American casino operator Wynn Resorts Limited has announced that it is to partner with developer RAK Hospitality Holding in order to build and run a multi-billion-dollar integrated resort in the United Arab Emirates.

The Las Vegas-headquartered firm used an official Tuesday press release to detail that the coming development is due to sit on the man-made Al Marjan Island and feature a luxury hotel with more than 1,000 rooms as well as a shopping mall and a large selection of meeting and convention facilities. The operator stated that the fresh property will also come complete with a range of ‘other amenities’ including an ‘exclusive spa’, a portfolio of at least ten restaurants and ‘a gaming area’ in addition to ‘extensive entertainment choices.’

Inaugural impression:

Wynn Resorts Limited is already responsible for the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas facilities in Nevada as well as eastern Massachusetts’ Encore Boston Harbor development while additionally holding a 72% stake in Wynn Macau Limited, which runs the 1,000-room Wynn Macau and even larger Wynn Palace Cotai venues. The Nasdaq-listed company declared that the coming Al Marjan Island development represents its first foray into the Middle East while simultaneously marking ‘the largest-of-its-kind foreign direct investment’ in the northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

Future formula:

Craig Billings (pictured) recently replaced Matt Maddox as the Chief Executive Officer for Wynn Resorts Limited and he used the press release to disclose that his firm’s coming Al Marjan Island venue is now scheduled to open in 2026 on an around 61-acre plot of beachfront land situated approximately 44 miles north of Dubai International Airport. The boss furthermore noted that the envisioned property is currently ‘in the initial stages of design and development’ and will be applying for an integrated resort licence from the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority.

Read a statement from Billings…

“Al Marjan Island is a pristine setting and an ideal greenfield location for us to create the one-of-a-kind guest experiences for which we are renowned. The region offers tremendous potential for the hospitality and tourism industry and we are excited about the prospect of developing an integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah.”

Extraordinary enterprise:

A project of the state-owned Al Marjan Island Company, the Al Marjan Island development extends around 2.8 miles out into the Persian Gulf and is comprised of four islands with an aggregated footprint of just over 667 acres. The man-made project moreover features almost five miles of beaches as well as 14 miles of waterfront and has been designed to accommodate up to 20,000 people by the end of the decade.

Prominent praise:

For his part and Abdulla Al Abdooli serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Al Marjan Island Company and he used the press release to describe Wynn Resorts Limited as ‘one of the world’s most renowned integrated resort companies’ in advance of pronouncing that he is now looking forward to leveraging the partner’s expertise to ‘raise the benchmark in luxury hospitality in the region and create exceptional value for the Ras Al Khaimah economy.’

A statement from Al Abdooli read…

“The integrated development featuring a world-class hotel, entertainment and gaming amenities will add to the United Arab Emirate’s destination strategy to attract tourists from across the world.”