Operator News

US – Fontainebleau names raft of interior and exterior architects to bring project to luxury

By Phil - 8 September 2023

With the $3.8bn Fontainebleau Las Vegas set to open on the Las Vegas Strip in December, its developers Fontainebleau Development and Kock Real Estate have revealed its interior and exterior architects.

These include the Carlos Zapata Studio, David Collins Studio, Rockwell Group, Lissoni & Partners, Jeff Leatham, Lifescapes International, and Jeffrey Beers International.

The 67-story luxury resort will have 3,644 rooms and suites, a 150,000-plus-square-foot casino, 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, plus restaurants, nightlife, retail, pools, and spa.

“As we look to create an era-defining moment in Las Vegas history, together with our team and Fontainebleau Development’s Chief Brand and Design Officer Peter Arnell, we’re working to ensure that we’re executing on the vision our CEO, Jeffrey Soffer, set forth for the property,” said Fontainebleau Development President Brett Mufson. “This dream could be realized only by partnering with designers that bring an unrivaled depth of knowledge and skill to the project, and a shared history of successful collaborations with Fontainebleau Development.”

Fontainebleau Development has hired David Collins Studio, fronted by the design firm’s Chief Creative Officer Simon Rawlings, to lead the design concept.

Mr. Muson added: “Simon and the David Collins Studio team understand our brand and have laid the foundation for us to create an aesthetic that honors the legacy of Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s original architect, Morris Lapidus, while looking to the future to bring the next era of luxury hospitality to Las Vegas,” Mufson said.

Mr. Rawlings said: “Throughout Fontainebleau Las Vegas, you’ll find monumental spaces that feature spatial forms, materials, and finishes echoing Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s design language. Icons and symbols effortlessly incorporated into the design represent the history and personality, balanced by modern touches and details geared toward Fontainebleau Las Vegas’s discerning global travelers.”

“From a creative and design perspective, no one knows the brand better,” Mr. Mufson added. “Peter has been passionately involved with Fontainebleau Las Vegas since the project’s inception and he brings an exceptional dedication and expertise. He’s been pivotal in sculpting the brand and design experience to deliver a resort unlike any other. John, who began consulting on the project in 2008 before officially joining Fontainebleau Development in 2016, has done an outstanding job of bringing our vision for the property to life through incredible design, while also working closely with our partners through each of their areas of expertise.”

“One of Morris Lapidus’s best-known quotes is, ‘If you create a stage setting and it is grand, everyone who enters will play their part.’ This motto influenced our choices at every instance,” Mr. Rawlins said. “However, we strove to achieve these notions without replicating what exists in Miami. This design will usher in the next generation for the Fontainebleau brand.”

David Rockwell, Founder and President of Rockwell Group, said: “Our design reflects the excitement and glamor of Fontainebleau’s original mid-century Miami Beach home, reinvented for today’s Las Vegas. We’ve created a dynamic set of spaces that offer guests a journey of discovery, celebration, and relaxation.”