Exterior of the new Fontainebleau located on Las Vegas Blvd on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.
Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 | 2 a.m.
The highly anticipated Fontainebleau Las Vegas opens in less than a week on the north Strip, bringing with it massive sculptures of silver and gold, glittering chandeliers, a fleet of Rolls-Royces painted the resort’s signature blue, and even more swanky amenities.
The Fontainebleau, which has been in the works for nearly two decades and will host its long-awaited ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, is the latest resort to bring modern luxury to the northern end of the Strip. It boasts spacious and comfortable guest rooms, a lush theater and a peaceful outdoor meeting space.
“I think we will be very additive to the north end of the Strip,” Colleen Birch, the Fontainebleau’s chief operating officer, told the Sun. “We are proud of what we have created inside our four walls, and are in good community with our neighbors across the way with Resorts World (and) we’re just down the street from the Wynn and Encore, which we respect immensely.”
Las Vegas’ newest resort is the sister property of Fontainebleau Miami Beach, which has been in operation since the mid-20th century. The Las Vegas iteration of the resort seeks to emulate what has made its South Florida counterpart so “magical” for about 70 years, Birch said.
She pointed to some dining concepts at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas that come from the Miami Beach location, as well as elements of the Las Vegas property’s opulent architecture that can be attributed to the Miami property.
This includes enormous, classical columns studded throughout the casino floor, as well as the Bleau Bar — a sophisticated food-and-beverage concept — at its center.
The Fontainebleau’s bow-tie logo has also been incorporated throughout the property, subtly branding items from sofas to lighting fixtures. The symbol is a tribute to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s original architect, Morris Lapidus, who famously wore a bow tie to work every day.
“I think the integration of how the casino and the restaurants and the retail space play with things like the guestroom tower and our meeting space — it’s very large, but also will not be hard for our guests to navigate and kind of understand how the property is laid out,” she said when asked what sets the Fontainebleau apart from its peers in Las Vegas. “So the ease of moving around in the building is, I think, going to be a really positive point for our guests.”
The almost 3,650-room resort’s architecture, which features wide corridors and airy curved walls, is also unique, Birch said, in addition to the way it uses live greenery and various art installations to decorate the space.
Also exciting is its three dozen new food-and-beverage concepts, she said, including multiple steakhouses, a restaurant with views of the resort’s sportsbook and the Fontainebleau’s intimate food hall, the Promenade.
“That’s something that we’re very, very proud of — the idea that there is new energy on the culinary scene in Las Vegas,” Birch said. “It will be exciting for our own hotel guests, and we believe that we’ll also be an importer on the culinary side with people who are staying at other hotels and coming to visit Fontainebleau.”
Guest rooms at the Fontainebleau went on sale in mid-September, and Birch said the resort had been “pleased with the pace of reservations” since then, especially in the business or convention market.
The Fontainebleau is not just marketing itself to tourists, however. Locals have an ease of access to the resort off Elvis Presley Boulevard, Birch said, and up to four hours of complimentary parking.
The resort will host an event for invited guests only after the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Birch said, but the goal is to open doors to the public before midnight that night.
“So what I’m most excited about in that ribbon-cutting ceremony, and then later that night — is opening our doors to the public and really unveiling this masterpiece,” she said. “I am a firm believer that there is not a tremendous understanding of exactly how special this place is.”
What matters most is that guests feel special, she said, which starts with creating a culture of connection and exceptional service.
“The property has had a storied past, and so we know when our doors open, that’s our chance to to earn the business and earn it forever, as is our hope,” she said. “So just really delivering something that … has a fresh perspective, that is interesting, that has consistent service, I think will earn business. So for me, my attention is completely inside these four walls and just loving on this team who will love our guests.”
Mark Tricano, president of the Fontainebleau, said he looked at the more than a decade-old history of the Fontainebleau as an opportunity to learn and prepare for the future.
The four words that come to his mind regarding building a strong foundation for the resort, Tricano said, are resilience, commitment, vision and excellence.
“And so I look at each one of those things over the 17-, 18-year period, from where we started to where we are today, and rally the team around and recognize and appreciate those four elements,” he said. “Because those are what helped create us culturally, and allow us to build that foundation to be successful long-term.”
Construction on the hotel started in 2007 just as the Great Recession took hold in the country and around the world. Banks pulled out of the project and there were multiple changes in ownership.
The project was suspended again in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The growth of the northern end of the Strip is only natural, as Las Vegas continues to grow overall and nearby resorts like The Strat and Sahara continue to invest in themselves, he said.
“To me, it’s the inevitable evolution as the city just grows,” Tricano told the Sun. “The north end of the strip is just the next logical place. So the way I think about it is, this is just part of the opportunity.”
In a statement to the Sun, Resorts World President Peter LaVoie agreed, noting the excitement surrounding the Fontainebleau’s imminent opening.
“As the northern part of the Strip continues to develop, we are thrilled for the opportunity to draw in more guests and visitors and provide them with more luxury offerings in this area,” LaVoie said in a statement. “Vegas is always evolving; that is what makes this city so special, and we are looking forward to seeing the new property and congratulating them on this incredible feat.”
The Fontainebleau is dedicated to preparing the $3.7 billion property’s team not just to service its guests on opening day, but for decades to come, Tricano said.
“So when you look at these properties up and down the Strip, they’re here for decades — generations,” he said. “And so, Fontainebleau will be no different.”
katieann.mccarver@gmg vegas.com / 702-990-8926 / @_katieann13_
