The design phase lasted two and a half years, and construction began on October 31, 2002, with Marnell Corrao Associates as general contractor.

Located directly north of the resort, Encore added a second hotel tower and additional gaming space, as well as several restaurants and clubs.

The Encore Theater has hosted numerous shows, including Avenue Q and Spamalot, as well as entertainers such as Beyoncé, Danny Gans and Garth Brooks.

[19] Three individuals in particular helped convince him to change the name: businessmen Barry Diller and Donald Trump, and film director Steven Spielberg.

According to chief architect DeRuyter Butler: "The name Le Reve is very closely tied to France, which was an opponent to our political approach to Iraq.

[32][44] Groundbreaking took place on October 31, 2002,[45] with a ceremony attended by hundreds of people, including Nevada senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, and former governor Bob Miller.

The advertisement aired during Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005, and was subsequently broadcast in Phoenix, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

[93] Air travel saw a reduction in the early months of the pandemic, and the Wynn resorts relied largely on drive-in tourists from Arizona and California.

[100][101] In 2023,[102] a tunnel was drilled to the resort for a future station of the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop, an underground car shuttle service.

New York architect Ronnette Riley compared the hotel tower to "a big UPS truck" and was critical of its use of reflective glass, which she considered long outdated.

[145] According to David G. Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV, "Wynn invested his very legacy in the new resort, and history will likely vindicate him.

[146] Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne negatively compared Wynn Las Vegas to a "midrise office tower in Houston, circa 1983".

[152] The front of Wynn's previous Strip resorts each included free attractions to lure pedestrians inside, such as an artificial volcano at the Mirage, pirate shows at Treasure Island, and the Fountains of Bellagio.

[30] In a departure, Wynn Las Vegas obscures its attractions to outside pedestrians by way of an artificial mountain, meant to evoke curiosity and lure people into the resort.

As of 2008, Wynn Las Vegas was the only hotel-casino in the world to have a five-star rating from Mobil Travel Guide, receiving the accolade for its Tower Suites.

[189] In 2000, Wynn's company, Valvino Lamore LLC, acquired 41 residential homes at Desert Inn Estates, part of the former resort's country club.

A dozen remaining homeowners declined to sell and filed suit against Wynn to prevent his redevelopment plans, and he sued them in response.

As owner of the Desert Inn Water Company, Wynn was required to have all his financial plans for the site undergo review by the state's Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

[193][194] A modified water bill was signed by Nevada governor Kenny Guinn later that year, eliminating certain financial reporting requirements while allowing the PUC to maintain jurisdiction over the residents.

[200] By the end of 2004, Wynn had tentative plans to eventually redevelop the golf course as a mixed-use project revolving around a man-made lake.

The project would cost up to $1.6 billion, and would include a hotel and small casino overlooking a lagoon, where guests could take part in various water activities.

[212] Commenting on Paradise Park, Maddox said, "We weren't really interested in building a large public swimming pool for the Las Vegas Strip".

[219][221] Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare imported 1.5 tons of seafood each week, and was among only a few restaurants in the Western Hemisphere to serve langoustine.

[219][232][233] Aside from Wing Lei, most of the resort's restaurants store their seafood in tanks located in a chilled cooler beneath the casino floor.

[277] Fashion designers Jean Paul Gaultier, Manolo Blahnik, and Oscar de la Renta also opened stores at the resort.

[22] The aquatic-themed show was directed by Franco Dragone, who previously worked with Wynn to create Mystère (at Treasure Island) and O (at Bellagio).

The former Le Rêve theater was extensively renovated for Awakening, which incorporates a new stage made of dichroic glass and LED screens.

[326] Wynn Las Vegas initially planned to build a third theater, on part of the resort's golf course, to host the show.

[336][337][338] Other notable performers in the Encore Theater have included Whoopi Goldberg,[339] Harry Connick Jr.,[340] Robbie Williams,[341] Jo Koy,[331] and Sarah McLachlan.

[349] In 2017, readers of Condé Nast Traveler also named the two Wynn resorts as the best hotel property in Las Vegas, noting the high level of luxury.