Malaysia-based Genting Berhad cleared a major hurdle when Clark County commissioners in January okayed site plans for the planned 87.8-acre Resort World Las Vegas.
The decision by the commissioners was a significant step toward accelerating work on the project, which thus far mostly has had work done on parking structures. A formal ground-breaking in May heralded the project, but Genting says it has been busy with planning, obtaining proper permits, and clearing regulatory hurdles to ensure the project is done properly and can open as planned in 2018.
Genting intends to build a casino and four high-rise hotel towers with more than 7,000 rooms, suites, and villas, which would make it the world’s largest hotel complex.
Initial plans call for construction of one hotel tower with 3,307 rooms and more than 650,000 square feet of public, commercial, and exhibition space.
The property is located on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip, roughly across from the Wynn Las Vegas and where the former Stardust casino once stood. The property once was owned by Boyd Gaming, which began work on a $4 billion megaresort project that stalled in 2008 as the economy crashed and funding dried up during the Great Recession.
Genting paid $350 million to buy the site out of bankruptcy in 2013 and says the Clark County commissioners’ approval of its requests for site entitlements allows it to develop the property as planned.
Genting says the next step is to find a construction manager, and it hopes to begin full-scale construction this summer. It estimates the project will create 30,000 construction jobs and add 13,000 permanent jobs to the Las Vegas economy upon its planned opening before Summer 2018.
Genting intends a Chinese-themed design that will incorporate elements of China’s famous Forbidden City and modern interpretations of Chinese culture.
