Las Vegas’ famed casino corridor is poised to get a big new competitor: billionaire Tilman Fertitta.
Clark County commissioners are scheduled Wednesday to consider the Houston mogul’s plans for a 43-story, 2,420-room hotel-casino on the Strip. Located at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, the upscale project calls for restaurants, convention space, spa, wedding chapel, auto showroom and a theater with around 2,500 seats.
It would also include suites and villas, VIP salons, and a bar and lounge for high-limit gamblers, building plans indicate.
Fertitta, owner of Fertitta Entertainment, purchased the roughly 6-acre project site in June for $270 million. The sale included a Tex-Mex restaurant building, a cluster of souvenir shops and other retail space, and a Travelodge motel property.
Sources previously told the Review-Journal that Fertitta was looking to build a high-end hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard, where he controls a corner plot with heavy traffic out front as well as megaresorts, condo towers and retail nearby.
“We have acquired a truly unique piece of real estate and are actively exploring this development opportunity,” Jeff Cantwell, executive vice president of development at Fertitta Entertainment, said in a statement to the Review-Journal earlier this month. “While we continue to go through the review and planning process, no firm decision has yet been made concerning our future plans.”
Fertitta, 65, owns the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas, though a towering project on the Strip would give him a big presence in the heart of America’s casino capital, albeit with plenty of supersized competition nearby.
His corporate empire spans restaurants, hotels and other enterprises, including the Houston Rockets. He has an estimated net worth of $7.7 billion, according to Forbes magazine.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.