A towering blue-glass resort that has lain vacant and unfinished for nearly two decades on the Las Vegas Strip is now set to open to the public in December.
LAS VEGAS — A soaring blue glass tower that has stood empty for nearly two decades on the Las Vegas Strip — during the Great Recession and an unprecedented pandemic that shut down the popular tourist lane for months — is set to open to the public in December as the gambling hub’s newest resort and casino.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas executives made the announcement Tuesday morning, more than a year after the company publicly set a goal to open before the end of 2023.
Chief Operating Officer Colin Birch said in a statement that the long-awaited resort at the northern end of the Strip exemplifies a “rich heritage of luxurious hospitality, elegant elegance and unforgettable experiences.” Resort and casino expected to create thousands of jobs.
Named after the 1950s-era Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, the luxury resort is one of the tallest buildings in Nevada.
Construction began on the 67-story Fontainebleau Las Vegas in 2007 amid the American real estate bubble and was expected at the time to open in October 2009, but work was halted when it went bankrupt during the Great Recession. The project has been stalled for years.
A year later — and more than 15 years since the initial plans for Fontainebleau Las Vegas were revealed — Jeffrey Soffer, one of the original developers, has reacquired the project. At the time, Soffer estimated the property was 75% complete and said it was in “good shape.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Soffer celebrated the Blue Tower as a symbol of resilience and determination.
“The arrival of Fontainebleau in Las Vegas is a tremendous achievement after years of anticipation, and it brings our full vision of hosting the iconic Fontainebleau brand in the Strip,” he said.