Wynn Las Vegas
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| Number of rooms | 2,716 | |
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| Theme | Life Imitating Art | |
| Gaming space | 111,000 ft² (10,200 m²) | |
| Permanent show(s) | Le Rêve | |
| Signature attraction(s) | Luxury Sports Car Dealership Lake of Dreams |
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| Notable restaurant(s) | Alex Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare Okada Tableau |
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| Owner | Wynn Resorts Limited | |
| Date opened | April 28, 2005 | |
| Casino type | Land-Based | |
| Major renovation(s) | none | |
| Previous name(s) | Desert Inn (which includes Wilbur Clark's Desert Inn, ITT Sheraton Desert Inn, and MGM Desert Inn) | |
| Casino website | Wynn Las Vegas | |
Wynn Las Vegas, is a casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The resort is named after casino developer Steve Wynn and is the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. The resort covers 215 acres.
Wynn Las Vegas is one of the tallest buildings in Las Vegas, towering 60 stories over the Strip. It is located at Las Vegas Boulevard South and Sands Avenue, diagonally from the Fashion Show Mall.
The 2,716 rooms range in size from 620 square feet (58 m²) to the villas at 7,000 square feet (650 m²) with a 111,000 ft² (10,200 m²) casino, a convention center with 223,000 ft² (20,700 m²) of space, 76,000 square feet (7,000 m²) of retail space.
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[edit] History
The site was assembled by buying the Desert Inn Hotel and golf course for most of the land. The remainder 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 (870,000 m²).
Wynn Las Vegas LLC contracted with Marnell Corrao Associates on June 4, 2002 to design and build the resort. The original name for the project was "Le Rêve" but was changed to "Wynn Las Vegas" well before the project was complete. The original name lives on in the stage production. Built at a cost of US$2.7 billion, it was the largest privately-funded construction project in the nation. This compares with the budget for reconstruction with the World Trade Center site which at that time was projected to be $1.7 billion.
The historic Desert Inn Golf Course was rebuilt while the hotel was being constructed. The course is now known as Wynn Golf and Country Club.
Early advertising for the resort featured exterior images of the hotel tower, with Steve Wynn standing on the roof, just above his signature logo. The initial commercial aired in some local spots during the 2005 Super Bowl, and eventually national spots as opening drew near. A "teaser" website for the resort included both the commercial and a "making-of" video.
Wynn Las Vegas, designed by Jon Jerde, opened on April 28, 2005, Wynn's wife's birthday, the 55th Anniversary of the opening of the original Desert Inn, and five years from the day Steve Wynn purchased the site. When it opened, the Wynn had many firsts and notable features, including:
- The first casino to combine the room key and the casino frequent-player card in one card
- The first casino to include a car (Ferrari-Maserati) dealership
- The world's largest distribution of HDTV, into hotel rooms using high-speed Cat-6 ethernet cables
- The largest installation of Voice over IP technology for hotel phones
It was also among the first casinos to install RFID tags inside chips to better detect counterfeiting.
[edit] Inspiration and Vision
Wynn purchased the Desert Inn hotel and casino to obtain property for his future dreams. The Desert Inn was imploded to make room for his new hotel project. Along the way, Wynn Resorts Limited was formed and continued development with Wynn being the controlling stock holder.
Wynn has stated that the major shift with this new resort is the concept of designing from the "inside out." In contrast to his previous hotels Bellagio, The Mirage, and Treasure Island, there is no Las Vegas Strip attraction to draw in the gawkers. Instead, visitors must venture inside to see what the hotel is all about. Wynn has said that "there is no franchise in a casual observer, there is a franchise in a guest."
[edit] Attractions
[edit] Penske-Wynn Ferrari-Maserati Dealership
Wynn Las Vegas is the first casino to include a luxury car dealership. Brand new factory-authorized cars include the Ferrari and Maserati brands. Used cars are sold "as-is" and include other luxury car brands, with some cars on display ranging in price from little more than $100,000 to $1.6 million, such as the Aston Martin. The dealership also includes parts and other car-wares.
Non-buying guests of the resort can go into the dealership to take a look around. The cost of tickets were $10.00 when the resort opened, unless you are a Ferrari-Maserati owner, while kids got in for free. The Penske-Wynn is one of few casino car exhibits in Las Vegas. Others include the Imperial Palace and Caesars Palace. However, the Penske-Wynn is the only casino/dealership in Las Vegas.
The dealership is placed near the valet parking of the resort, so that people can look at the model cars while waiting for their own cars to arrive.
[edit] The Wynn Art Collection
The Wynn Gallery, which had charged an entrance fee, closed shortly after the start of 2006 as a result of poor ticket sales. The artwork from the former gallery are now scattered around the resort.
[edit] Lake of Dreams
In a departure from the trend established when The Mirage opened of providing free sidewalk attractions to draw in customers, Wynn Las Vegas is constructed so that visitors must enter the building to view the free attractions. The main attraction is a large, curtain waterfall behind a mountain that faces the strip. The waterfall falls into a 3 acre (12,000 m²) lake. Both the waterfall and lake have images displayed on them to produce a show called "Lake of Dreams". This show starts on the hour beginning in the afternoon. When the show is inactive, the waterfall creates an animated color sequence on the screen, which is very attractive at night.
The show can be viewed from the Parasol Up (a bar and viewing area), and can be viewed through a glass window with no audio. Or, the show can be viewed from down-parsel, with a larger view. Visitors can go to the platform at the Parasol Down bar to view the show with full-blast audio. Diners can also choose some restaurants around the resort to get a full view of the show while dining. Kids under 18 are prohibited from going to Parasol Down.
[edit] Shows
[edit] Le Rêve
The first production show to open was Le Rêve. Le Rêve is set in a 1 million gallon water-oriented theatre where no seat is more than 40 feet (12 m) from the stage. The production was created by Franco Dragone and is similar to the shows produced by Cirque du Soleil.
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 owns, Le Rêve by Picasso.
Most recently, Wynn Las Vegas brought the rights to the show from Dragone to make some changes, including the logo. Wynn now owns all rights to the show, with Dragone still in the label.
Main article: Le Rêve
[edit] Avenue Q
Avenue Q, a 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.
One of the main reasons why Avenue Q closed was, according to Steve Wynn, real estate land and money. Wynn contracted with Spamalot to perform at Wynn Las Vegas. However, in order to house Spamalot, a third theater needs to be built. The only room left for the theater was on the skirts of the golf course or in the middle of the convention spaces for the planned Encore expansion tower. Since Wynn did not want to invade the golf course or cut between the convention spaces of Encore and Wynn Las Vegas, he was forced to terminate the Avenue Q contract. Wynn was quoted as saying "Avenue Q was making money, but not enough money."
Spamalot, based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is set to replace Avenue Q. The Broadway Theater will be replaced by the Grail Theater.
[edit] Nightclubs
[edit] Le Bête
This nightclub catered to high-rollers and tourists and included an attractive entrance with dog feet. The club was unsuccessful with this focus, and Wynn closed Le Bête. When the venue reopened, it was called Tryst; it boasts a large terrace with views of a private lake and towering waterfall. See below.
[edit] Tryst
The original full-scale nightclub on the property, Le Bête, was temporarily closed during a redesign to improve performance. Le Bête reopened as Tryst [1] in 2006, with a popular weekly event called Retro on Sunday nights.
Tryst was named as one of the hottest nightclubs on the Strip by critics. It has been debated whether the club's name was meant to allude to a kind of love affair, (see Tryst), or the dance move of the same name. Steve Wynn himself later confirmed on his website that Tryst was indeed an allusion to an intimate romantic interlude.
Tryst rivals competing clubs designed by the Light Group for The Mirage and Bellagio, and is the flagship of the hotel's nightlife scene.
[edit] Lure
Lure is the second nightclub and ultra-lounge of Wynn Las Vegas. It is one of two nightclubs that opened with the resort. Its counterpart club was the failed Le Bête, which has since been reopened as Tryst. Lure's convenient location just off the casino floor puts it in an increasingly popular class of establishments known "casino clubs". These clubs offer relaxing and intimate environments where patrons looking to escape the excitement of the casino can socialize and drink. Lure has been acclaimed by critics as one of the "hippest" clubs in the city. While Le Bête's successor, Tryst, has overshadowed Lure, the club has a strong and loyal following and is one of the most popular ultra-lounge style clubs in the city. However, despite those reviews, Wynn claims that the club is not doing well and needs to be replaced. See below.
[edit] Vanity - The Original Sin
Vanity - The Original Sin is a new ultralounge club, set to be designed by James Sinclair and to replace Lure. It is expected to completed around January or February 2007.
[edit] Restaurants
- Alex
- Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare
- Corsa Cucina
- The Country Club - an American Steakhouse
- Daniel Boulud Brasserie
- Okada
- Red 8 - Asian Bistro
- Sugar & Ice (in the Wynn Esplanade)
- SW Steakhouse
- Tableau
- Terrace Point Café
- The Buffet
- The Café
- Wing Lei
- Zoozacrackers
[edit] Shops and Boutiques
[edit] Wynn Esplanade Shoppes
- Brioni
- Chanel
- Christian Dior
- Manolo Blahnik
- Cartier
- Jean Paul Gaultier
- Oscar de la Renta
- Louis Vuitton
- Jo Malone
- Graff Jewelers
- Judith Leiber
- La Flirt
- Wynn Signature Shop
- Shoe In
- Out Fit
- Wynn & Company - Jewelry
- Wynn LVNV
- Chocolat (in Wynn LVNV)
[edit] In & Around Wynn Las Vegas
- Bags, Belts & Baubles
- Cabana Shop (on Pool Deck)
- Gizmos
- The Drugstore
- Mojitos Resort Wear
- The Pro Shop (near Wynn Golf & Country Club)
- W.Ink
- Penske-Wynn Ferrari-Maserati Shop (near Penske-Wynn dealership)
- The Show Shop (near the Wynn Theatres)
[edit] Amenities
[edit] Wynn Golf and Country Club
The Wynn Golf and Country Club is the only golf course on the Las Vegas Strip. It was designed by Steve Wynn and Tom Fazio, who previously worked together on the Shadow Creek Golf Club, also in Las Vegas. Use of the course is restricted to hotel guests at a cost of $550 per round.
[edit] Future developments
[edit] Spamalot
The Broadway Theatre is being renovated for the Las Vegas production of Spamalot, a Tony Award-winning comedic musical based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, scheduled to open in 2007.
[edit] Encore
On 28 April, 2006, the resort celebrated its one year anniversary by breaking ground on a second hotel tower. Called Encore, the tower will be a $1.74 billion, 2,054 room hotel project adjacent to the existing resort and on the remaining frontage of Las Vegas Blvd. Originally envisioned as an expansion of Wynn Las Vegas, Encore will be a full-scale resort and is set to open between Thanksgiving and Christmas, 2008.
[edit] Wynn Golf Course redevelopment
The land that the Wynn Golf Course currently sits on is becoming increasingly valuable in the wake of rising land prices on the Las Vegas Strip. Wynn has said he will eventually replace the golf course with a massive mixed use resort project similar to Project City Center. It is expected to include several boutique hotels along with a large central lake feature.
[edit] Vanity - The Original Sin
January or February 2007 will see the opening of Wynn's newest ultra lounge called Vanity - The Original Sin.
[edit] External links
- Wynn Las Vegas Virtual Tour
- Wynn Las Vegas 2005 Superbowl Commercial (In multiple format)
- CNBC Reports Steve Wynn's Big Bet (In Windows Media Player format).
- NBC's Today Show with Steve Wynn's Story (In Windows Media Player format).
- NBC's Today Show Steve Wynn Interview 04/28/2005 (In Windows Media Player format).
- NBC's Today Show looks at the new Le Reve show at the Wynn Las Vegas (In Windows Media Player format).
- NBC's Today Show looks at gourmet restaurants at the Wynn Las Vegas (In Windows Media Player format).
- NBC's Today Show looks at gourmet restaurants at the Wynn Las Vegas (In Windows Media Player format).
[edit] Sources
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