The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is all set to open this winter, and it’s a big deal. This $3.7-billion project is only the second new resort on the Las Vegas Strip in the last ten years. It follows a $1-billion expansion of its famous counterpart, Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
Brett Mufson, Fontainebleau Development’s president, shared, “The opening of Fontainebleau Las Vegas marks a significant milestone in our company’s legacy, as we look to create an era-defining moment in Las Vegas history.”
For Jeff Soffer, the big boss at Fontainebleau Development, this isn’t his first rodeo in Vegas. He worked with MGM Mirage to create The Signature at MGM Grand in 2004. The next year, he announced the development of Fontainebleau at the northern end of Las Vegas Boulevard.
The hotel is set to open on Dec. 13, and Travel + Leisure got an exclusive first look at the property as it nears completion.
Fontainebleau Las Vegas is going to be huge, not just because of its fancy entrance but also because it’s a 67-story, 3,644-room hotel—the tallest one on the Strip.
Once you step inside, you can check in right away and head straight to your room without going through the casino. The arrival experience is designed by David Collins Studio, with a vibe similar to their work at Qatar’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Doha, and London’s Harrods department store.
The rooms have cool colors like cerulean and chrome, with pops of coral. They’re modern and stylish, with mercury-glass mirrors, brass bowtie drawer pulls, and surfaces covered in gray wood veneer, pearlescent shagreen, and Arabescato marble. All rooms have big windows, soaking tubs, and comfy Beautyrest mattresses.
Past the entrance and bar is a spacious casino with curvy walls. Fontainebleau is breaking the mold with 150,000 square feet of gaming space under 42-foot-high ceilings. The space has cozy nooks and a massive 80-feet-wide, 60-feet-tall chandelier made of 1,200 bowtie-shaped glass columns. If you’re one of the lucky ones shopping in the luxury stores on the first and second floors, you’ll have a great view of the action.
There’s a lot to explore, from a 3,800-seat theater to experiences by Miami’s nightlife icon David Grutman. He’s opening a 50,000-square-foot outpost of his nightclub Liv and a “stadium-styled” 35,000-square-foot Liv Beach in the spring.
Liv Beach is just one of seven water features in the resort’s six-acre pool complex on the third-floor roof deck. It’ll have four bars, two restaurants, and 2,300 square feet of gaming space.
Wellness is a big deal too, with a 14,000-square-foot fitness center and a 55,000-square-foot Lapis Spa. There are 44 treatment rooms, a salt cave, an herbal inhalation room, and various saunas. The gym is stocked with top-notch equipment, including Peloton bikes, Woodway treadmills, and more. There’s also a movement studio for daily yoga, Pilates, and stretching classes.
For food and drinks, there will be 36 bars and restaurants. Grutman is bringing his South Beach meat emporium Papi Steak, and there will be a third outpost of Komodo, his flashy pan-Asian restaurant. Chef Gabriela Cámara will have a restaurant too, featuring her own version of Casa Dragones Tasting Room from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
La Fontaine, focusing on elevated French fare, will be opened by Laëtitia Rouabah. Evan Funke, known for his L.A. haunts, will launch his first out-of-market restaurant for Italian cuisine. The resort will have its own steakhouse called Don’s Prime, named after Soffer’s father, and Chris Arellanes, the grilling master, will open his fourth outpost here. British restaurateur Alan Yau will create a Chinese palace dining experience.
Lastly, renowned chefs Masa Ito and Kevin Kim will bring their expertise to the hotel’s fine dining options, with an exclusive omakase spot and a more affordable temaki counter.
