The strip’s unfinished eyesore, Fontainebleau, is set to become The Drew Las Vegas. Sitting idle since 2009, the nearly 4,000-room hotel has been given a new lease on life thanks to a partnership between hospitality conglomerate Marriott International and recent purchasers Witkoff and New Valley LLC. Projections estimate an opening date in late 2020; a shortened lead-time made possible considering Fontainebleau was 70% complete before construction was halted in 2009.
The site is near the Circus Circus and SLS hotel-casinos. The luxury property will also be home to the Strip’s first JW Marriott and the company’s top-end “Edition” brand.
Originally, the Fontainebleau planned to open in 2009 with restaurants from Alfred Portale, who was going to open Gotham, Scott Conant and his Italian restaurant Scarpetta, and Jose Garces from Philadelphia with Amada. Scarpetta headed to the Cosmopolitan instead, and Conant is no longer managing that restaurant. Instead he’ll open Masso Osteria this week at Red Rock Resort. Even Hakkasan originally planned to open at Fontainebleu, instead heading to the MGM Grand with a five-level, 75,000-square-foot restaurant and hotel.
