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Visions of the future come and go often as new ideas launch around Las Vegas regularly. Some of those ideas from the past few years might come to fruition soon.
As the end of the year nears, we look to the future. Durango Casino and Resort will open on Nov. 20.
Fontainebleau will finally open on Dec. 13 after years of gracing the Las Vegas skyline as a partially built casino and resort. The fact that this casino is opening is enough to blow your mind.
The past few years have been challenging for everyone. Concepts for new Las Vegas casinos have been floated, started, and paused.
Some of these ideas might finally begin or resume construction soon. Let’s look at the new casino possibilities starting or restarting in the new year.
Construction on Dream Hotel might resume next year
Dream Hotel broke ground on its first Las Vegas location near Mandalay Bay in 2022. Construction barely started when it stopped earlier this year.
Despite being purchased by Hyatt in February, the company ran out of funds to finish the boutique hotel and casino. The company said construction would resume in a matter of weeks. Well, the year is almost over and construction hasn’t resumed.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the company filed for permit extensions. The hope is that construction will resume in 2024, but there’s still no financing.
Meanwhile, Hyatt is no longer linked with any Las Vegas casinos. Earlier this year, the World of Hyatt rewards partnership with MGM Resorts was dissolved. The international hotel operator signed a deal to operate the hotel at Rio Las Vegas.
The rewards partnership won’t start until next March.
Unnamed Tilman Fertitta luxury hotel and casino on Vegas Strip
In 2022, Golden Nugget owner Tilman Fertitta purchased land across the street from Planet Hollywood and The Cosmopolitan to build a luxury hotel and casino. While he received permission to build, not much work has been done on the project.
Fertitta cited the cost of building the property during a period of inflation as the main cause of not getting the ball rolling on the 43-story tall hotel and casino.
The company has no comments on when construction will begin on this new Vegas Strip casino. However, Sean Hemmersmeier of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that the company submitted new plans for the property to Clark County twice this year.
Construction could start on this property next year. The big change to the project is the addition of pickleball courts.
A Casino Royale replacement could be in the works
Earlier this year, we learned that the land currently occupied by Casino Royale has been approved to house a 699-foot-tall building. Plans for the future of the slots-only casino still haven’t been revealed despite the rumor that an announcement was possible earlier this year.
The landowners have until 2025 to create a plan for the land. So, there’s plenty of time to plan for a new Vegas Strip high-rise.
If a building here reaches 699 feet, it would only be shorter than Fontainebleau and The Strat on the Vegas Strip. This would also dwarf the hotel tower planned across the street.
The Mirage transformation is coming sooner or later
Hard Rock purchased The Mirage in 2021 with plans for an extensive billion-dollar renovation. Plans include replacing the volcano with a 550-foot-tall guitar-shaped hotel tower.
Construction and renovations are slated to begin in 2024 or 2025. The company says renovations and construction will take 26-30 months. We won’t see the new Hard Rock until 2026 at the earliest.
It’s likely The Mirage won’t officially become the Hard Rock until 2027.
Las Vegas’s casino in the sky
Howard Hughes Holdings is a development company with properties around the country. In Las Vegas, the company might be best known for its work in Summerlin.
According to a post by ABC 13 KTNV Las Vegas, the company recently revealed that it owns an “80% interest in the air rights above Fashion Show Mall.” This mall is next to the empty plot of land owned by Wynn Resorts that could someday be used for a casino expansion.
While there are no specific details, the company plans to build a casino on the Vegas Strip. Since there’s no information on this, it’s possible to guess Howard Hughes Holdings is somehow planning to build a casino above the mall.
It’s also possible that this idea comes from a movie like Ocean’s 13.
