Justin Timberlake Snubs Fontainebleau for Wynn After Opening Night Performance

Article ByDavid Weir

December 18, 2023

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Posted in: US Gambling News, Nevada Gambling News, US Casino News

The long-awaited debut of the Fontainebleau Las Vegas last week was a celebratory occasion for many. But not so much, you’d think, for its rival Nevada casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

However, Wynn Resorts found a way to get a cheeky jab in at its latest rival in an Instagram post over the weekend.

Fontainebleau booked popstar and actor Justin Timberlake to perform at its opening night, reportedly for a cool $6 million fee. After his performance, the Suit and Tie singer posted a picture of him and his wife Jessica Biel heading back to their rooms – at Wynn Las Vegas.

The award-winning Wynn Resorts would have no doubt been aware Timberlake was staying there. However, the wider public probably would have assumed he would stay at the Fontainebleau, which had just paid him a multimillion-dollar fee.

Somewhat predictably, internet detectives were quick to realize that the star’s snap on Instagram was definitely not taken at Las Vegas’ newest resort. Instead, the unique carpet pattern revealed its actual location at the Wynn.

Once the cat was out of the bag, Wynn Resorts gleefully reposted the picture, taking a less-than-subtle jab at its latest luxury competitor with the caption, “Where everyone ends up. #OnlyatWynn.”

This repost, later deleted by Wynn, underscores the intense competition for celebrity endorsements among Las Vegas casino resorts.

Underlying Tensions

This episode is part of a broader narrative of rivalry between Wynn and Fontainebleau. Earlier in the year, Wynn accused Fontainebleau developers of using underhanded tactics to poach its staff during the runup to launch.

Timberlake’s choice to stay at Wynn, despite his professional engagement at Fontainebleau, added fuel to this ongoing feud, turning a celebrity’s lodging preference into a statement on the battle for dominance in the Vegas luxury hotel market.

The Fontainebleau, the $3.7 billion project backed by a Who’s Who of international finance, went all-out on a glitzy, celebrity-attended bash to celebrate its grand opening.

As well as Timberlake and Biel, there were a host of other famous visitors in town for the night. That included Cher, Tom Brady, Ivanka Trump, Tommy Hilfiger, Kendall Jenner, Alice Cooper, Lenny Kravitz, Bryan Cranston, Keith Urban, Sylvester Stallone, and Eva Longoria, to name just a few A-listers in attendance.

The Fontainebleau’s 3,600 rooms, in the tallest hotel tower in Las Vegas, no less, were not actually open to the public on opening night.

However, gossip outlet TMZ did confirm that rooms were made available for celebrity guests, so Timberlake’s decision to stay at Wynn was genuinely a bit of a snub.

Hotel Politics

Many famous performers in Las Vegas try not to stay at the same casino resort they will be performing at. For one thing, this throws off potential obsessive fans who might otherwise turn up and look for them.

Most casinos will also avoid over-publicizing their celebrity guests for those same privacy reasons, which is why Wynn later deleted its post featuring Timberlake and Biel. However, not quickly enough to stop the news spreading online.

This is not the first time a major celebrity has appeared to prefer Wynn over other resorts they may actually have been paid to stay at. In 2022, the global hit singer Adele refused to stay at Caesars Palace during her $1 million a show residency there. Instead, she took up rooms at the $30,000-a-night Wynn Fairway Villas.