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      Resorts World Las Vegas
        
                           NEWS   
  Remembering Stardust
 
 
Resorts World Las Vegas on track for 2021 opening		  
 
  Genting Group's, Resorts World Las Vegas is a $4.3 billion mega resort set to open summer 2021 on the site of the Echelon.


History up to 2020: In 2007, Boyd Gaming demolished its Stardust Resort and Casino on the northern Las Vegas Strip to develop Echelon Place, but construction was halted during the economic downturn of 2008.

In 2012, Boyd Gaming began negotiations to sell the 88-acre site to the Malaysia-based Genting Group. After months of negotiating, the site was sold to Genting for $350 million on March 4, 2013. On the same day, as part of its Resorts World brand, Genting Group announced plans to build the Chinese-themed Resorts World Las Vegas on the site, while using some of the unfinished Echelon buildings for the new project.

The first phase of the project totals 8,000,000 sq ft (740,000 m2), including a 175,000 sq ft (16,300 m2) casino spread across several floors, and a hotel with at least 3,500 rooms. The project employs approximately 1,500 construction workers on-site each day.

Groundbreaking was scheduled for 2014, with the first phase scheduled to open in 2016. Genting expected to spend between $2 billion and $7 billion to complete the entire project. Notable planned features included a panda exhibit, a 7.5-acre (3.0 ha) indoor water park, and a replica of the Great Wall of China, as well as 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) of retail space and more than 500,000 sq ft (46,000 m2) of convention space.

Since the resort's 2015 groundbreaking, there have been a number of delays as Genting continued changing design plans for the project.  Early renderings and details showed the project would have a "Chinese Theme". Those plans appear to have been reduced to something more subtle with Genting now describing the project as "Asian-inspired touches", "progressive technology", and "an interior color palette of warm gold and cream hues". The 2017 opening has been pushed back further and further, now expected to open in summer 2021.


Photo by Superfish

 
 

LED screen appears to be in the process of being installed on the face of the tower.

 

  Early Renderings of Resorts World Las Vegas
 		  
   
   
   
     
  Current Renderings  
   

 

 
 













All Construction on Echelon has been cancelled

Echelon is now Resorts World Las Vegas

On August 1, 2008, Boyd Gaming announced that construction would be halted while partnership financing was being restructured. - But this project sat abandoned for years and was eventually sold to Genting Group in March 2013 for $350 million. It was then announced that Genting Group would redevelop the project while incorporating most of the existing Echelon structures and the project would be renamed Resorts World Las Vegas.  But even under new ownership, the site continued to sit with no further development for an additional 2 years  The opening date was delayed several times due to redesigns of the project.

Groundbreaking finally took place in May 2015, and construction began in late 2017. At a cost of $4.3 billion, Resorts World would be the most expensive resort property ever developed in Las Vegas.

This is the stalled state of Echelon - 12/12/2008

Echelon

Gracing the 87 acres where The Stardust, Westward Ho and Budget Suites used to sit, The $4.8-billion Echelon was to be the centerpiece of the new north strip.

The project's plan was to have close to 5,000 rooms which was to be divided into five (partially separate) towers.  The main 2,500-room Echelon Hotel, the 650-room The Enclave (Suites at Echelon), and the 350-room Shangri-La Las Vegas will share one high-rise while the 860-room Mondrian Las Vegas and the 550-room Delano Las Vegas will share the other.

Several acres of Boyd's 87 acres were to remain empty for possible future residence towers. Each hotel was to have it's own spa.

All four hotels were to share:
- 140,000-sq. ft casino (the fourth largest in Las Vegas)
- 300,000-sq. ft. shopping venue
- 750,000-sq. ft. convention center (the fourth largest in Vegas)
- 30 restaurants and bars 
- 4,000-seat stadium-style theater (for resident production shows)
- 1,500-seat theater (for touring acts)
- The project will be completed in the third quarter of 2010
 
 

Echelon Rendering Evolution

          
     
New Echelon Renderings

The latest renderings show off more detail like, the illuminated sides of the tallest tower with what looks like backlit, frosted, white glass.  Gone is the LED waterfall between two main towers.  The Shangri-La is well defined as an appendage on the north side of the two main towers.  The Delano tower has a diamond pattern fascia. The most dramatic difference is the entrance to High Street (the retail mall). It has a very understated, sophisticated design. From the looks of it, there will be store windows along The Strip (just like the big cities).

 

 

 

 

The previous renderings hint at an LED waterfall between the two main towers.

The entrance to High Street looks a bit...well...pedestrian.


 

 

 

These are the first renderings of Echelon
which are sparse in detail. 

Echelon  News & Views


NEWS 10/30/08   Echelon's construction will be delayed through the end of 2016. The project may be downsized or built in phases.



NEWS 8/1/08    Construction on Echelon was suspended today due to the uncertain credit market and overall  economic conditions.  They hope to resume construction sometime in 2009. 
   




 

The plan (above) shows how the project will use the site. The main hotel tower, the suites tower and the Shangri-La hotel tower are part of the same structure. The Mondrian and Delano hotels are also attached at the hip. All these towers will have different heights, as seen in the renderings above.

The large surface parking lot should be just a temporary cover until phase 2 uses that space.

 


Viva McDonald's Opens

12/12/08 The new McDonald's called "Viva McDonald's" opened today.

The new 8,600-sq.ft. facility is rife with outdoor and indoor video monitors displaying "The McDonald's Channel" (snippets of the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel).

Other unique features include wireless internet access and a new line of "gourmet" coffees, lattes, and espresso drinks.

So now there's a cool new place to load up on hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup, yum.

Now, Boyd can destroy the old Mc Donald's and clear the land so it can sit vacant 'till who knows when.

 
Photos 12/12/08 by Pocheco


Hey, don't move my McCheese

McDonald's is moving out of the way of Echelon, snuggling up to Slots-a-fun (on the strip near Circus Circus).  Boyd struck a deal with McD's, purchasing the McDonald's land for $15+ million and selling them the other lot for 11.8+ million, giving McD's a bigger lot and enough profit to build a new restaurant (and a side of fries). This is a win/win situation, and with the new location so close to the original, McD's won't loose even a day of business.

The photo (below left) shows the new McD's rendering and the site (below right) graded and ready. Construction trailers are in place between the two properties.  The new McDonald's will be more adult, with a second floor WiFi lounge. 

        
Rendering courtesy McDonalds
Photo 10/18/07 by Aaron Auxier

 Photo 6/9/08 by frandoo4 shows
the progress.


 Photo 8/24/08 by Aaron Auxier
Mickey D's shaping up

   NEWS 7/24/07  Echelon Place is now called (simply) Echelon


Echelon Forest

So, what's up with the small forest between Echelon and the construction trailers?  Those are the transplanted trees that used to live around the Stardust.  The trees will be re-used in Echelon's Landscaping (waste-not want-not).  The palm trees are there too, just not in this shot.  Click image to enlarge.

 

Echelon Construction Photos
 


This is the last construction-shot of Echelon until construction resumes.

A nice aerial shot (looking southeast) shows the overall progress of the main tower which includes the Echelon Resort, The Enclave (suites tower), and the Shangri-La. The theater is pretty fat on the west side of the podium level where it will meet the convention center.
Photo 7/13/08 by Dan McLean

 

 

Echelon picking up speed.
Photos 7/12/08 by Mark Diederichsen
 

Two street-shots (far left) show Echelon's main tower up to the sixth floor. Photos 6/26/08 by Zach Henderson. 
The other shot (near left) is from the Echelon webcam from 7/4/08 
 

A rare view, shot from Fontainebleau (far left) shows the whole Echelon site. Photo 6/9/08 by frand004. Another view, (center) this one from Wynn, shows the southwest portion of the project. Photo 6/10/08 by Andrew Stoner. The third shot is from Echelon's webcam 6/11/08 at 6:30 a.m.

 

Shot from the parking garage at Wynn Las Vegas,
Echelon is up to its fifth floor.
Photo 5/2/08 by Jay Abramson
 

Scott Becker captures a close-up of
the northwest side of Echelon.
Prominent, is the Shangri La tower
Photo 5/4/08
 

A composite from Echelon's webcam (looking west),
shows the site buzzing with activity
Photo 5/1/08

 

      

Echelon is coming along nicely. 
This (split) shot was taken by Gary Wayne on 3/28/08
from the Palazzo.
 

Two shots of Echelon construction
(near right) by Mark Diederichsen 3/12/08
and a birds-eye from Trump Tower (far right) 3/16/08 by Aaron Auxier

Work on the first floor of the main resort/suites tower/Shangri La is underway in the foreground while the parking garage is being constructed far behind.
Photo 3/2/08 by Aaron Auxier
 

Things are bustling on the huge Echelon site (near right)
The main resort tower is taking shape (far right)
Photos 2/2/08 by Brian Fey

 

Five cranes, standing tall and waiting for Echelon to
start its vertical ascent.
Photo 1/22/08 by Mark Diederichsen
 

The tower cranes are being installed adjacent
to the main tower's foundation.
Photo 12/0207 by Scott Becker

 

The first Big Pour
Dozens of cement trucks take place in a 20 hour
continuous pour of the thick foundation of the main
resort tower on the Echelon site.
Photo 11/13/07 by Mark Adams
 

Finally, some rebar. Construction is
underway in this photo 9/30/07 by Erik Warnke

 


News 6/19/07 Echelon Las Vegas Breaks Ground

The next ultra-luxurious uber-mega-resort, Echelon celebrated its official groundbreaking today. Boyd Gaming also announced that the price tag for the resort has increased from $4 billion to $4.8 billion.

 

Older Echelon News


Land for Echelon
 Click map to enlarge

12/20/06  The image (right) shows the vast size of Boyd's 87-acre property.

All of the colored areas on this map are owned by Boyd. Mc Donald's was a holdout (a NIMBY), the property is most likely a hot topic at Boyd's Echelon planning meetings. Slots-a-Fun is a small, low roller casino (which is owned by MGM, along with Circus Circus) and is not available to Boyd. The Post Office and Fire Station are more of a feature than an obstacle.

A few years back, Boyd purchased the Budget Suites Hotel which abuts the Stardust property and will level it as part the first phase of the Echelon Project.

The former Westward Ho land and the thin strip (which was previously leased by the Stardust), were both acquired by Boyd in the land swap with Harrah's (costing Boyd the Barbary Coast property). These parcels will be used for phase two of Echelon.
 


 

 

News - Harrah's Gets Barbary Coast -
Boyd Gets Room for Expansion of Echelon

10/02/06   Harrah's Entertainment and Boyd Gaming finally agreed on the trade of the former Westward Ho and adjacent property for the Barbary Coast. In the real world, trading a 4.3- acre lot for a 24-acre lot 1.5 miles away, doesn't seem like a good deal but Vegas is not the real world. This agreement will be consummated in the first quarter on 2007.

This deal makes the most sense for both players. It gives Boyd 24 acres which are adjacent to the 63-acre Stardust and Budget Suites sites (which are being redeveloped into the $4 billion Echelon Place) for a whopping 87 contiguous acres. According to an undisclosed official at Boyd Gaming, the plans for Echelon will not be altered by the newly acquired property. That property will be developed as Phase II after Echelon is completed and used for staging during the construction of Echelon .

The deal gives Harrah's control of three corners of the hottest intersection in Vegas and the ability to move ahead with a more "lofty" master-plan.


Boyd Announces Plans for Echelon

1/04/06   In 2007, low rollers will have one less strip casino to enjoy as Boyd Gaming has announced plans to close, implode and replace its famed Stardust resort with a 5,000-room, 87-acre, $4-billion, mixed-use resort.

The preliminary rendering (left) Shows the placement of the buildings.

 Early sketch showing possible building placement

12/28/06 Windows are being removed from the Stardust to
ready the tower for its pending March implosion.
See more photos and the implosion video on our Remembering Stardust page

Click image to enlarge.
 
More Boyd Related News

 


 

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