Fontainebleau blooms at last

Dec. 13 opening to mark new chapter for north Strip hotel-casino, whose saga of construction began in 2005 and saw years of delays

The 67-story Fontainebleau hotel-casino, set for a Dec. 13 opening, is seen Nov. 7, 2023. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

By McKenna Ross and Eli Segall

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Fontainebleau Las Vegas has had a long-anticipated opening — longer than most.

Its story starts in May 2005 when plans were first announced. Since then, the project has been marked by halted construction, multiple sets of owners, economic meltdowns and years of wondering what would happen to the blue-tinted north Strip skyscraper. With its Dec. 13 opening, the towering former symbol of Las Vegas’ real estate boom and bust is now the newest luxury resort in America’s casino capital.

And it only took almost two decades to get there.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

(Fontainebleau Development)

A rendering of the great dome at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. (Courtesy of Fontainebleau Development)

(Fontainebleau Development)

A rendering of a king suite in the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. (Fontainebleau Development)

A rendering shows part of the casino floor in the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. (Fontainebleau Development)

A rendering of a king suite in the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. (Fontainebleau Development)

A rendering of Don's Prime at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, set to open Dec. 13, 2023, on the Strip. (Fontainebleau Las Vegas)

Construction workers are busy with projects nearing the end about the exterior at the Fontainebleau on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

Construction workers are busy with projects nearing the end about the exterior at the Fontainebleau on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images