Resorts World Las Vegas Planning New Convention Center
The newest major casino resort hotel to open on the Las Vegas Strip is planning a brand-new convention center.
Resorts World Las Vegas opened on the north end of the Strip in 2021. Last week, it finalized expansion plans, which it then submitted to the required local government authorities and Clark County.
The planned convention center will have more than 300,000 square feet of convention space. It will incorporate and link with the existing property and buildings on the 3000 South Las Vegas Boulevard site.
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Dynamic Parts
Resorts World’s expansion is hardly a surprise, as it owns some 80 acres of land around its casino resort site.
“As the newest integrated resort in the most dynamic part of the Las Vegas Strip, Resorts World Las Vegas is moving forward with a number of significant new projects to enhance our guest amenities and experience, including the expansion of our convention, meeting, and events center,” said a company statement.
The new center will be designed by a local Las Vegas based firm, Marnell Architecture. The same team was responsible for designing the Strip’s Aria Resorts convention center in 2018.
That project cost $180 million. So, given current economic conditions, any expansion by Resorts World is unlikely to be cheaper than that.
As well as 300,000 feet of convention space, Resorts World’s planned convention center will also feature a ballroom, a 145-foot roof plane, and a decorative promenade linking it to the hotel and resort.
All of the expansion plans are still to be certified by local government. That includes committees and zoning boards from Clark County, and the unincorporated town of Winchester, which covers the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Resort Experience
Nearly five million people visited conventions in Las Vegas in 2022. That’s well on the way to getting back to pre-pandemic levels of around six million conventioneers a year.
Resorts World Las Vegas’ hotel room occupancy rate remained a steady 89% throughout 2022. That was up a whole 19% on 2021’s figures.
Like many Las Vegas resorts, only 25% of Resorts World’s 2022 revenue came from casino gaming. Clearly, it expects its own convention center will help boost room occupancy and revenues in the future.
Resorts World parent company Genting is hardly short of cash at the moment to make any expansion happen if it is approved.
The Malaysian-based operator is widely expected to be the beneficiary of an upcoming New York state gaming license, coming in at an projected cost of more than $1 billion.
Resorts World is also offering a $888,000 Experience Package for visitors to the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix in November 2023.
This will include VIP race tickets, $20,000 casino credit, nightclub experiences, a private butler, custom tailoring experience, and more.