No city knows how to celebrate like Las Vegas — and Sin City was in full throttle for the grand opening of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, a casino resort years and years in the making.
TPG received an invite to the you-had-to-be-there scene. We spent the opening night of the long-awaited 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 picture-perfect view of the Las Vegas Sphere.
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Here are five takeaways from the grand opening of Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
It opened with a party like no other
On Dec. 13, Fontainebleau Las Vegas hosted a slew of who’s who during a private event, including celebrities like Cher, a smorgasbord 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, folks dressed in black-tie attire took in the colossal space, waiting to see what surprises would unfold.
With oysters and Champagne all around, the party — attended by hundreds — kicked off with a short live concert by country star Keith Urban at Bleau Bar, the main casino bar featuring a truly gorgeous chandelier display that looked like modern stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
After his performance, guests were whisked into the BleauLive Theater for two surprise performances. The concert began with 82-year-old Paul Anka, the writer of the legendary song “My Way” — and a staple on the Las Vegas strip back in the day — and followed by none other than Justin Timberlake.
At midnight, the public was invited into 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 gorgeous
Back in the day, hyper-themed resorts like the soon-to-be-gone Mirage, clown-filled Circus Circus, Italian-inspired Venetian and pirate-heavy Treasure Island were the creme de la creme of Las Vegas resorts. But in 2023, themed resorts take a back seat to contemporary stunners, and Fontainebleau Las Vegas is living proof.
While many other resorts on the Strip are hyper-themed, this one is hyper-modern and features design elements ranging from the aforementioned center casino bar to a stunning domed lobby with subtle gold accents that allude to a changing 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.
Though Fontainebleau Las Vegas just opened, it’s sure to be a must-visit destination for a Sin City itinerary.
The rooms are fresh and modern
Though there were many different rooms and suites from which to choose, I was assigned a Bleau King, which had both mountain vistas and a great view of the south end of the Strip. In fact, if you’re interested in getting a birds-eye view of the larger-than-life Las Vegas Sphere, this room does the trick.
Ranging from 488 to 494 square feet, the room featured a chic grey, gold and blue color palette with a long hallway upon entry, a substantial closet, a table with blue- and salmon-colored chairs, a small couch, a console with a minifridge (stocked with drinks and snacks on top) and gold statement lamps.
The bed had a custom Serta pillowtop mattress, which ensured a deep slumber. And, with super-modern touches like USB-C ports and touch controls for the lights and curtains, crashing for the night was easier than ever.
In the bathroom, a seemingly Mariana Trench-deep soaking tub sat underneath a cheeky blue mirror, with a dual-deep-sink vanity underneath a huge mirror with almost-too-good lighting. Individual rooms for the shower and toilet rounded out 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 deliciously fragrant) amenities this hotel reporter has experienced in a while.
To top it off, the room featured two of my must-have modern features: Chromecast (though it was finicky) and a steamer, which helped quickly work the kinks out of my tux.
The resort truly was years in the making
In my first few hours in Las Vegas, both of my rides to Fontainebleau consisted of my drivers saying how excited they were that I was their first-ever drop-off at the property. And that’s because this isn’t some new build that started in recent years but rather back in 2007 when it first broke ground.
Sixteen years ago, the property was under construction and fell victim to the financial crisis of 2008. Since then, it’s changed hands many times and was, at one point, even supposed to house multiple Marriott properties like the Las Vegas Edition and the JW Marriott. Though Marriott Bonvoy members might be sad that Marriott gave up on the project, it ultimately ended up back in the hands of its original developer, Jeffrey Soffer of Florida-based Fontainebleau Development, who saw it through — and included many touches of Miami vibes, like restaurants overseen by David Grutman of Groot Hospitality.
Best of all, it’s affordable (for now)
One of the great things about Las Vegas is that during various times of the year, you can find really great rates on stays at nice hotels like Fontainebleau Las Vegas. One of the bad things is that those prices also fluctuate wildly; a $99 night on a Tuesday can easily jump by hundreds on weekends (especially holidays and during major events like the upcoming Super Bowl).
Right now, though, rates at Fontainebleau start as low as $160 through December and even drop closer to $152 per night in January. That means you can experience this shiny new resort for a really great rate while it still works out some of the early kinks. Also, if you sign up for Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ loyalty program, Fontainebleau Rewards, you can save even more.
Bottom line
As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time in Las Vegas exploring its many hotels and their over-the-top high roller suites, I have to say that I’m impressed with Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Sure, I was razzle-dazzled by the fanfare of opening night, but my room and the public spaces really had a lot to offer — and will only continue to have more as new restaurants, shops and amenities (like the pool and its LIV Beach Club) open.
My only hesitation is that if, like me, you love to have easy, walkable access to other resorts, you might feel a little isolated on this seemingly far stretch of the north Strip. But hey, even with midday traffic, I made it to Aria for lunch within less than 20 minutes (driving down Las Vegas Boulevard in a taxi).
Overall, this resort was well worth the wait — and it’s just getting started.
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