Resorts World Las Vegas, the first new hotel and casino resort built on the Las Vegas Strip from the ground up in more than a decade, is now open.
The $4.3 billion complex swung open its doors to welcome its first guests at 11pm on Thursday. The launch of the newest addition to the Strip’s already bustling skyline had all the bells and whistles and lights and music and vibrant atmosphere that visitors have come to expect from a property of this scale of luxuriousness and opulence.
Malaysian gaming and hospitality giant Genting Group certainly made history with the glitzy opening party of its latest resort, but it should be noted that the property itself stands on a piece of history. Resorts World Las Vegas occupies the site of the former Stardust. Launched in 1958, it was the largest hotel on the Strip back then.
The moment we have all been waiting for…Our doors have officially opened! pic.twitter.com/j1Atvr58xp
— Resorts World Las Vegas (@ResortsWorldLV) June 25, 2021
In 2007, Boyd Gaming imploded the old venue and unveiled plans to replace it with one that mirrored the modern cityscape. But then the recession hit and that project became one of the many poster children of the complete and utter economic disaster that Las Vegas turned into in the late 2000s.
Genting bought the property in 2013 in a $350 million deal and quickly got to work on the glamorous resort that now soars nearly 675 feet above ground.
Luxury Accommodation and an Array of Amenities
The Malaysian hospitality veteran has long been touting its newest property as the “most technologically advanced” resort in Las Vegas and hopes that technology would be one of the things that would set Resorts World apart from competitors.
Over the past several years, the company has signed a slew of partnerships with tech firms to, among other things, allow guests to make mobile payments for every service offered at the resort, including on its gaming floor.
Resorts World features a 117,000-square-foot casino with multiple slot machines, table games, a poker room, high-limit areas, and a sportsbook.
As part of Resorts World’s partnership with hospitality giant Hilton, guests can now stay at Las Vegas Hilton, which offers 1,774 full-service rooms and suites, Conrad Las Vegas with 1,496 contemporary guest rooms and suites, and the 236-room ultra-luxury Crockfords Las Vegas, LXR Hotels & Resorts.
The resort further features a 5.5-acre pool complex with the largest pool deck in the city, a 27,000-square-foot spa, more than 40 food and beverage facilities with concepts ranging from fine dining to quick-service outlets to exclusive offerings that are not available anywhere on the Strip.
A Star-Studded Line-Up
The new complex also includes a concert and entertainment venue with capacity for 5,000 people that was designed to host concerts, conventions, corporate gatherings, and sporting events. Genting has promised that Resorts World would offer a “next wave of superstar entertainment partners.”
The resort’s star-studded resident line-ups include Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood. In collaboration with Singapore-based lifestyle and entertainment company Zouk Group, the complex has also added the Zouk Nightclub and Ayu Dayclub to its entertainment offering, with A-list resident DJs Zedd and Tiësto set to perform at both venues.
Genting has tapped Miley Cyrus to headline its grand opening celebration at Ayu Dayclub on July 4. The show will be broadcast on Resorts World’s 100,000-square-foot LED Screen – one of the largest exterior LED displays in the US – making it possible for Las Vegas Boulevard onlookers and partygoers to join in on the action.
The timing of the new property’s opening seems very auspicious. Almost all Covid-related restrictions dropped at the beginning of June, which triggered a spike in future reservations. However, international travel is still severely restricted and this will certainly have some impact on Resorts World’s performance.
Yet, analysts believe that a property like this one “can drive increased visitation” and boost business for everyone else on the Strip as hopes for quick economic recovery are still fragile but getting higher and higher by the day.