Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The US$2.7-billion resort is named after casino developer Steve Wynn and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts. The resort covers 215 acres (87Â ha). It is located at the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sands Avenue, directly across The Strip from the Fashion Show Mall.
The 614-foot (187 m)-high hotel has 45 floors, with the 2,716 rooms ranging in size from 640 sq ft (59 m2) to villas at 8,900 sq ft (830 m2). The complex also includes a 189,000 sq ft (17,600 m2) casino, a convention center with 290,000 sq ft (27,000 m2) of space and 76,000 sq ft (7,100 m2) of retail space. Together with the adjacent Encore, the entire Wynn resort complex has a total of 4,750 rooms, making it the world's seventh-largest hotel.
The Wynn Plaza shopping complex, a large expansion of the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas, is expected to open by fall 2018. The shopping complex moves the Wynn properties closer to Las Vegas Boulevard. Tenants are expected to include upscale experiences. The new Wynn Paradise Park is being built on the site of a golf course adjacent to Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas. The 20-acre lagoon, boardwalk, waterfront meeting space, and other features are expected to draw additional traffic to the hotels. Construction is expected to start in late 2017 or early 2018 for completion in 2019. Steve Wynn called the “Disney-style†attraction the “most fun project in my 45 years.†Company stock rose following the announcement.
The resort has earned AAA five diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star, Michelin five star, and Zagat Survey Top U.S. Hotel ratings, as well as one Michelin star for its restaurant Wing Lei. It is considered to be one of the finest hotels in the world. Wynn Las Vegas and its sister property Encore Las Vegas collectively hold more Forbes five-star awards than any other resort and casino in the world. Wynn Las Vegas also made Forbes Award history by earning five-star ratings in every categoryâ€"Hotel, Restaurant, and Spa. It has held the distinction of winning the award in the hotel sector every year since 2007. The building is the first high-rise to be cleaned by an automatic window washing system. The resort is named to the Condé Nast Traveller Gold List as one of the "Top Hotels in the World".
History
Steve Wynn first revealed plans of a 45-story, 2,455-room, and 514-foot resort and four-acre lake in August 2001. The project did not have a formal name and would be built on the site of the Desert Inn. The project's name was revealed on October 19, 2001, as "Le Rêve", meaning "the dream" in French.
To make way for the resort, the Desert Inn's main tower was imploded on October 23, 2001. The rest of the Desert Inn was imploded on November 17, 2004. The project included the redesigning of the historic Desert Inn golf course, which was renamed the Wynn Golf Club. The remainder of the property was acquired by purchasing private residences that were generally located along Paradise Avenue. While some owners sold early on, others held out. This resulted in numerous legal actions between the various parties. In the end, the site acquired totaled 215 acres (87Â ha).
In June 2002, Steve Wynn filed for an IPO to help fund the project. Wynn hired Marnell Corrao Associates to design and build the resort. The resort was built at a cost of $2.7 billion, which made it the largest privately funded construction project in the nation. The name of the resort was changed from "Le Rêve" to "Wynn Las Vegas" on June 23, 2003.
Wynn Las Vegas opened on April 28, 2005, the same day as Steve Wynn's wife, Elaine Wynn's birthday, the 55th anniversary of the original Desert Inn opening, and five years from the day Wynn purchased the Desert Inn site. Early advertising for the resort featured exterior images of the hotel tower, with Wynn standing on the roof, just above his signature logo. The initial commercial aired in local markets during the 2005 Super Bowl, eventually being nationally broadcast as opening drew near. A "teaser" website for the resort included both the commercial and a "making-of" video.
The hotel runs a quarterly magazine, called "WYNN", and is available in all guest rooms at both Wynn and Encore, as well as online.
Wynn dealers are represented by the Transportation Workers Union.
Film history
Since Wynn's completion, the resort and other hotels on the Strip has been shown in many films and television shows based on Las Vegas.
The resort is notably featured in the 2009 film 2012, where the film's main characters flee a destroyed Las Vegas by narrowly flying a plane similar to the Antonov An-225 between the crumbling Wynn and Encore towers as they collapse onto one another.
In addition, the Encore Theater was home to Beyoncé's sold-out I Am... Tour, which was featured in I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas, filmed from July 30 to August 2, 2009.
An action comedy film Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 starring Kevin James was entirely filmed at the casino. It is the first film ever shot on the property of Steve Wynn by his permission. Other films shot at Wynn include Frank & Lola, The Squeeze, Sinatra 100: An All-Star Grammy Concert, Garth Brooks’ Holiday Special, and The House.
Features
In contrast to previous hotels built by Wynn, including Bellagio, The Mirage, and Treasure Island, the Encore Esplanade Fountain is a relatively subdued Las Vegas Strip attraction to draw in passers-by. At its opening, the Wynn was the tallest hotel building on the strip (a record which lasted two years). It was the first Vegas casino to feature a car dealership (Ferrari-Maserati). Other firsts:
- Combination of the room key and the casino frequent-player card into a single card.
- The largest installation of voice over IP technology for hotel phones.
- The first Las Vegas casino to install RFID tags inside chips to better detect counterfeiting.
- The first resort to provide an Amazon Echo in all hotel rooms, connected to the room’s lighting and other systems.
Attractions
Lake of Dreams
In a departure from the trend established by The Mirage, which opened sidewalk attractions to draw in customers, Wynn Las Vegas is constructed so that visitors enter the building to view the attractions. The main attraction is a large, curtain waterfall behind a mountain that faces the strip. The waterfall falls into a 3 acres (1.2Â ha) lake.
Wynn Paradise Park
The Wynn Paradise Park has been announced for 2020.
Shows
Le Rêve
The first production show to open was Le Rêve. Le Rêve is set in a 1 million gallon water-oriented theater where no seat is more than 40 ft (12 m) from the stage. The production was created by Franco Dragone.
Le Rêve was the working name of the resort before it was changed to Wynn Las Vegas. "Le Rêve" means "The Dream" in French, and the name of the centerpiece painting that Steve Wynn owned, Le Rêve by Picasso.
Most recently, Wynn Las Vegas bought the rights to the show from Dragone to make some changes, including the logo. Wynn now owns all rights to the show.
Avenue Q
Avenue Q, a Tony Award-winning puppet and people musical which enjoyed considerable success on Broadway, was the second production show to open at Wynn. It debuted on September 8, 2005, in the 1,200-seat Broadway Theatre and closed on May 28, 2006.
Monty Python's Spamalot
Spamalot, a Tony Award-winning comedic musical based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, opened for previews on March 8, 2007, at Grail Theater (formerly, The Broadway Theatre). The official run began on March 31, 2007, and starred John O'Hurley as King Arthur through September 26, 2007. The show closed on July 13, 2008.
Danny Gans
On April 17, 2008, Wynn Resorts announced that Mirage headliner Danny Gans would move to the resort in February 2009. Gans moved into the theater formerly used by both Avenue Q and Spamalot, which was renamed Encore Theater and is marketed as part of the Encore expansion. Gans performed there until his death on May 1, 2009.
Nightclubs
Clubs within Wynn include Encore Beach Club (a 60,000 square feet (5,600Â m2) venue surrounding three tiered pools with gaming and cabanas) and XS Nightclub (a 40,000 square feet (3,700Â m2) indoor/outdoor space with over 10,000 individual light sources).
Unique to Wynn Las Vegas is Intrigue, a 14,000 square feet (1,300Â m2) venue with an outdoor patio that features a waterfall and pyrotechnics. Opened in Spring 2016, it replaced Tryst.
Restaurants
Shops and boutiques
The Wynn Plaza shopping complex, a $54-million expansion of the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas, is expected to open by fall 2018.
Wynn Esplanade Shoppes
In Wynn Las Vegas
Amenities
Wynn Golf and Country Club
The Wynn Golf Course is the only golf course on the Las Vegas Strip, built on the site of the former Desert Inn course. It was designed by Steve Wynn and Tom Fazio, who previously worked together on the Shadow Creek Golf Club, in an exclusive neighborhood in nearby North Las Vegas.
Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas
The Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas consists of all suites in the separated southernmost section of the main tower. These 296 rooms, all suites have a private driveway with Rolls-Royce house cars and chauffeurs, as well as a private entrance with koi pond, a separate check-in area and elevators, and a private pool area. The hotel has since become popular among celebrities and the very wealthy. In 2006, The Tower Suites at Wynn Las Vegas was evaluated independently from the rest of the property by Mobil Travel Guide for their 2007 ratings. It was awarded the first ever Mobil Five-Star rating awarded to a hotel in Las Vegas and has since received numerous other five-star awards, making the Tower Suites one of the finest boutique hotels worldwide.
Encore
On April 28, 2006, Wynn celebrated its first anniversary by beginning construction of a second hotel tower. Called Encore, the tower was a $2.3 billion, 2,034-room hotel project adjacent to the existing resort and on the remaining frontage of Las Vegas Boulevard. Encore opened on December 22, 2008.
Future development
Wynn Paradise Park
Steve Wynn announced in April 2016 the development of a new $1.5 billion expansion project, currently called Wynn Paradise Park, which will include an additional hotel property holding 1,000 rooms and a which will include water skiing and other water sport activities. A 4,000 foot (1,200 m) boardwalk is anticipated to surround the 1,500 foot (460 m)-foot-long lagoon, along with white sand beaches, bars, and other food service. Waterfront convention and meeting space will be available for business uses. Other features are expected to draw additional traffic to the hotels. Fireworks shows are anticipated at night. Construction is expected to start in late 2017 or early 2018 for completion in 2019. Steve Wynn called the “Disney-style†attraction the “most fun project in my 45 years.†The project is expected to improve conservation and reduce water usage of the property by replacing the irrigated golf course.
Suite renovation
Wynn Las Vegas underwent significant renovation from August 2010 through April 2011, with close to 2,700 of the hotel's rooms and suites renovated. The total cost of the renovations, which also included a revamp of the Baccarat (card game) section in preparation for the winter holidays, cost US$99 million.
See also
- List of casinos in Nevada
- List of tallest buildings in Las Vegas
References
External links
- Official website