Tilman Fertitta’s Las Vegas resort site now a parking lot as plans stall

By Yogonet Gaming News

Billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s plans to build a luxury resort on the Las Vegas Strip are on hold, and his $270 million property is now a paid parking lot, according to the latest local media updates.

Fertitta, now serving as the U.S. ambassador to Italy, has not begun construction on the six-acre site at Las Vegas Boulevard and Harmon Avenue, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The land, once home to a Travelodge motel and other small businesses, was cleared in 2022 to make way for a 43-story hotel-casino. But today, the site is home to a new surface lot that charges visitors $14.99 for up to three hours of parking, with no staff or ticket booths—just QR code signs on a fence.

Fertitta Entertainment, his namesake company, offered a brief response when asked by the Review Journal whether the resort is still in the works or if the land could be sold. ”All options remain under consideration,” the company said.

Fertitta acquired the high-profile parcel—formerly home to a Travelodge motel, souvenir shops, a tattoo parlor, and a Tex-Mex restaurant—in June 2022. He promptly filed plans for a massive luxury resort that would feature 2,420 hotel rooms, restaurants, VIP salons, convention space, a spa, a wedding chapel, an auto showroom, and a 2,500-seat theater.

Clark County commissioners approved the plans in October 2022. Demolition permits were issued the same day, clearing the way for the project.

In spring 2023, Fertitta appeared to be moving forward, announcing that seasoned Las Vegas casino executive Maurice Wooden had joined Fertitta Entertainment as president of luxury hotel development. However, by early 2024, Wooden had departed to become president of the newly opened Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

Later that year, Fertitta requested an extension on his development approvals. According to a letter from his attorney, Rebecca Miltenberger of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Fertitta was still ”diligently working through the development process” but would not be able to obtain the necessary permits in time. Clark County granted the extension, giving him until October 19, 2025, to begin construction.

Fertitta’s shift away from the Las Vegas Strip coincides with a major career change. In December 2023, then-President-elect Donald Trump nominated Fertitta to serve as U.S. ambassador to Italy. In April, the Senate confirmed his appointment.

Ahead of the confirmation, Fertitta pledged in a letter to the State Department that he would resign from his corporate roles, including at Fertitta Entertainment and the entity that owns the Las Vegas parcel, to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. His vast business empire includes the Golden Nugget casino chain, multiple restaurant brands, and the NBA’s Houston Rockets.

Despite the project's uncertain future, Fertitta’s property remains one of the most coveted parcels on the Strip. Located across from the high-end Shops at Crystals and adjacent to the new BLVD retail complex, its value and visibility are undeniable.