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 enterta ...

and hotel located on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of 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 Las Vegas cit ...

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 para ...

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 th ...

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, Cali ...

, 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 " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

. 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 and the Five Star award from Forbes Travel Guide.

History

Encore is a sister property to

, which consists of a single hotel tower. By February 2004, owner

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

The Wynn complex was built on the former site of 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.

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.

, 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 film ...

. 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, 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 transfer ...

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

's " Luck Be a Lady Tonight". 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 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, ...

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 Cori ...

) 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 fo ...

). 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 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. Chane ...

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 orat ...

and Rock and Republic. 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 politic ...

. 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 parent ...

. 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. EncoreBeachClub

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'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 cr ...

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, Ca ...

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 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,

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'' is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC, with trademark rig ...

'' 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, as well as the Five Star award from Forbes Travel Guide. 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 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 mem ...

'' 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 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 La ...

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

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