Wynn Invests in More Land in the UAE, Targets India

The Casino Giant Almost Doubles Its Land Ownership on the Al Marjan

Las Vegas-based casino and hospitality operator Wynn Resorts Limited announced strong Q2 2024 results and the purchase of a total of 155 acres (6,27,260 sq.m) of land on the artificial Al Marjan Island Three, or Dream Island, in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), UAE.

The US gaming giant is currently constructing its first beachfront resort and casino and the first fully integrated resort in the MENA region, the Wynn Al Marjan Island, in a joint venture with local partners RAK Hospitality Holding LLC and Marjan LLC, where Wynn owns 40%.

The project with an announced cost of $3.9 billion (₹32,710 crore) is taking approximately 85 acres (3,43,980 sq.m) of the acquired land, and over 70 acres (2,83,280 sq.m) of land will remain for potential future developments by Wynn or by “selected third parties” that complement the casino.

“We have banked land before in the US and Macau and are confident that acquiring the sizable Al Marjan land bank will prove valuable over the long term,” Wynn Resorts CEO Craig Billings commented on the amassed ownership of land on the island after the publication of the Q2 2024 results.

“As I have noted before I believe the UAE is the most exciting new market for our industry in decades and are confident in the demand and EBITDA potential of Wynn Al Marjan as it continues to grow,” Billings added.

With India’s Wealth Nearby, Al Marjan Can Reach Vegas-Like Significance

“Europe is an important market for the UAE in general. But, India is a huge market for this part of the world. There’s a lot of wealth in India, and that’s going be an important market,” Craig Billings shared the main points of Wynn’s marketing strategy in another publication.

The Wynn Al Marjan Island will be the first fully integrated resort offering luxury hospitality with licensed gaming in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and catering to large cohorts of potential customers.

“There are other parts of Asia that are big markets for the UAE as well, so it’s an exciting project. The catchment area is probably larger than any other project that we have done, maybe akin to Vegas,” Wynn CEO said and pointed out the international coverage provided by the airport in Dubai.

Wynn Resort’s expansion plans include investments in billions-of-dollars-infested Las Vegas, but the Al Marjan is the most promising opportunity for the company. “In terms of relative returns, I think the highest relative return that we can quantify now is absolutely in the UAE on Al Marjan Island,” Billings said.

A Landmark Tower is Rising to Honor Historical Navigational Beacons

The design of the Wynn Al Marjan Island resort and casino centers around a 300+ meter tall tower which will serve as a major landmark honoring the place’s history.

“Historically, the area around Ras Al Khaimah was a beacon for navigation and important trade on the Arabian Gulf. Early travelers through the gulf relied upon this tented settlement as a trade landmark between the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea,” said Todd Lenahan, President and Chief Creative Officer of Wynn Design and Development.

“We designed the 300-meter-tall resort tower with Ras Al Khaimah’s historic role as a great navigational sentinel in mind. We hope this becomes a new landmark, a new beacon, for travelers to Ras A Khaimah from across the globe,” Lenahan explained.

The construction is advancing rapidly and has reached the 15th floor and a height of 90 meters, “which is already the tallest building in the Emirate,” Wynn CEO Craig Billings told the media. The full height of 300 meters is expected to be reached around the last quarter of 2025, and the resort should open in the beginning of 2027.

The Wynn Al Marjan Island will boast 1542 rooms and suites, including 22 high-luxury villas on the island’s marina, a 15,000 sq.m shopping zone with top-class boutiques, a 7500 sq.m conventions center, a theater, a five-star spa and salon, 3.6 hectares (36,000 sq.m) of tropical landscaping, and a large poolscape with a variety of water features, pools, and private cabanas.

The first fully integrated luxury resort in the Arabic world will also feature a “curated collection of 22 dining, lounge and bar experiences,” each “presented in their own uniquely designed space, many with views of the beach and poolscape,” and all of that will be designed by Wynn’s very own team of designers.

Wynn Design and Development: The In-House Designer Team

Besides its affinity for erecting tall towers at the center of its casino resorts and spending heavily on luxury, Wynn is unique among the world’s gambling operator giants with its in-house team of more than 90 designers, architects, and engineers.

Set up as a separate entity, Wynn Design and Development LLC has been responsible for the design and development of all Wynn properties in America and Asia, including Wynn and Encore Las Vegas with a capacity of 4748 rooms, suites, and villas, the Encore Boston Harbor with 671 rooms, and the Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace with a total capacity of 1716 hotel rooms.

Wynn’s existing resorts collectively boast approximately 11,66,000 sq. feet (1,08,325 sq.m) of uniquely designed casino space featuring casino must-haves like Blackjack, Roulette, and other table games.

Wynn’s designers have had the opportunity to unleash their creativity under opulent casino-style budgets in dozens of signature restaurants, bars, and clubs, as well as spacious land and waterscape zones, convention centers, and exclusive retail esplanades.

“The same geometric configuration of the curved shape of the beach on the island is echoed through the podium structure, similar to a great opera house, creating majestic views of the beach, sea and the horizon. Every diner in the abundant restaurant offerings lining the beach-facing promenade at Wynn Al Marjan Island will enjoy sweeping views of the sea,” the company explained its ideas behind the design of the new project.

“We have spent the past year meticulously programming and concepting Wynn Al Marjan Island, carefully considering its unique location,” CEO Craig Billings said.

“I am incredibly proud of our design and development team’s ability to impart our legacy of rich, thoughtful design into a sun-soaked beachside resort that will delight customers, new and old. We look forward to opening Wynn Al Marjan Island in early 2027,” Billings added.

As Wynn Resorts rightfully claim in their press releases, “Having designed and developed iconic resorts on two continents, and now with another in Ras Al Khaimah, it is safe to say no single design and architecture team has had a greater impact on the creation of gaming resorts globally than Wynn Design and Development.”