Wynn Resorts' newest signature hotel, Encore, at press time was set to open on December 22 next door to flagship property Wynn Las Vegas. The 50-story-high resort will have its own collection of suites, dining options, and leisure activities. Guests will be able to sample the property's five restaurants, 11 retail outlets, nightclub (XS), and a spa and salon. The hotel centers around a European-inspired pool area and atrium, and will include a total of 2,034 suites. The resort's 60,000 square feet of event space encompass a column-free ballroom as well as multiple private boardrooms. Meetings at Encore also have access to an additional 200,000 square feet of space at Wynn Las Vegas, which is connected to the new property.

Venue Updates

Gaming News

M Resort
Las Vegas

The News: New $1 billion resort, spa, and casino

Specs: The resort will have 390 guest rooms, nine restaurants, a wine cellar and tasting room, more than 60,000 square feet of meeting space, a 23,000-square-foot spa and fitness center, a 100,000-square-foot pool and events piazza, and 92,000 square feet of casino space.

Time Frame: Completion in March

Extra: Plans include a shopping mall attached to the resort to open in 2011 as well as a 63,000-square-foot movie theater with 14 screens and 3,100 seats.

Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
Dover, Del.

The News: Recent expansion to 500 guest rooms and suites; new meeting space brings the total to 35,000 square feet, including a ballroom, exhibit space, and breakout rooms. The Bali-inspired Toppers Spa/Salon has eight treatment rooms.

Extra: A $50 million, 70,000-square-foot expansion called The Colonnade is nearing completion, making way for 500 new slot machines.

Tulalip Resort Casino
Seattle, Wash.

The News: A new hotel and spa opened at the property last summer.

Specs: Offers 370 guest rooms; 30,000 square feet of meeting space (including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom); the 14,000-square-foot T Spa, featuring group treatment rooms; and four restaurants

Tropicana
Atlantic City, N.J.

The News: Havana Rooftop Slots opened this year.

Specs: This 3,000-square-foot section of the casino is what Tropicana calls “an all-encompassing themed slot environment.” There are hand-painted murals, ergonomic seating at the slots, and authentic Cuban music. The area overlooks the gaming floor. Tropicana has 147,240 square feet of gaming space.

MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort Casino
Mashantucket, Conn.

The News: The $700 million MGM Grand opened in spring 2008 as a stand-alone hotel connected to Foxwoods Resort Casino.

Specs: A total of 825 guest rooms and suites range from 388 square feet in the standard guest room to 2,352 square feet in the two chairman suites. The 50,000-square-foot pillarless ballroom is part of the resort's 115,000 square feet of meeting and event space. Together, Foxwoods and MGM Grand offer 170,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Extra: A 21,000-square-foot spa with 14 treatment rooms, a 4,000-seat theater with top-notch entertainment, and four restaurants. Shrine — a nightclub, Asian kitchen, and lounge — is billed as the Grand's “hub of nightlife.”

News Makers:

• The JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE, opening in March 2010, has named Peter Psihas director of group sales. He most recently served as the director of sales and marketing for the Blackstone Renaissance Hotel in Chicago.

• Loews Miami Beach Hotel has named Eric Gavin as director of sales and marketing. Gavin was formerly director of sales and marketing for The Grove Isle Hotel and Spa in Miami Beach.

• The Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort, in Nassau, Bahamas, has appointed Todd Hunter to the position of director of group sales. Hunter previously served as director of sales and marketing at The Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas.

• Las Vegas Meetings by Harrah's Entertainment has promoted Jordan Clark to vice president of sales for the company's seven properties: Bally's Las Vegas, Caesars Palace, Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah's Las Vegas, Imperial Palace Las Vegas, Paris Las Vegas, and Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.