WYNN Hotel & Resort was built on the former site of the Desert Inn casino resort which opened to the public in 1950. Steve Wynn, one of the most well-known Las Vegas casino developers bought the Desert Inn in 2000, as a birthday present for his wife, Elaine.
It wasn’t long before he went public with his intensions. Wynn was going to develop the most expensive property on the Strip! The design phase was so intricate and detailed it lasted two and a half years. Construction began the end of October 2002 at a projected cost of $2.7 billion, Wynn Las Vegas was the most expensive resort ever built, beating out Wynn’s $1.6 billion Bellagio, which opened on the Strip in 1998.
Unlike most Strip resorts, the Wynn does not feature a theme. Unlike Wynn’s previous resorts, it also lacks a free attraction for pedestrians. Instead, an artizcial mountain obscures most of the attractions, meant to evoke curiosity and lure people into the resort. A 3-acre lake is surrounded by the mountain and several restaurants and is the site of a show called , which features singing animatronics. Lake of Dreams which features singing animatronics.
When all was said and done the only thing that remained of the Desert Inn was the golf course.
Since ribbon cutting, Wynn Las Vegas has received numerous accolades,
including the AAA Five Star award from Forbes Travel Guide.
https://www.forbestravelg uide.com.
The accolades also extended to its restaurants, including Alex, a French eatery by chef Alex Stratta which eventually closed in 2011. Another restaurant, Wing Lei, is the only Chinese restaurant in the U.S. to receive a Michelin Star.
https://guide.michelin.com
Other popular restaurants include The Buffet at Wynn.
GIVE ME LAS VEGAS PRESENTS…
Le Reve Wynn Hotel
Le Reve was the main show which opened with the property in 2005. Le Reve enjoyed a successful run of sold-out performances before closing in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Wynn has a storied past that comprises lots of “zigs and zags” in its development and znished stages. Firstly, the original name of the resort was Le Reve! (French for “The Dream). It was named after the 1932 Pablo Picasso painting that Wynn owned. Wynn trademarked the “Le Rêve” name in early 2001, and later purchased the rights from the Le Rêve hotel in West Hollywood, California.
In June 2003, Wynn decided to renamed the resort after himself, contending market research showed that “Wynn” had better name recognition. According to Mr. Wynn: “No one knows what Le Reve is. No one knows how to pronounce it”. “Wynn” had been considered as a name for his previous resorts, The Mirage and Bellagio.
By the time of the name change, Wynn was already planning to build the Wynn Macau resort in China, and said, “Friends had convinced me that the Wynn name would allow us to cross-market and offer a consistency of branding for all our properties.
Three individuals, whom in particular helped convince him to change the name were businessmen Barry Diller, Donald Trump and Steven Spielberg – a pretty convincing bunch!
Once the “trigger was pulled” movement happened rapidly. As of June 2003, construction proceeded on a 24-hour schedule, with rebar installation during the day and concrete pours at night. The tower was topped off in February 2004. As often happens with such massive projects development and construction costs increased. Another stock offering was initiated by Wynn Resorts later that year to raise additional financing.
Hiring for the property began on November 1, 2004. More than 80,000 people applied for jobs at the resort, which would ultimately employ 9,000. Prior to the full staff being hired the company had received over 105,000 applications. People knew wherever Steve Wynn was going money would follow!
FINALLY!
Wynn Las Vegas opened at 12:01 a.m. on April 28, 2005, Elaine Wynn’s birthday. It was the zrst new resort to open on the Strip since the Alladin in 2000. The grand public opening was preceded by a private charity fundraiser event for approximately 2,000 guests. About 10,000 people attended the public opening. The resort marked a triumph for Wynn. It was his highprozle return to the Nevada gaming industry, five years after selling Mirage Resorts to MGM.
Unlike most Strip resorts, Wynn Las Vegas does not have a theme. Wynn said: We’re not trying to copy Rome or Italy or New York. It’s about the beauty of our desert. He stated, “It’s time for Las Vegas to have its own hotel, its own architecture”.
Wynn described thedesign process as “exquisitely uncomfortable” and “the most exciting experience” of his life”. According to Wynn Resorts, the property, rather than a theme, will be the attraction, and, therefore, will have more lasting appeal to customers.
Steve Wynn tends to work with the same talented people going from one project to the next. Although the resort covers more than 5 million square feet Wynn and his team aimed to make it feel small and intimate, unlike other resorts. His inhouse architectural team was led by DeRuyter Butler. The interior design was largely handled by The Jerde Partnership and Wynn’s longtime designer Roger Thomas. More than 130 designers worked on the project, including Jane Radoff, another longtime interior designer for Wynn. Natural light was emphasized throughout the casino and restaurant areas, as well as an indoor garden atrium similar to the Bellagio’s conservatory.
MAKE EVERY CUSTOMER HAPPY!
Red, a lucky color among Asian gamblers, is also used throughout the Wynn resort, along with an abundance of beautiful flower designs. The hotel tower is 45 stories, although its top floor is labeled “60”. The tower skips multiple floors, including those containing the number 4, which Chinese gamblers view as unlucky
The tower has a height of 613 feet. At the time of completion, it was the tallest building in Nevada.
The Wynn hotel opened with 2,716 rooms, including 1,800 sq ft (170 m) suites. The resort includes Tower Suites, a hotel within-a hotel. As of 2008, Wynn Las Vegas was the only hotel-casino in the world to have a zve-star rating from Mobil Travel Guide.
Steve Wynn, has been a polarizing zgure in Las Vegas for decades. Some people love him and others – not so much. Having said that – most don’t think there’s a solid argument against him being a visionary.
Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines
As of 2008, the Wynn resort had the largest vehicle fleet of Rolls-Royce Phantom limousines in North America. The 10 ultra expensive custom-made vehicles were used for high rollers and celebrity guests. In 2016, the hotel announced that it would place an Amazon Echo in every room, becoming the first resort in the world to
do so. The Echo is used to control various aspects of the room, such as temperature and lighting.
Wynn is known for his almost maniacal attention to detail and pleasing his customers.
THE GREAT RENOVATOR
Upon opening, the Wynn casino measured 111,000 sq ft (10,300 m ). It included 1,962 slot machines and 137 table games. Chandeliers were built over every gaming table. Additionally, the casino had a poker room, keno lounge, a baccarat salon, and a sports book with a lounge for VIP players.
For hotel guests, room keycards doubled as slot cards; again, Wynn was the first casino to do so! The casino was also among the first in Las Vegas, along with the Hard Rock to use RFID in its gaming chips to detect counterfeiting. Radio-frequency Identizcation (RFID) uses electromagnetic zelds to automatically identify and rack tags attached to objects.
An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder. A radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number, back to the reader.
Another zrst happened in 2011, the resort became the zrst in Las Vegas to allow wagers on non-sporting events. The sports book underwent a major renovation in 2017, which included the addition of a video wall measuring 137 feet by 11 feet.
