Encore Las Vegas (also called Encore at Wynn Las Vegas or simply Encore) is a luxury
resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...
,
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
and hotel located on the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...
in
Paradise
In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. The resort is connected to its sister resort,
Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn resor ...
, located directly south. Both are owned by
Wynn Resorts
Wynn or wyn (; also spelled wen, ƿynn, and ƿen) is a letter of the Old English alphabet, where it is used to represent the sound .
History The letter "W"
While the earliest Old English texts represent this phoneme with the digraph , ...
and located on the former site of the
Desert Inn
The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
resort, which
Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
purchased and closed in 2000. Encore took the place of two Desert Inn hotel structures, the Palms and St. Andrews towers, both demolished in 2004. Construction of Encore began on April 28, 2006, the one-year anniversary of Wynn Las Vegas' opening. The Encore project, built by
Tutor Saliba
Tutor Perini Corporation (formerly Perini Corporation) is one of the largest general contractors in the United States. At the end of 2013, it reported annual revenue of approximately $4.2 billion. Tutor Perini is headquartered in Sylmar, Cal ...
, cost $2.3 billion. It opened on December 22, 2008.
The 48-story hotel tower includes 2,034 rooms, and the resort also offers of gaming space, as well as the Encore Esplanade retail area. In addition, it has several restaurants, including one dedicated to singer
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
. The resort has also had several clubs, two of which were added in 2010, marking the completion of the Wynn resort complex. The property includes the Encore Theater, originally built for Wynn Las Vegas and now located in between the two resorts. Encore has received numerous accolades, including the
AAA Five Diamond Award
American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 mi ...
and the Five Star award from
Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and online travel guide for hotels, restaurants and spas. In 2011, Forbes Travel Guide published its last set of guidebooks and on November 15, 2011 ...
.
History
Encore is a sister property to
Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn resor ...
, which consists of a single hotel tower. By February 2004, owner
Steve Wynn
Stephen Alan Wynn (''né'' Weinberg; born January 27, 1942) is an American real estate developer and art collector. He is known for his involvement in the American luxury casino and hotel industry. Early in his career he oversaw the construction ...
had decided to build a second tower with 1,300 rooms, for an approximate total of 4,000. This would help make the Wynn complex more competitive among other expanding resorts on the
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of ...
.
The Wynn complex was built on the former site of the
Desert Inn
The Desert Inn, also known as the D.I., was a hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, which operated from April 24, 1950, to August 28, 2000. Designed by architect Hugh Taylor and interior design by Jac Lessman, it was the ...
resort, which was purchased and closed by Steve Wynn in 2000. The last remaining hotel structures of the Desert Inn – the Palms and St. Andrews towers – were imploded in November 2004, making way for Encore. It was originally planned only as a hotel tower with a boutique casino, although the strength of the economy prompted Wynn to expand the project,
[ adding restaurants and convention space, among other features. Encore would be targeted at a higher-end clientele compared with that of Wynn Las Vegas.][
]Wynn Resorts
Wynn or wyn (; also spelled wen, ƿynn, and ƿen) is a letter of the Old English alphabet, where it is used to represent the sound .
History The letter "W"
While the earliest Old English texts represent this phoneme with the digraph , ...
sold $400 million in stock to help finance Encore, which cost a total of $2.3 billion.[ Groundbreaking took place on April 28, 2006, the one-year anniversary of Wynn Las Vegas' opening. ]Tutor Saliba
Tutor Perini Corporation (formerly Perini Corporation) is one of the largest general contractors in the United States. At the end of 2013, it reported annual revenue of approximately $4.2 billion. Tutor Perini is headquartered in Sylmar, Cal ...
, based in California, served as the general contractor. A nine-story Desert Inn parking garage, the last remainder of the resort's structures, was imploded on March 6, 2007, as construction progressed on Encore.
Encore was expected to employ more than 5,000 people, with approximately 1,400 relocating from Wynn Las Vegas.[ As with the original resort, Steve Wynn starred in a commercial for Encore featuring him on the roof of the new hotel's tower. The commercial was directed by ]Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several films ...
.
Encore opened at 8:00 p.m. on December 22, 2008.[ More than 1,000 people attended the opening. Due to the period's ]economic downturn
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
, the opening was designed to be more subdued compared with that of previous resorts. At the opening, Steve Wynn gave high roller
A high roller, also referred to as a whale or cheetah, is a gambler who consistently wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish " comps" from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers ...
s a few million dollars to make the initial bets and initiated the action by declaring over a microphone, "Let the games begin!"; the start of gambling was accompanied by a recording of Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
's "Luck Be a Lady Tonight
"Luck Be a Lady" is a song written and composed by Frank Loesser in 1950 and first performed by Robert Alda. The song was featured in the musical ''Guys and Dolls''. The lyrics relate the point of view of a gambler, Sky Masterson, who hopes that ...
".[
The resort opened with one nightclub, and two other clubs were added in May 2010, replacing the resort's existing porte-cochere at a cost of $68 million. The project included a new pedestrian entrance and landscaping, both along the Strip. With these additions finished, Wynn declared that the $5.2 billion Wynn complex was now complete.
A fight involving 15 to 20 people broke out at Encore in September 2020, prompting Wynn Resorts to file a lawsuit. The resort subsequently increased its security and added temporary metal detectors on weekends.
]
Features
During the design phase, Wynn Resorts consulted with Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and online travel guide for hotels, restaurants and spas. In 2011, Forbes Travel Guide published its last set of guidebooks and on November 15, 2011 ...
in hopes of attaining its five-star rating.[ Encore was designed to attract an upper-class clientele,][ competing with other upcoming luxury resort projects such as ]CityCenter
Aria Campus, commonly known by its former name CityCenter, is a mixed-use, urban complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is located on and contains a total of . The complex includes Aria Resort and Casino, the Vdara condo-hotel, t ...
and Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
. DeRuyter Butler was the chief architect. Jerry Beale, senior vice president of design, described Encore as "the flirty younger sister" of Wynn Las Vegas.[ The interior design was handled by Roger Thomas,][ who is a butterfly enthusiast.][ Flower and butterfly designs are prominent throughout the resort.][ Thomas's passion for butterflies intrigued Wynn, prompting their inclusion in the design.]
The Encore hotel tower is nearly identical to the one at Wynn Las Vegas, both using bronze glass. The Encore tower is 48 stories, although its top floor is labeled "63". Due to bad-luck superstitions among gamblers, the tower skips the 13th floor (triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia ( , ; ) is fear or avoidance of the number . It is also a reason for the fear of Friday the 13th, called ''paraskevidekatriaphobia'' () or ''friggatriskaidekaphobia'' ().
The term was used as early as in 1910 by Isador Coria ...
) and those containing the number 4 (tetraphobia
Tetraphobia () is the practice of avoiding instances of the digit . It is a superstition most common in East Asian nations.
__TOC__
Rationale
The Chinese word for "four" (, pinyin: sì, jyutping: sei3), sounds quite similar to the word for "de ...
). Encore opened with 2,034 hotel rooms. The rooms were remodeled in 2015, and a $200 million hotel renovation project was announced for both Wynn and Encore in 2021.
Like Wynn Las Vegas, Encore also features natural lighting in certain areas of the resort,[ an uncommon trait for casinos.][ Other notable design elements include red chandeliers above the casino floor,][ which contains of gaming space.][ Upon opening, the casino also had five gaming salons on the hotel's top floor. The salons, reserved for high rollers, offered table games such as ]baccarat
Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup (round of play) has three possible outcomes: "player" (player has the higher score ...
and floor-to-ceiling views.[ A ]race and sports book
In the United States, a sportsbook or a race and sports book (sometimes abbreviated as book) is a place where a gambler can wager on various sports competitions, including golf, football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, soccer, horse racing, ...
was added in 2017.
The resort opened with of retail space at the Encore Esplanade,[ featuring 11 upscale retailers such as ]Chanel
Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...
, Hermes
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
and Rock and Republic
Rock & Republic is an American jeans brand founded by Michael Ball in 2002. Ball is a cyclist who gained design experience by creating his cycling team's uniforms. Rock & Republic's line of jeans and casual wear " VB Rocks" was designed by singe ...
. Designed by Dan Barteluce, the Encore Esplanade consists of an indoor walkway connecting to Wynn Las Vegas, with lattice ceilings providing natural lighting.[ The resort also opened with a spa.][
]
Restaurants
Encore opened with five restaurants, including Sinatra; it serves as a tribute to the singer, who was friends with Wynn. The Italian restaurant features various personal memorabilia that once belonged to Sinatra.[ A French restaurant, Switch, featured a rotating decor; walls would retract into the ceiling every 30 minutes, allowing for a new one to descend.][ Victor Drai, a nightclub operator for the Wynn complex, also opened Botero Steak, named after artist ]Fernando Botero
Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...
. Other dining establishments included Society Cafe, and the Asian restaurant Wazuzu, the latter overseen by chef Jet Tila
Jet Tilakamonkul, known professionally as Jet Tila ( th, เจ็ท ติลกมลกุล; ), is an American celebrity chef, author, restaurateur, and restaurant developer.
Early life
Tila was born in Los Angeles to Thai Chinese parents ...
.[
Society Cafe closed in 2015, along with Botero Steak. Following a renovation, the latter reopened at the end of the year as Jardin (French for "Garden"). Switch operated until 2012. Andrea's, an Asian restaurant and lounge named after Wynn's wife Andrea Hissom, opened in its place in 2013. The lounge area included an LED screen image of Hissom's eyes. It closed in 2020 and was replaced by Elio, marking the first Mexican restaurant for the Wynn complex.
]
Clubs
Drai, who operated the Tryst nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, was again recruited to run the XS nightclub at Encore. XS, measuring ,[ was designed as Encore's top attraction.][ It included access to a pool area which had 29 cabanas,][ as well as topless sunbathing.]
Encore Beach Club, a pool complex for adults, opened in May 2010. It was joined by a new nightclub known as Surrender, which connected to the beach club. Both were managed by Sean Christie
Sean Christie (born April 21, 1974) is the Chief Executive Officer of Carver Road Capital. Previously, Christie served as the President of Events and Nightlife for MGM Resorts International, as well as the Executive Vice President of Business D ...
's Las Vegas Nightlife Group, which also operated the Blush nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. XS and Surrender later became some of the top-grossing nightclubs in the United States.
Later in 2010, rapper Lil Jon
Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971) better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, producer and former frontman of the rap group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. He was instrumental in the emergence of the hip hop subgenre cru ...
signed a DJ residency at Surrender. Swedish DJ Alesso
Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (born 7 July 1991), better known by his stage name Alesso (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer.
He has worked with numerous artists, including Tove Lo, Theo Hutchcraft, Ryan Tedder, Hailee Steinfeld, Calvi ...
has also performed there and at Encore Beach Club. The Chainsmokers
The Chainsmokers are an American electronic DJ and production duo consisting of Alexander "Alex" Pall and Andrew "Drew" Taggart. They started out by releasing remixes of songs by indie artists. The EDM- pop duo achieved a breakthrough with the ...
and Kygo
Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (born 11 September 1991), known professionally as Kygo (), is a Norwegian DJ and music producer. He garnered international attention with his December 2013 remix of the track "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran and his December 201 ...
each began ongoing residencies at XS in 2017. Performing artists are managed by Jared Garcia. By 2018, Encore Beach Club had taken over the Surrender space.
Shows
The Wynn complex has two theaters, including the Encore Theater. It was originally built as part of Wynn Las Vegas, and is located between the two resorts. It has 1,480 seats, and has hosted numerous entertainers, including Danny Gans
Danny Davies Gans (October 25, 1956 – May 1, 2009) was an American singer, comedian and vocal impressionist.
Career
Gans was a performer on the Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding area, where he was billed as "The Man of Many Voices." He h ...
,[ ]Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, and Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
.
Accolades
In a 2009 review for ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', Brooks Barnes wrote, "Until the economy improves, the opulent hotel will come across a bit like a boom-times relic. But there's always a market for quality, and Encore offers that in spades". That year, ''Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc. and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation ownershi ...
'' named it among the 45 best new hotels. The magazine praised Encore's natural lighting and indoor plant life, stating that both features make the expansive public spaces feel "downright cozy".
At the end of 2009, Encore received the AAA Five Diamond Award
American Automobile Association (AAA – commonly pronounced as "Triple A") is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a privately held not-for-profit national member association and service organization with over 60 mi ...
, as well as the Five Star award from Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and online travel guide for hotels, restaurants and spas. In 2011, Forbes Travel Guide published its last set of guidebooks and on November 15, 2011 ...
. The two spas at the Wynn complex were also the only ones in the state to have five-star ratings. The complex has since been a repeat winner of both awards. Encore is among the three largest Forbes Five-Star resorts in the world, along with Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Palace
Wynn Palace (, Portuguese: Palácio Wynn) is the second luxury integrated resort from international resort developer Wynn Resorts in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, following the launch of Wynn Macau. ...
in Macau. In 2017, readers of ''Condé Nast Traveler
''Condé Nast Traveler'' is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast. The magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards.
The Condé Nast unit of Advance Publications purchased ''Signature'', a magazine for Diners Club memb ...
'' named Wynn Las Vegas and Encore as the best hotel property in the city, noting the high level of luxury.
Gallery
File:Wynn and Encore from Las vegas Monorail.jpg, Encore during construction, January 2008
File:Encore Las Vegas 2008 Opening date.jpg, Wynn and Encore on opening day as seen from The Palazzo
The Palazzo (also called The Palazzo at The Venetian) is a luxury hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is the tallest completed building in Nevada. Designed by the Dallas-based HKS, Inc., the hotel of ...
File:Encore-wynn-towers.JPG, Encore and Wynn seen from the east, with Trump International Hotel Las Vegas
The Trump International Hotel Las Vegas is a 64-story hotel, condominium, and timeshare located on Fashion Show Drive in Paradise, Nevada, US, named for owner Donald Trump, who later became US president. It is located down the street from Wynn L ...
in the center
File:Encore Suites at Wynn Las Vegas.jpg, Tower view from Las Vegas Boulevard
File:Encore, Las Vegas June 2013.jpg, New pedestrian entrance at Encore
File:Encore Casino - panoramio.jpg, Close-up of entrance
File:Encore Las Vegas Beach Club at night.jpg, Encore Beach Club, seen from the Strip at night
File:Encore Las Vegas hotel lobby.jpg, Hotel lobby
File:DSC32252, The Encore Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (6341141807).jpg, Encore Esplanade
See also
* List of casinos in Nevada
This is a list of casinos in Nevada.
List of casinos
Gallery
File:A-2863813824.jpg,
See also
*List of casinos in the United States
*List of casino hotels
*Las Vegas Strip
*List of Las Vegas casinos that never opened
Notes
Source ...
* List of tallest buildings in Las Vegas
The city of Las Vegas, Nevada and its surrounding unincorporated communities in the Las Vegas Valley are the sites of more than 160 high-rises, 42 of which stand taller than . The tallest structure in the city is the Strat tower, which rises ...
References
External links
*
{{Las Vegas Strip
2008 establishments in Nevada
Casinos completed in 2008
Casinos in the Las Vegas Valley
Convention centers in the Las Vegas Valley
Electronic dance music venues
Hotel buildings completed in 2008
Hotels established in 2008
Las Vegas Strip
Resorts in the Las Vegas Valley
Skyscraper hotels in Paradise, Nevada
Steve Wynn