The long-awaited, $2.7 billion Wynn Las Vegas opened its doors with 2,700 rooms and 18 restaurants.
The hotel falls somewhat short of the record believed set by a $3 billion hotel in Abu Dhabi, but casino magnate Steve Wynn has started work on a $1.4 billion expansion next door.
The new hotel is different for Las Vegas because the traditional casino layout has been eliminated. The casino is not center stage or dominating as it is in other typical Vegas hotels.
Many of the hotel’s high-end restaurants and upscale shops such as Louis Vuitton can be reached without going through the casino.
The project took five years to complete.
It was Wynn’s first project since the opening in 1968 of the Bellagio resort, now owned by MGM Mirage.
His previous company, Mirage Resorts, was taken over by MGM in 2000. He later founded Wynn Resorts, which owns the Wynn Las Vegas Resort.
Wynn’s name is everywhere in the luxury casino. He also has many stores carrying Wynn clothes, Wynn china and Wynn home furnishings.
“This is the launching of a brand,” said Ron Kramer, president of Wynn Resorts Ltd.
Report by David Wilkening
