Genting Group has pushed back the opening of its multibillion-dollar Las Vegas Strip casino hotel by another year to 2020.
The much-anticipated Chinese-themed Resorts World Las Vegas has undergone a number of delays since it was announced in the spring of 2013, when Genting purchased the North Strip site of Boyd Gaming’s stalled Echelon resort for $350 million.
Plans call for construction in phases, with 3,000 hotel rooms at full build-out, a 100,000-square-foot casino and an array of entertainment, tourist and dining attractions designed to appeal to Asian visitors.
“The initial drawing had a lot of traditional, older Chinese architecture and elements that were within it,” explained Edward Farrell, the gaming industry veteran newly appointed to lead the project. “The company has really taken a look at the market in Las Vegas throughout the past couple of years, and it has really shifted to something that’s much more modern.”
He described the new design as “much more Shanghai than maybe Beijing, with technology and a modern-looking feel.”
Originally, the resort was slated to open in 2016, but to date, only a 3,000-space parking garage has been completed, which was done under the ownership of Boyd Gaming.
Farrell said the company has compiled a short list of potential contractors and expects to begin construction in a matter of months.
Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak said, “There were a lot of stops and starts with this project, some redesigns, but from the dialogue we had, I’m very convinced that they’ve got a plan moving forward, and they are committed to a specific time frame.”
