Inside the $3.7bn Fontainebleau – the tallest hotel on the Vegas Strip

Opis:

It cost $3.7billion (£2.9billion), is the tallest occupiable building in Nevada and took 16 years to complete. 

Now the long-anticipated Fontainebleau resort is finally open.

After a painful development period that saw the casino – https://getb8.us/online-casinos/ sit idle, 70 per cent complete, for a decade when funding stalled, the 67-story hotel tower opened its doors to the public on the 13th of December, 2023. 

With 3,644 rooms and standing 737ft (224m) tall, the mammoth property is now an unmissable part of the Las Vegas Strip landscape. Was it worth the wait?

TravelZork, which specialises in Las Vegas accommodation and casino – https://getb8.us/online-casinos/ reviews, sent Marc Meltzer (@MeltzVegas) on a secret shopper review to put the hot new spot through its paces. He stayed for two nights during the Christmas holidays, when the hotel was at minimal occupancy. His verdict? The enormous resort is enjoyable enough, but still finding its feet.

Betting on luxury: TravelZork’s Marc Metzler checked in to Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the tallest occupiable building in Nevada

Teething problems: One of the restaurants Marc visited, Vida, offered menus with nothing printed on them (above, a picture Marc tweeted of the error), a sign the hotel was still finding its feet. And advertised as opening at 6am – it didn’t open its doors until 7am, he noted 

'My first overnight stay at Fontainebleau Las Vegas was a mixed bag,’ writes Marc in his review. 'Feelings ranged from dealing with new casino – https://getb8.us/online-casinos/ opening problems to I love this place! Fontainebleau is new, and not all processes are working at 100 per cent.’

Some of the quibbles Marc had of the hotel he puts down to teething problems, such as incorrect opening hours advertised for restaurants, or glitchy Wi-Fi. One restaurant he visited had completely blank menus.

Staying in the smallest of the hotel’s three available room sizes, a 'Bleau’ room (also available are Gold and Platinum, the largest and most luxurious suites), Marc compliments the 500-square-foot space for being 'pretty and comfortable’ and he gives a firm nod of approval to the bed headboard – 'the star of the bed’ – which he notes had outlets for charging multiple devices on either side.

But he feels the design is anonymous – 'the modern room design feels like something you’d see on most HGTV [an American cable network dedicated to home renovation programs] design shows’.

And with hotel rates starting at $300 (£239) a night, you might hope, he says, for more than rooms that 'feel more cozy than luxurious’.

Worth a flutter? Pictured above is Marc’s accommodation at the Fontainebleau – a 'Bleau’ room, which is the smallest of the hotel’s three available room sizes. Marc says it felt 'more cozy than luxurious’

Marc gives a firm nod of approval to his bed headboard, which he notes had outlets for charging multiple devices on either side (left) and praises the room for being 'pretty and comfortable’

Marc’s room view – primarily the empty Las Vegas Festival Grounds and an empty parking lot for the All Net Arena 

The Fontainebleau stands 737ft (224m) tall

What’s more, the view wasn’t much to write home about – the empty Las Vegas Festival Grounds and an empty parking lot for the All Net Arena. 

Not quite the razzle-dazzle one might expect. 

Marc reveals what was promised and what was delivered.

He writes: 'According to the Fontainebleau website, the Bleau rooms only come with a mountain view. We requested a Strip view and ended up with a little bit of both.

'Technically, the Las Vegas Festival Grounds and empty lot for All Net Arena are on the Vegas Strip. Likewise, I can see the mountains to the west.’

Marc wasn’t too fazed, though: 'I don’t spend much time looking out the windows, so this isn’t a big deal for me. The Gold rooms have views of the pools, mountains, and/or Vegas Strip if you’re looking for the best view.’ 

Marc is more fulsome in his praise for the hotel’s food and drink options. With 16 full-service restaurants and seven more 'casual’ eateries in the Promenade (36 bars and restaurants in total) he couldn’t visit them all in his 48-hour stay, but was delighted with those he did.

He declares a slice of pepperoni pizza ($9/£7) from Miami Slice 'delicious… the small pepperonis were ample and crispy’. At the other end of the financial spectrum, he was also impressed with the NY Strip Steak ($80/£63) he ate at Don’s Prime Steakhouse, which he says was a 'perfect medium rare plus’.

He adored his visit to 'Nowhere’ bar, a bustling spot where a live jazz band played old standards and the drinks were reasonably priced, while a room service breakfast of bacon and eggs was delivered speedily and proved delicious ($40/£31).

Don’s Prime Steakhouse at the Fontainebleau. One of two steakhouses on site, the upscale eatery