Fontainebleau Las Vegas names exec Maurice Wooden as new president
Fontainebleau Development, the parent company of the resort, named longtime Las Vegas hospitality executive Maurice Wooden as the north Strip property’s new president, according to a Sunday news release.
Wooden was previously Wynn Las Vegas’ president and principal executive officer between 2013 and 2019 and a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors. More recently, he led Fertitta Entertainment’s luxury hotel development.
Wooden takes over for Mark Tricano, who was appointed in June to run the resort’s opening and through the first six weeks of operations. Tricano has not left the company and will report to Wooden, a resort official said.
Tricano did not respond to a request for comment. Resort officials did not specify the reason for the changes.
Other executives have exited the resort since opening: the chief operating officer, chief marketing officer, vice president of revenue management and senior vice president of casino operations.
“Throughout his career, Maurice has proven himself as a leader dedicated to evolving the luxury hospitality experience on the Las Vegas Strip,” Fontainebleau Development Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Soffer said in a statement. “His well-established track record along with his unparalleled consistency and a deep knowledge of the hospitality and gaming industries instill an exceptional level of confidence in us as we continue the development and refinement of our Las Vegas property.”
Wooden also served previously as the president and chief operating officer of the Golden Nugget, vice president of casino marketing at the Mirage and as vice president of operations at Beau Rivage resort-casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, according to the Fontainebleau news release.
“The rich history and cultural alignment with this iconic brand resonate with my own passions and I’m looking forward to building on the 70 years of incredible culture that Fontainebleau has established,” Wooden, a 36-year gaming and hospitality veteran, said in a statement. “Fontainebleau Development conceived this resort with a unique, independent vision that sets it apart from everything there is and anything there has ever been on the Strip. This role presents me with a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with a world-class executive team to enhance our Las Vegas community and to contribute to the growth of the Fontainebleau brand for the future.”
The leadership change comes roughly six weeks after the 67-story resort opened on Dec. 13. The luxury resort concept was first introduced to the Vegas market in 2005, shortly after Soffer purchased the original historic Miami Beach property. But the Nevada location lost funding and ceased building during the Great Recession. It was sold several times before once again landing with Fontainebleau Development and new partners, the Koch Industries’ real estate investment wing, in 2021.
McKenna Ross is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Contact her at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.
