Las Vegas casino industry veteran Bobby Baldwin has been named CEO of the Drew Las Vegas, a $3.1 billion, 67-story hotel and casino resort currently under development at the site of the unfinished Fontainebleau in the northern end of the Strip.
In a press release published this past Friday, real estate firm Witkoff announced Mr. Baldwin’s appointment. The long-time casino executive will serve as head of the luxury resort as well as vice chairman of the company behind its development.
Mr. Baldwin has over the years held many key positions at some of the largest Las Vegas casino and hospitality operators. Back in the early 2000s, he served as CFO at Mirage Resorts, which was then headed by casino tycoon Steve Wynn. Mr. Baldwin became CEO of MGM Mirage later on when the business was acquired by what now operates as MGM Resorts International.
In 2005, he was appointed as CEO and President of MGM’s CityCenter, a $9.2 billion multi-purpose complex located in the Las Vegas Strip. Most recently, he served as Chief Customer Development Officer at MGM.
Prior to his MGM roles, he had held executive positions at the Golden Nugget and the Bellagio, where the high-stakes poker room Bobby’s Room was named after him to celebrate his equally successful poker career.
A Leader with Unrivaled Experience
Commenting on the appointment of Mr. Baldwin, Steven Witkoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Witkoff, said that “as we were making final preparations for construction, we had a unique opportunity to work with a transformational leader who has unrivaled experience.”
Mr. Witkoff added that “given Bobby’s industry reputation and experience, we believe he’s the ideal individual to successfully launch this project and to help drive strategy within the overall Witkoff enterprise.”
As Vice Chairman of the real estate firm, Mr. Baldwin will “provide leadership and insight on projects beyond Las Vegas.”
Of joining Witkoff, the long-time gambling executive said that he is thrilled to be part of the team of the real estate firm and at Drew Las Vegas. He added that “Witkoff’s proven track record in global real estate development, financing, and operations makes this the right opportunity, particularly when combined with the introduction of the Drew.”
Drew Las Vegas will be a 67-story hotel and casino resort that will feature nearly 3,800 rooms and suites under three different brands – The Reserve by Drew, EDITION by Marriott International, and JW Marriott Drew. The resort will also have a 550,000 square feet of convention space, a collection of dining facilities, retail space, pools, different nightlife options, and a casino, among a number of other facilities.
The property was originally expected to open doors sometime next year, but Witkoff has pushed the opening date back to the second quarter of 2022. As mentioned earlier, the Drew Las Vegas development project aims to reimagine the unfinished Fontainebleau, construction of which kicked off in 2007 and stopped the following year due to the economic recession that basically ruined Las Vegas’ property market.
Soruce: Witkoff Appoints Bobby Baldwin Vice Chairman of Witkoff and Chief Executive Officer of Drew Las Vegas, PRNewswire
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the day’s top casino news stories
