History
Steve Wynn first revealed plans of a 45-story, 2,455-room, and 514-foot resort and four-acre lake in August 2001. The project did not have a formal name and would be built on the site of the Desert Inn. The project's name was revealed on October 19, 2001 as "Le Rêve", meaning "the dream" in French.
To make way for the resort, the Desert Inn's main tower was imploded on October 23, 2001. The rest of the Desert Inn was imploded on November 17, 2004. The project included the redesigning of the historic Desert Inn golf course, which was renamed the Wynn Golf Club. The remainder of the property was acquired by purchasing private residences that were generally located along Paradise Avenue. While some owners sold early on, others held out. This resulted in numerous legal actions between the various parties. In the end, the site acquired totaled 215 acres (87 ha).
In June 2002, Steve Wynn filed for an IPO to help fund the project. Wynn hired Marnell Corrao Associates to design and build the resort. The resort was built at a cost of $2.7 billion, which made it the largest privately-funded construction project in the nation. The name of the resort was changed from "Le Rêve" to "Wynn Las Vegas" on June 23, 2003.
Wynn Las Vegas opened on April 28, 2005, the same day as Steve Wynn's wife, Elaine's birthday, the 55th anniversary of the original Desert Inn opening, and five years from the day Steve Wynn purchased the Desert Inn site. Early advertising for the resort featured exterior images of the hotel tower, with Steve Wynn standing on the roof, just above his signature logo. The initial commercial aired in some local spots during the 2005 Super Bowl, and eventually national spots as opening drew near. A "teaser" website for the resort included both the commercial and a "making-of" video.
The hotel runs a monthly magazine, called "WYNN", and is available in all guest rooms at both Wynn and Encore, as well as online at www.visitwynn.com.
On May 12 and 13, 2007, Wynn dealers voted 444–149 in favor of representation by the Transportation Workers Union. The vote is a result of controversial policy changes made by Wynn to share tips with floor staff.
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