These projects will change the look of Las Vegas in 2020
Las Vegas is betting big on 2020, when more than 15 projects — ranging from a stadium to hotel-casino renovations — are slated to come online.
By the end of next year, the city is expected to add 1,969 hotel rooms, bringing its total to 152,201, according to a March report from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Estimated construction costs for projects slated to come online in 2020 total more than $3.3 billion.
These additions could help bring more visitors to the city, experts say.
“I think people are more attracted by the chance to try something new in a place that they like,” David Schwartz, a Las Vegas historian and professor at UNLV, said via email. “It also depends on how well resort operators balance their new offerings with accessibility. … If visitors lured back to Las Vegas by new offerings believe that they aren’t getting real value, they may not return.”
LVCVA spokeswoman Lori Nelson-Kraft said the authority anticipates Las Vegas will lure more visitors in 2020 with the additional inventory of hotel rooms and attractions.
Las Vegas occupancy rates are already hovering around 90 percent, according to LVCVA data.
“The remaining question is whether the increase in demand matches the increase in supply,” Stephen Miller, the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at UNLV, said via email.
Here’s a look at some of the projects expected to open in 2020:
Las Vegas Stadium
The 65,000-seat, $1.8 billion project is slated to open in time for the 2020 NFL season. The new home of the Raiders will be located near Russell Road and Interstate 15. The venue includes retractable doors and a translucent polymer roof.
Next year the stadium also will be home to the UNLV football team and the recently reformatted Las Vegas Bowl, which will feature teams from the Pac-12, Big Ten and SEC.
The team’s corporate headquarters and practice facility in Henderson is also expected to be complete by the spring of 2020.
Circa Resort & Casino
The 777-room resort and casino in downtown Las Vegas is slated to open in December 2020. The cost of the 1.25-million-square-foot property has not been revealed.
At 44 stories, the property would be the tallest Las Vegas hotel north of the Strip. It’s set to include the longest outdoor bar on the Fremont Street Experience, five restaurants and a two-level casino.
Las Vegas Convention Center expansion
The second phase of the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion and renovation is set to finish next year. The center will be adding 1.4 million square feet to its current 3.2 million, costing an estimated $935.1 million.
The first two growth phases focus on expanding the property and are set to be complete by December 2020. The third phase, which will renovate the current convention space, is slated to be completed in 2023. The first phase — buying and demolishing the Riviera — was completed back in January 2017.
Caesars Forum conference center
The $375 million, 550,000-square-foot Caesars Forum conference center is set to open next year near the Linq Promenade. Walkways will connect the center to The Linq Hotel, Harrah’s and Flamingo. The space will have 300,000 square feet of meeting space and a 100,000-square-foot outdoor plaza.
Hard Rock Hotel renovation
The renovations to the Hard Rock Hotel — soon to be the Virgin Hotel Las Vegas — are set to finish in the late fall of 2020, according to the Virgin Hotels website. All 1,500 guest rooms will be renovated, and the property will create a 60,000-square-foot, expanded casino floor. It also plans to add restaurants and refine its 5-acre pool deck.
The property was bought by British billionaire Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group conglomerate, along with partners in March 2018. Reported costs for the renovations are about $150 million.
Sahara Las Vegas renovation
The Sahara Las Vegas first announced the details of its renovation plan back in January, when it was still operating under the name SLS Las Vegas.
The 1,600-room resort’s renovations are nearing completion; the rooms in its Story Tower are complete, and renovations in the lobby area are expected to be finished by the end of the summer. The property plans to renovate more rooms, corridors, restaurant and entertainment spaces and its main pool throughout 2020. Spokesman Christopher Abraham said renovation costs are estimated to reach more than $150 million in the next couple of years.
Abraham said the property’s offering and branding will help “generate incremental visitation to Las Vegas.” He added that owner Alex Meruelo’s other assets, including the Grand Sierra Resort, should also help drive visitation to the updated property.
Meruelo bought the property for an undisclosed price in April 2018. Since then, he’s cut costs, ending the property’s relationship with W Hotels and Starwood Hotels.
Downtown Las Vegas Expo Center
The $90 million, 315,000-square-foot facility is set to open in the summer of 2020 and will provide exhibit space for the biannual World Market, as well as trade shows and community events.
The center will include nearly 195,000 square feet of exhibit space that can accommodate up to 1,000 booths. There will also be a lobby area, a registration area, a shuttle bus depot, pa arking garage and “grab and go” food service areas.
The center will replace the Pavilion tent facilities near West Symphony Park Avenue. Once the tents are gone, the 21 acres where they stand are planned to be used for parking.
Hampton Inn & Suites/Home2 Suites
A $55 million Hampton Inn & Suites and Home2 Suites hotel is set to open in May.
The six-story, 2.5-acre project is located south of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The project will include 150 Hampton Inn & Suites rooms and 100 Home 2 Suites rooms, all under one roof. The project also includes a three-level garage.
Developer Daniel Grimm expects the property to drive more visitors to the valley.
“We want to provide a fresh and affordable branded hotel option for the expanding Las Vegas visitor base,” he said via email.
South Point renovation
South Point is slated to finish remodeling 2,049 rooms and 84 suites by September 2020, according to a statement from the company. The $40 million project began in April 2018 and will add new furniture and a new color palette.
Skyline Hotel and Casino expansion
The Skyline Hotel and Casino in Henderson is expected to add 41 rooms in 2020, according to UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research. A spokesperson could not be reached to provide more details.
Wynn Convention Center
The 400,000-square-foot Wynn Convention Center is set to open in March 2020 and will be located just north of Sands Avenue and east of the Wynn Las Vegas tower.
The complex will include 300,000 square feet of rentable space over two levels, doubling the convention space at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore. The space will offer a 20,000-square-foot outdoor events pavilion, a 83,000-square-foot ballroom and a 2,500-square-foot hospitality lounge that includes a video wall that stretches 72 feet.
Wynn Resorts also is reconfiguring its 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course, which will reopen next year.
Spokesman Michael Weaver said the costs of the project are undisclosed.
“The addition of meeting space at Wynn Las Vegas, and throughout the city, will ultimately lead to more attendees and increase resort occupancy,” said Chris Flatt, the executive vice president of hotel sales and marketing for Wynn. “Most conventions and groups have a stay pattern of Sunday through Thursday, which helps support a higher occupancy rate during weekdays as well as increase bookings for leisure activities as large convention groups look for on-property experiences to fill their downtime.”
AC Hotel by Marriott
The AC Hotel by Marriott, or a “comparable brand,” is set to be built on the corner of Grand Central Parkway and Symphony Park Avenue, near The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
Las Vegas city officials said in February the 406-room, six-story hotel is scheduled to open in the summer of 2020. It would include a restaurant, a fitness center and 20,000 square feet of meeting and retail space. Estimated costs are $95 million.
Downtown Grand
The Downtown Grand began construction on a new hotel tower in January.
The project is set to finish in mid-2020 and will nearly double the resort’s room count to 1,124. The hotel plans to build 405 standard rooms, 67 studio units, 20 one-bedroom suites and three presidential suites.
Harrah’s renovations
Renovations of rooms at the Harrah’s Mardi Gras Towers are expected to be complete by 2020, according to a March report from the LVCVA.
Showcase Mall
According to the report from the LVCVA, Showcase Mall is set to complete the fourth phase of a 20,000-square-foot project on Las Vegas Boulevard in 2020. The property is located across from Park MGM.
The property, which used to house a Smith & Wollensky steakhouse, was bought by the owners of Showcase Mall in 2017. A Showcase Mall spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
Google data center
A $600 million Google data center is slated to open in Henderson in December 2020. The project is expected to serve billions of users around the world, Google spokesman Andrew Silvestri said this month.
Last year the Governor’s Office of Economic Development approved $25.2 million of tax abatements for Design LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Google. The subsidiary will own the facility and is in charge of its construction, while Google will handle operations and hiring.
Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.