Resorts World unveiling ‘seems like an old-school Las Vegas resort opening’
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The $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas opens on Thursday. The resort is similar to The Mirage, which opened in 1989. It's a new development on the Las Vegas Strip. Its predecessor, Echelon, was conceived in the 2000s but was halted due to the Great Recession. Genting Berhad acquired the property and added the Resort World name. The opening comes at an auspicious time for the gaming industry. Tourism and gaming numbers have been picking up since March. ResORT's president Scott Sibella is a former MGM Reserves International executive.
Resorts World Las Vegas is the first classic megaresort associated with the Strip’s growth in the three decades since The Mirage opened. The 117,000 square foot casino will have 1,400 slot machines, 117 table games and a sportsbook. A high-end gaming area associated to Crockfords is a part of the casino floor. Celine Dion will open the theater in November followed by singer Katy Perry and country music stars Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. The bulk of its 40 restaurants and beverage options, including an Asian street-themed food court, are opening this week.
Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith is watching the progress of Resorts World Las Vegas from his office in the Hughes Center. Boyd closed the Stardust in 2006 and demolished the property to make way for Echelon, a planned $4.8 billion resort. The construction was halted in 2008 and Genting Berhad bought the site for $350 million. Boyd has 28 casinos in 10 states. It retained the name and trademarks for its online casino business in Pennsylvania.
The Mirage was the most expensive hotel-casino project in Las Vegas. The record for a single resort is now held by Resorts World at $4.3 billion. Last all-new hotel on the Strip was Cosmopolitan of Las Las, which opened in 2010 at a cost of $3.9 billion, followed by Excalibur in 1990. UNLV's Bernhard believes Genting's presence on Strip will lead to other operators joining the area. Bally's Corp. is buying Tropicana and San Manuel Indian Tribe is purchasing Palms Casino Resort.
