America’s Most Awarded Resort: Inside Wynn Las Vegas

21.07.2023 - 12:41 / forbes.com / Tom Fazio

The Wynn Las Vegas mega-resort includes connected multiple lodging, dining and spa options, and these components collectively won 47 Forbes Stars in the 2023 Guide, more than any other U.S. property under one roof (very big roof). Forbes doesn’t rate gaming, shopping, live entertainment or golf, but if they did the tally might well be even higher, especially since Wynn is the only resort on the Strip with a golf course, an impressive Tom Fazio design. This is one very high-profile example of the unique assets that help set Wynn apart from all the other mega-resorts full of gambling, great restaurants, shops and shows in the city - but it is certainly not the only one.

I’ve been covering Las Vegas travel and tourism since Steve Wynn splashed onto the hotel scene with the Mirage, and I stayed at his Bellagio the first night it opened. But after he sold these off to MGM Resorts, he developed Wynn with a different spin on what was quickly becoming a cookie cutter model in the city. Instead of a big Strip attraction - free pirate ship show, free volcano show, free fountain show, etc. - to freeze pedestrians in their tracks and then draw them through the doors. Wynn was imagined from the inside out as more of a self-contained refuge, a mega-resort that was an escape from the other mega-resorts, and its founder’s strategy was to create a place where guests would not have to - or want to - leave.

Steve Wynn has long since left the company, and some of his ideas certainly didn’t pan out, like razing the golf course for a waterpark, a plan that was thankfully shut down. But after some trial and error, years of investment and improvements, and several very recent developments, the dream of Wynn as its own mini-city of excellence has been achieved. I have stayed here a few other times over the years and visited most recently a few months ago, following a couple of years of steady upgrades. I was impressed.

For instance, last time I checked in Wynn was home to two Forbes 5-Star hotels along with two 4-Stars. That’s world class for sure, but today all four have garnered the highest possible 5-Star rating, and many other improvements and additions have been made. But to me what is even more interesting about Wynn is the out-of-the-box aspects of the operation. Instead of a theme, Wynn has a personality, and that personality is decidedly classy. There are a lot of great casino hotels in Las Vegas, and several that I personally love for different reasons, but they mostly try to outdo each other on the same old things, and I feel completely justified in saying that Wynn has more unique activities and attractions than its peers, including several things that simply no one else is doing.

But let’s start with the awards.