In contrast to the original very public announcements of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas and a subsequent unveiling of the Drew, an addition to the website of JW Marriott was the only indication that there are new plans for the blue elephant that has been languishing on the north Strip for almost 10 years. The webpage describes “JW Marriott Las Vegas” will replace the former Fontainebleau and open late in 2023.
Jeffery Soffer was the original owner of the property when it was to become the second Fontainebleau following the hotel he owns in Miami Beach. His partner was former Mandalay Bay executive Glenn Schaeffer. The original plans for the Fontainebleau Las Vegas were unveiled in 2005, construction began in 2007 and bankruptcy arrived in 2009. Billionaire Carl Icahn purchased the nearly finished property out of bankruptcy in 2010 for $150 and sold to New York developer Steve Witkoff and real estate firm New Valley, who immediately hired former MGM executive Bobby Baldwin. The property got a new name—the Drew—named after his deceased son, and was to include two Marriott flags. But when a $2 billion construction loan fell through, Soffer re-emerged, along with the real estate arm of Koch Industries, to re-acquire the property.
As for Marriot, a spokeswoman told the Las Vegas Review Journal that nothing had changed in its role.
“Marriott remains the hotel operator and we have two brands — the Edition and the JW Marriott — that are a part of this resort and casino complex,” she said.
The 67-floor resort has more than 3,700 rooms and suites along with more than 500,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. The website touts a new pedestrian bridge that will link the hotel to the Las Vegas Convention Center. It would be the first appearance on the Strip for JW Marriott, which also has an affiliation with the hotel at the Rampart Casino in Summerlin.
Marriott has a long-standing opposition to gaming because of the religious views of one of its founders, JW “Bill” Marriott Jr. A devote Mormon, he has avoided getting involved in the gaming industry, and anywhere the Marriott flag flies on a casino hotel, the gaming operation is conducted by a separate company.
“This is a business where it is very easy to get in trouble with all the bars and nightclub operations,” he told a group in 2004.
