Stage set for Encore's grand opening

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- At 8 p.m. tonight, Steve Wynn will open the doors of his latest luxury resort, Encore Las Vegas.

Next to Wynn Las Vegas, Encore is nearly a mirror image of the Wynn, from the brown glass exterior to the style and placement of the logo.

Construction began on the $2.3 billion resort in 2006, only a year after the Wynn opened.

The new Encore on the Las Vegas Strip (photo by Ken Lund)

Inside Encore, the new resort houses 2,034 suites -- 682 more than the Wynn. The Encore standard suites are 700 square feet, compared to 640 square feet at the Wynn. The larger suites at the new resort measure 5,800 square feet, 2,600 square feet larger than the flagship property's large suites.

Wynn recently slashed room rates at both resorts, to $149 for a night at the Wynn and $179 at Encore, with a $50 dining certificate thrown in. Wynn said in a recent interview with the Sun that when the company trimmed its room rates, the resorts received more than 10,000 room reservations in a day.

The Mirage's former resident comedian, Danny Gans, will take the stage as Encore's headline performer in February 2009.

XS nightclub will head Encore's nightlife and poolside party scene, a concept Wynn is banking on being the resort's top attraction.

Wynn recruited Victor Drai, creator of Tryst in the Wynn, to recreate the luxurious nightlife vibe in Encore with XS. Wynn said that with Encore, he focused on a younger crowd and nightlife.

"It's changed Las Vegas and it's a sign in the change of tastes of the younger generation that want to be part of the show, not in the audience," he said. "They want to be the actors."

Still unknown is the amount of gaming space in Encore. Wynn Las Vegas has an 111,000-square-foot casino floor but Wynn said gaming has never been a top priority in his resorts.

"In my business gaming has never been the driver," he said. "It's maybe been the best cash register in the building until the clubs came along."

Encore Las Vegas will feature five new restaurants, including a tribute restaurant to Frank Sinatra, called Sinatra, and seven bars, compared to the 22 food and beverage outlets the Wynn contains.

Encore Esplanade will feature 11 high-end retail stores, with brands like Hermes, and Rock and Republic. It also has a spa, a salon and an 18-hole, on-site golf course, which is adjacent to the Wynn.