More than a hundred trees, including pine and oak trees, from the Stardust site were preserved and repurposed for Resorts World landscaping. Today, the Stardust's iconic marquee is on display at the Neon Museum. Its planned replacement, the Echelon, was never built due to the 2008 recession and the land eventually fell into the hands of the Genting Group, owners of Resorts World.īefore its demise, the Stardust was used as a filming location for movies like 'Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery' and 'Showgirls.' At one point, it was secretly run by Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, a crime figure whose story inspired the book and movie Casino. Lasting more than four decades, the Stardust became synonymous with a certain retro charm, but was sold to Boyd Gaming and demolished in 2007. Over the years, the property was scrutinized for mob connections, but expanded its presence on the Strip with the addition of two hotel towers. Long before Resorts World existed, the lot was home to the Stardust, which opened as a glorified motel with an outer space theme in 1958. Here are 11 things to know about the Strip’s first new resort built from scratch in more than ten years: Photo by Rob Kachelriess for Thrillist

It's here to change the way you look at Las Vegas. Yet ultimately, the legacy of Resorts World could be in revitalizing the north end of the Strip, while neutralizing the impact of the nearby Fontainebleau eyesore, if not quite erasing it. And let's not ignore the ambitious nature of its culinary program. The property has the flash and sparkle to attract out-of-town visitors, luxurious perks for high rollers, and enough efficiency and excitement to draw in locals. Resorts World Las Vegas is opening on schedule (tomorrow, June 24 to be exact) and-speaking in local terms-throwing all its chips on the table. But after so much uncertainty, the project finally gathered momentum and even a pandemic couldn't slow it down.

Between all the fits and starts, Resorts World threatened to be another failed project in a post-recession Las Vegas. For a while, the parking garage just stood there without much happening. The hotel has been in the works since 2013. With the exception of the T-Mobile Arena and maybe the High Roller wheel, we haven't seen something so new and dramatic on the Vegas Strip in well over a decade.

Casino resort world