A sister property, Encore Las Vegas, was opened by Wynn Resorts in December 2008. At the time, its 45-story hotel tower was the tallest building in Nevada. At a cost of $2.7 billion, Wynn Las Vegas was the most expensive resort ever built, beating Wynn's $1.6 billion Bellagio, which opened on the Strip in 1998.
The design phase lasted two and a half years, and construction began on October 31, 2002, with Marnell Corrao Associates as general contractor. Casino developer Steve Wynn purchased and closed the Desert Inn during 2000, with plans to build a new resort on the site. It is owned and operated by Wynn Resorts, and was built on the former site of the Desert Inn resort, which opened in 1950. Wynn Las Vegas, often simply referred to as Wynn, is a luxury resort and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.
