Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

A couple of points of interest to me. Maybe you already talked about them but I may have missed it.

1. The new Wynn Encore resort tower is taller than the current Wynn tower. I am a little surprised that he would do this so close to his current project possibly reducing the visual impact of his current "signature" hotel look. I was also surprised slightly that the appearance is the same color scheme although no mention was made as to the shape of the structure. Have you heard/seen anything regarding the look?

2. I know that the rumors have been saying that the hotel was increasing the number of rooms. The height of the hotel is not changing but they are adding about 800 rooms. I am not sure how that works unless the design is "fatter" than before.

3. The Encore resort expansion is going to take up part of the golf course property. How does this affect the golf course. Is this extra property or will they actually be moving holes or closing the course?

4. Both the Palazzo and Encore projects are requesting significant reductions in the number of required parking spaces. I don't get this at all. I think this portion of the strip may end up in total gridlock once these two resorts are completed. I just don't get the feeling that either of them are thinking correctly about traffic flow.

Just some thoughts, any comments??

Posted by Hunter

1. Yeah, we've known it was going to be a bit taller since they filed the initial plans. I don't think they have much choice, to get this thing in the amount of space they have it has to go vertical. Thoughts are that it will be an arc curving the other direction, to create a giant 'S' shape.

2. Yeah, this is not clear. Rooms could be smaller. I know that they've been toying with several different sizes for the standard Encore room, flipping between the WLV sizes to 900 sq. feet.

3. From what I know, I believe we're just talking the driving range and the road that the busses take to LVCC. The course remains open.

4. Well, these resorts almost always under park. The parking guidelines are just that - guidelines and the county consistently gives them waivers to reduce the number of spaces. Actually, WLV is better parked than The Venetian, which has a VERY low number of spaces. This was the subject of a bit of a feud between Adelson and Wynn, forcing the former to build a much bigger underground garage for Palazzo.

I was really looking forward to Encore... back when plans were for 1500 rooms at 1030 sq. ft. with a casino only half the size of WLV. Although I like that they've kept the casino small (but probably won't stay that way), I don't think Steve's intention is to top WLV like it originally seemed.

The extra 20,000 square feet of casino space and theater at WLV screams disaster in the same way Caesars Palace is right now. I really hope there's an excellent masterplan behind all this.

What's quickly becoming of my favorite block on earth?!

I just read that the Fontana Lounge at Bellagio is supposed to close by year's end. Also, apparently attendance at Avenue Q has been poor, and has led to speculation that Wynn may be looking to unload the show and be able to put Spamalot in the same theater.

Posted by Hunter

Hey Brian,

Where did you read re: Bellagio? Were they talking about a refurbish? That is such a popular spot - getting rid of it would be a huge blunder.

Regarding Ave. Q - I had heard attendance was good... Hmmmm... The show has gotten WLV so much print as far as bringing Broadway to Vegas - I would see them dumping Le Reve before Q.

Also, don't Wynn and the Avenue Q people have a multi year contract? I know that Avenue Q is not touring because of the show in Vegas. I don't think Wynn could just put an end to it unless it was doing very poor for a sustained period of time.

Hunter, those rumors about Ave. Q and the Fontana Lounge probably came from the November Las Vegas Advisor newsletter. At least that's where I read them. Both seemed more like idle speculation on the columnist's part than solid information.

One of the speculated uses for that area is an expanded poker room, which makes no sense to me. Why put a poker room in one of the best fountain view spots on the property? You can play poker in a cave and most poker players probably prefer that. (Yeah, I know they have used it for WSOP tourneys).

Mike P.

My guess is that they added floors to Encore so that it would be taller than Palazzo, which will be taller than the current Wynn tower. Nothing like a little friendly competition between billionaire neighbors.

The night I saw Avenue Q, I would say attendance was around 90%. It's a great show, a hell of a lot better than Mama Mia or Blue Man Group. I haven't seen Le Reve, but that's on the agenda for the trip next month.

Mike, I was also disappointed to see that the Fontana lounge was being used for a poker tournament. I hope that is only a temporary move.

how many pools will the palazzo have?

Last time I visited Wynn, 3 weeks ago, it seemed like the restaurants were only half full....kind of disappointing.
Do you know if there is going to be a new pool area at Encore? I think that the Wynn pool area seems to crowded.
Do you think that the expanded casino will mean less retail and dining space? I hope not...love Bartolotta.

Posted by Hunter

No one knows yet about the pool configuration at the Palazzo. Expect at least as large a pool deck as at The Venetian, with landscaping by Lifescapes, who did Wynn and Bellagio.

Regarding Encore, YES, it will have its own pool area as well as a multi-use space for outdoor entertainment.

I have another question about the Encore. Do you think there will be as many restaurants as the Wynn, or only a couple like at the Spa Tower and at the Hotel.
I really hope they have restaurants like Bartalotta and Alex at the new Encore. This question also applies to Palazzo.

Posted by Hunter

I expect Encore to have 8-10 restaurants. Less than Wynn Las Vegas but more than the Spa Tower expansion.

Palazzo should have ~15 restaurants as it is a full fledged resort, not an expansion.

Speaking of Wynn, they finally got the railings up in the Villa Atrium. Also, where that the watch store was is now a wall with small windows displays displaying shoes, purses, and other expensive fancy stuff from the stores.

Are they permanent railings or just velvet ropes? The latter has been up for some time.

I was at the Venetian a few weeks ago. According to one of the pool attendants, the plan is to integrate the existing pool deck with the new tower, and to move all of the cabanans into the new section.

In regards to Wynn and Company Watches, they have done away with the store to expand the VIP registration area to include a private check in for RFB comp guests. Look for Gizmo's, the gadget store next door, to be the next on the chopping block. Also Corsa Cuchina the restaurant across from the poker room has closed for a redesign.

Posted by Hunter

I had heard that Gizmos was doing well - did you hear something to suggest differently?

Corsa's re-design has been on the drawing board since about a month after opening, no surprise there.

Mike E, they're permanent railings.

When I visited Wynn, I had expected to see concepts never before seen..maybe like two storing shopping arcade restaurants facing back at the resort..or large grand spaces.
Even though I still think Wynn is the most luxurious casino resort, I think that Wynn really limited himself with the golf course. Do you the reason for not only taking away parts of the massive course to expand the resort?
Do you think Encore will seem limited in space as seen with the problem for relocating the current gallery?
Wynn also mentioned that there would be indoor and outdoor dining..does that mean an additional water feauture or small scale mountain? Yet I have not heard anything about that.
Do you think Encore will have better use of land?

Posted by Hunter

At some point in the future, that golf course will be history, replaced with more resort(s), timeshares, condos, etc... It is just a matter of time (could be 10+ years) but he will be developing on that land for years.

Encore is going to sit on a very small parcel. It is possible that the Encore tower will be closer to the street, with the outdoor features focused on the pool/golf side. They will be forced to plan Encore very carefully since the site is so small.

At the same time, many of the back of house functions won't need to be built as WLV will supply services such as the power plant and HVAC.

Until the design phase progresses and more details spill out, it is tough to give real answers to any of this stuff.

Personally, I think the smaller spaces are a design win, not entirely the result of a compromise. The expanse of Bellagio is great, but WLV is not Bellagio. WLV is not about sweeping vistas, it is about exploring hidden nooks and corners.

Does anyone know if a floor plan of Wynn Las Vegas is available anywhere on the internet? I saw the property plan graphic on the WLV web site, but that was it.

Posted by Hunter

What do you mean by 'floor plan' if you're looking for something beyond the property map on the Web site?

What information are you looking for?

Gizmo's closing permanantly on 2/6/06!!!