No city knows how to celebrate like Las Vegas – and Sin City was in full swing for the grand opening of Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a casino resort years in the making.
TPG received an invitation to the ‘you-had-to-be-there scene’. We spent the opening night of the highly anticipated resort listening to surprise A-list performers, dancing with feather boa-clad showgirls and, after the night came to a close, resting peacefully in a beautiful room with a perfect view of the Las Vegas -bol.
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Here are five takeaways from Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ grand opening.
It opened with a party like no other
On December 13, Fontainebleau Las Vegas hosted a whole who’s who at a private event, including celebrities like Cher, a host of reality TV stars (we see you “Real Housewives of Miami” star Alexia Nepola), acrobats, musicians and everyone in between.
Around the casino, which officially opened its doors to the general public at midnight, people dressed in black tie took in the colossal space, waiting for the surprises to unfold.
With oysters and champagne everywhere, the party – attended by hundreds – started with a short live concert by country star Keith Urban at the Bleau Bar, the main casino bar with a truly beautiful chandelier that resembled modern stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
After his performance, guests were taken to the BleauLive Theater for two surprise performances. The concert started with 82-year-old Paul Anka, the writer of the legendary song ‘My Way’ – and a fixture on the Las Vegas strip at the time – and was followed by none other than Justin Timberlake.
At midnight, the public was invited to the resort to play on the 150,000 square foot casino floor, and a new legend was born on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.
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The property is beautiful
It used to be that hyper-themed resorts like the soon-to-be-gone Mirage, the clown-filled Circus Circus, the Italian-inspired Venetian, and the pirate-heavy Treasure Island were the crème de la crème of Las Vegas resorts. But in 2023, theme resorts are taking a back seat to today’s top performers, and Fontainebleau Las Vegas is living proof of that.
While many other resorts on the Strip are hyper-themed, this one is ultra-modern and features design elements ranging from the aforementioned central casino bar to a beautiful domed lobby with subtle gold accents that hint at an evolving sense of luxury.
Aquarium walls and pirate ships are replaced by elegant floral arrangements, chic tiled floors, neutral color palettes and an overwhelming sense of calm luxury.
Although Fontainebleau Las Vegas just opened, it is definitely a must-visit destination for a Sin City itinerary.
The rooms are fresh and modern
Although there were many different rooms and suites to choose from, I was assigned a Bleau King, which had both mountain views and a great view of the south end of the Strip. If you’re interested in a panoramic view of the life-size Las Vegas Sphere, this room is the solution.
The room, ranging from 40 to 40 square meters, had a chic gray, gold and blue color palette with a long hallway upon entry, a large closet, a table with blue and salmon-colored chairs, a small sofa, a console with a mini refrigerator ( filled with drinks and snacks on top) and gold statement lamps.
The bed had a custom Serta pillow mattress, which provided a deep sleep. And ultra-modern touches like USB-C ports and touch controls for the lights and curtains made crashing at night easier than ever.
In the bathroom there was a seemingly deep Mariana Trench bath under a bold blue mirror, with a double deep sink vanity under a huge mirror with almost too good lighting. Individual rooms for the shower and toilet completed the space, and it’s worth noting that the towels were very soft. Also, the royal blue bottles of soap, shampoo and conditioner in the shower were the nicest (and most wonderfully scented) amenities this hotel reporter has experienced in a while.
To top it all off, the room was equipped with two of my must-have modern features: Chromecast (although that was a pain) and a steamer, which allowed me to quickly get the kinks out of my tuxedo.
The resort was truly years in the making
During my first few hours in Las Vegas, both of my trips to Fontainebleau consisted of my drivers saying how excited they were that I was their very first drop-off at the property. And that’s because this isn’t a new construction project that started in recent years, but rather in 2007 when it first broke ground.
Sixteen years ago, the property was under construction and fell victim to the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, it has changed hands many times and at one point even had to house several Marriott properties such as the Las Vegas Edition and the JW Marriott . . While Marriott Bonvoy members may be sad that Marriott abandoned the project, it eventually ended up back in the hands of the original developer, Jeffrey Soffer of Florida-based Fontainebleau Development, who brought it to fruition – with plenty of Miami touches atmosphere added. such as restaurants under the supervision of David Grutman of Groot Hospitality.
Best of all, it’s affordable (for now)
One of the great things about Las Vegas is that you can find great rates during different times of the year to stay at nice hotels like Fontainebleau Las Vegas. One of the bad things is that those prices also fluctuate wildly; a $99 evening on Tuesday can easily increase by hundreds over the weekend (especially on holidays and during major events like the upcoming Super Bowl).
Right now, though, rates in Fontainebleau start as low as $160 through December and drop even closer to $152 per night in January. That means you can experience this shiny new resort for a really good price while still solving some of the early issues. Plus, if you sign up for Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ loyalty program, Fontainebleau Rewards, you can save even more.
In short
As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in Las Vegas exploring the many hotels and their over-the-top high roller suites, I have to say that I am impressed with Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Sure, I was dazzled by the opening night fanfare, but my room and the public areas really had a lot to offer – and will only get more in the form of new restaurants, shops and amenities (like the pool and the LIV beach). club) opened.
My only hesitation is that if, like me, you like easy, walkable access to other resorts, you may feel a little isolated on this seemingly distant part of the northern Strip. Anyway, even with the afternoon traffic I got to Aria for lunch in less than 20 minutes (I rode a taxi down Las Vegas Boulevard).
Overall, this resort was well worth the wait – and it’s just getting started.
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