By Christy Digiambattista and Kerstan Szczepanski
With Fontainebleau opening in Las Vegas December 2023, Exhibit City News’ Christy Digiambattista spoke with Colleen Birch, the COO of Fontainebleau, about what the property brings to Las Vegas and what the future has in store for the city’s newest great resort.
When asked about the trends they are seeing in hospitality, Birch replied, “Over recent years we’ve seen a large percentage of our business travelers add a day or two of leisure onto their trips. We aim to accommodate these ‘bleisure’ travelers not only with first-in-class meeting and convention amenities, but also with incredible restaurants, entertainment, wellness and gaming experiences to help round out their stay.”
“Bleisure” has become a very big thing today, but usually involves multiple destinations and points of interest for travelers. Fontainebleau aims to make bleisure a one-stop experience.
“Our business model adapts to any type of traveler,” Birch said. “A personalized experience that offers guests the chance to take a break, extend their stay and enjoy all of the incredible experiences and amenities Fontainebleau Las Vegas has to offer.”
Part of that experience will be plenty of food options. “Guests can enjoy 36 first-to-market food and beverage concepts when we open this December and throughout 2024,” Birch said. “From seated fine dining to our fast-casual food hall Promenade, our lineup will include concepts from acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs like Chef Gabriela Cámara, Restaurateur David Grutman, Restaurateur David Rodolitz, Restaurateur Alan Yau, Chef Evan Funke, and Chef Josh Capon among others, alongside several Fontainebleau-original concepts.”
“Prioritizing wellness is also a major focus,” noted Birch. “Our two-story Lapis Spa & Wellness and Fitness Center is distinctive and delivers an impactful experience that is realized beyond the halls of the wellness corridor. A unique highlight is the Reboot Lounge which acts as a drop-in space where guests can enjoy a wellness shot and receive a revitalizing treatment – no reservation required.” Fontainebleau isn’t just offering relaxation for leisure, it is also for the on the move convention attendees. “An ideal treatment option for convention-goers who are on-the-go and have been on their feet all day,” she said.
But there are many popular luxury resorts in Las Vegas, what sets Fontainebleau apart?
“One of our biggest differentiators is how easily accessible the resort is,” Birch said. “At 67 stories tall, Fontainebleau Las Vegas is a vertically integrated resort that allows guests to move effortlessly among our 3,644 luxury rooms and suites, 550,000-square-feet of meetings & convention space, world-class retail collection, 36 first-to-market restaurants and bars, top notch wellness amenities, six-acre pool district, expansive gaming amenities, and immersive entertainment and nightlife options.”
Size isn’t all that matters. “Another key differentiator is our location,” Birch pointed out. “The resort is fittingly located directly next to the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall expansion, providing unmatched access. The South Lobby acts as a destination for meeting professionals and convention-goers to enter the resort with ease.”
Being next to the LVCC is an asset, but most properties have venue space of their own. Fontainebleau is definitely one of them. Birch laid it out: “Fontainebleau Las Vegas’ dedicated meeting and convention and event space is geared towards seamless event planning. Highlights include a three-level, multi-use 90,000-square-foot theater, more than 550,000-square-feet of flexible meetings and conventions space and six dedicated freight elevators, three on each end, so we can easily move groups in and out at the same time without interference.”
Convention attendees will have quite a bit to do within the Fontainebleau before they head out to the convention center. That is, if they ever even need to leave. Birch mentioned a record for the resort. “Our Royal Ballroom is the largest, pillarless carpeted ballroom in a hotel in the country, spanning more than 105,000-square-feet. The ballroom can be broken up into 228 different combinations creating endless personalization opportunities for meeting planners. We also boast three executive boardrooms overlooking almost 25,900-square-foot of an outdoor hospitality garden. In fact, 32 of our meeting rooms feature floor to ceiling windows,” she finished with pride, “A truly unique and rare find in Las Vegas hotels.”
Plenty to do, in plenty of space to do it. With the Fontainebleau, Las Vegas just got bigger, and more luxurious.
For more information on the Fontainebleau please visit their website: https://www.fontainebleaulasvegas.com/
