have for the past decade, so I’ve driven past the building many times, like so many others.
I think the community would be surprised to know how much work is being done right now and how much work has already been completed. You can see it now with the cranes and the elevators and the trucks — just the amount of labor here getting this thing going.
You’ve been in this business for a long time. How is this job you’ve taken different than others that you’ve had?
I was thinking about this recently. Everything I’ve done in my life, including everything in my career, has led me to this.
I’ve done openings all over the world, in the U.S. and Asia and Europe, and I’ve run luxury hotels. My hotel experience, casino operating experience, opening experience, working in Las Vegas…it’s all going to come together with this exciting building.
I was told when I came here that if you put your arms around Las Vegas, it will put its arms back around you. My family and I have absolutely found that to be true.
What sets this project apart?
For one, it’s going to be our brand. We have a very successful operation in Miami, and the Fontainebleau Development team — all of their resources and their vision — is available to us.
Buildings like these, made of glass and steel, are so unique. It’s really about the soul of the building.
We have great designers and architects, and it’s my job as president, as the day-to-day leader, to bring the soul and the DNA. We’ll do that with the people we bring in. We’re going to be as focused on our employees as we are on our guests.
As we’ve seen in so many different industries — hospitality has not been immune — it can be difficult to hire these days. How do you foresee that process going as we get closer to the scheduled opening?
Recruitment is among the most important of what I call the critical success factors. We have to get the people right.
We’re recruiting right now, and I’m excited to start recruiting the senior executive team. But as we start hiring, I think the world will be different than it is right now. We’re talking about Q4 2023, so I think things will be different.
Having said that, what doesn’t change is a relentless focus on our employees and on being a different type of employer.
Just broadly in the hospitality sector, we’ve seen that a lot of people have moved on to do other things. Our job is to get passionate professionals who love what we do, and part of that is about making it a different experience for them. We have to become a different kind of employer to help with those recruitment efforts.
There are always naysayers, and there have been plenty when it comes to this building and whether it would ever open. This time, it appears that the project is a go, but what would you say to those who might still be skeptical?
It’s understandable. In that same breath, we have incredible support and many people rooting for us. I really appreciate that.
Every property has naysayers. We’re aiming to be the best of the best. I hope that, when I shake hands on opening day, some people will say that we changed their mind. The way to do that is not to talk about it, though. We have to execute.
We have to have that “wow” factor and have elements that people haven’t seen anywhere else. The building, the design of the building, that will be there.
It’s up to me to make sure that every colleague working with me is so dialed-in, we have a culture where we have a relentless pursuit of a great customer experience.
People taking shots on social media, we understand and expect that, but I’d welcome all of them to walk into our property on day one and take a look around. I think they’ll say at that point that we’ve been successful.
After running the Luxor, you’re schooled on the south side of the Strip. Now there’s a bit of a renaissance on the north end of the Strip. How do you look at the changes on the north side in recent years?
With Allegiant Stadium opening, and some of the other activity around there, it’s an exciting time on the south side of the Strip.
I’m also excited about our proximity to the convention center on our side of the Strip. We’re actually connected to the new convention center space, which is a very unique opportunity.
Then, there’s the other exciting development around us. It’s incredible. I think we’ll help them as much as they help us. We’re the second-tallest structure in the city. It’s an exciting time for the neighborhood, but we’re also a beacon for the entire city.
