New date for The Drew

There are some stirrings of life around the Fontainebleau/The Drew carcass. This week developer Steven Witkoff announced the hiring of Diller Scofidio+ Renfro architectural team to finish the massive hulk, with a new completion date of 2022. (We never bought into the previously announced 2020 completion date, so we applaud Witkoff for being reasonable.) No word on whether the ‘optional’ midair pool deck of the original design (which costs over a billion dollars alone) will be included in the new concept. “We believe Drew Las Vegas is set to usher in the next generation of Las Vegas resorts. It will be unlike anything on the Strip today—a truly integrated resort that brings together a unique take on Las Vegas and curated set of experiences from around the world,” said Witkoff, setting a high bar for himself.

“The team’s design approach was inspired by the multiple ecologies of Las Vegas itself—the dynamic and rugged beauty of the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas’ early adoption of modern architecture, and the city’s enthusiastic embrace of spectacle. The Drew will weave these seemingly contradictory conditions into a new quixotic environment,” Witkoff continued. Indeed, some would say he’s tilting at windmills and there’s not enough demand now to support another megaresort. But 2022 is a long way off and there’s no telling where our tourist economy will be by that point. The Drew will be DS+R’s Vegas debut (good, as we need some fresh breath) and one of its first forays into hospitality (not so good, as it risks failure on a colossal scale).  However, the firm has a slew of prestigious awards and commissions worldwide, which should allay any concerns.

While we’ve a reliable balance of supply and demand on the Las Vegas Strip of late, Witikoff has not seen it that way. “Robust demand drivers continue to create an imbalance of hotel inventory supply and demand,” he says. “The Drew is poised to not only capitalize on this imbalance, but also offer visitors a new marquee luxury resort with a distinctive, compelling concept.” If Witkoff can find a niche to fill, especially after the opening of nearby Resorts World Las Vegas, so much the better for him. (There does appear to be a niche in the middle-class bargain category but no one is rushing to plug that gap.) Expect The Drew’s 3,780 (!) rooms and 62 projected restaurants (!!) to come on line in 2Q22.

* Hyde Bellagio won a Las Vegas Weekly Readers’ Choice award for Best Lounge. That’s small consolation for a nightclub that has already been targeted for closure by MGM Resorts International. The move allows MGM to scrape partner Sam Nazarian off like a barnacle, undoubtedly to repurpose the space as an MGM-owned nightclub. After all, there’s still plenty of room in Las Vegas for people who want to drop $500 or more on DJs and overpriced bottle service. Maybe if MGM is in an acquisitive mood it can buy the Little White Chapel, on the market for $12 million, the place to make vows too hastily consummated, later to be annulled.

* Congratulations to MGM for snaring the NHL Awards, which will remain in Vegas, in their new home at Mandalay Bay.

* It’s lobbying day for the Culinary Union, which descends upon Carson City to support half-a-dozen bills, mostly dealing with health issues, as well as supporting Gov. Steve Sisolak‘s Patient Protection Committee. It’s nice to see the Culinary Union wielding its considerable clout on behalf of something other that beating up on Station Casinos again.

* Colonial Downs in Virginia is raring to go with historical racing, which will debut on April 23 with 600 Exacta Systems HHR terminals, the first of expected 3,000 to be deployed across the state by the middle of next year. And that’s just the Colonial Downs Group, exclusive of other potential providers. This is where I’d normally say that historical races are the first step toward casino gambling but Virginia has beaten me to it.