Genting Group has appointed former MGM Grand President Scott Sibella to head the company’s Resorts World Las Vegas megaresort under construction on the Las Vegas Strip.
Located on 87 acres where the Stardust once stood and priced at an estimated $4 billion at full build-out, the Asian-themed Resorts World is slated to open with 3,400 hotel rooms at the end of 2020. It will be the Strip’s first ground-up resort since The Cosmopolitan debuted a decade ago and carries with it high hopes for a revitalization of the sparsely developed north end of the famed neon way.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected to spearhead one of the most exciting developments on the Las Vegas Strip in recent memory,” Sibella said. “The Resorts World project will be transformative for the Las Vegas Strip, particularly the northern stretch which is quickly becoming the proving ground for the next generation of integrated resorts.”
Sibella ran MGM Grand for eight years before departing in February, shortly after owner MGM Resorts International launched a corporate-wide cost-cutting program targeting upper management, among other areas.
He also served under MGM as president and chief operating officer of The Mirage and Treasure Island on the Strip and is chairman of Las Vegas Events, the private events-scheduling arm of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
He has served since April as a consultant to Resorts World LV and its construction manager, W.A. Richardson Builders.
As CEO he replaces Edward Farrell, who was named president of Genting Americas, the U.S.-based entity that oversees development and operations for the Malaysia-based resort conglomerate in New York, Florida, Massachusetts and the Bahamas.
“Scott has a wealth of experience in both development and operations, which will ensure that Resorts World Las Vegas is successfully built and operated,” Genting Group Deputy CEO Hui Lim said. “As we now turn our focus to eventual operations, Scott will oversee a smooth opening and ensure Resorts World Las Vegas is run efficiently while providing a world-class guest experience.”
Boyd Gaming demolished the Stardust in 2007 to make way for a multibillion-dollar megaresort called Echelon, one of several planned Strip casino hotels that were canceled or left unfinished when the Great Recession hit. Genting purchased the site for $350 million in March 2013.
