Tall & Urban News

A victim of the 2008 financial crisis, the former Fontainebleau Las Vegas resort and casino has stood empty, unfinished and dark over the bright lights of the iconic Strip for a decade. The future of Las Vegas’ tallest building was uncertain until global real estate developer Witkoff Group bought the complex in 2017, lending hope that the building may one day fulfill its purpose. Now, the company has revealed its plan to finally open “Drew Las Vegas” in 2022, hiring New York architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro to create a fresh vision for the development.

Drew Las Vegas will be Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s debut Las Vegas concept, and one of only a handful of the studio’s hospitality projects. “The team’s design approach was inspired by the multiple ecologies of Las Vegas itself—the dynamic and rugged beauty of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas’ early adoption of modern architecture, and the city’s enthusiastic embrace of spectacle,” said Charles Renfro. “The Drew will weave these seemingly contradictory conditions into a new, quixotic environment.”

The US$3.1 billion project had been planned for delivery in 2020 following the US$600 million sale to Witkoff. The 3,780-room resort will include hotel brands EDITION and JW Marriott, both under the large Marriott umbrella. The Drew Las Vegas is also expected to contain over 500,000 square feet (46,451 square meters) of convention and meeting space.

“We believe Drew Las Vegas is set to usher in the next generation of Las Vegas resorts. It will be unlike anything on the Strip today—a truly integrated resort that brings together a unique take on Las Vegas and curated set of experiences from around the world,” said Steven Witkoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Witkoff. “We are thrilled to be working with such a prestigious and visionary firm as Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Our organizations share a commitment to challenging convention by seeking out original, transformative outcomes.”

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