I spend an embarrassing amount of time comparing luxury resorts after I leave them. It’s probably an occupational hazard, but after spending a few days at Fontainebleau for a conference, I found myself doing exactly that again.
Living in Las Vegas and working in gaming, I spend a lot of time inside these resorts. I intentionally check out different properties, because I think the only way to really understand a brand is to experience it. The funny thing is, after all that “research,” I still find myself visiting the same handful over and over again. That’s probably what led me down this rabbit hole in the first place.
I attended a conference at Fontainebleau that was exceptionally well done. I’ve been to enough industry events to know catering usually isn’t the canon event of the week. This was different. There wasn’t a steam table in sight. (Bless.) Breakfast was made to order, every station felt thoughtfully designed, and even something as simple as fruit became an experience when chefs torched warm honey over each bowl before handing it to guests. Dinner at Komodo was another standout. We had a large group, which typically means service gets clunky somewhere along the way. It never did. The food was excellent, the pacing was seamless, and the entire evening felt polished.
I also spent an afternoon at one of Fontainebleau’s cabanas at the Veuve Clicquot adults-only pool. By Las Vegas standards, I thought it was a great value. The setting was relaxed, the service was exceptional all day, and what was included made the experience feel thoughtfully put together. It felt like Fontainebleau had made a deliberate decision about where it wanted guests to see value.
Comparing Fontainebleau to Wynn and Encore almost felt unfair, because I don’t think they’re trying to accomplish the same thing. They’re both luxury resorts, but they define luxury differently.
For me, Wynn and Encore have become incredibly predictable and I mean that as a compliment. Arturo at Baccarat Bar remembers my drink. I’ve hosted birthday dinners at Casa Playa where the service somehow made a large group feel effortless and thoughtfully curated. I’ve been personally escorted into XS by the AVP of Nightlife. Zero Bond feels like another extension of that same philosophy. None of those experiences are particularly flashy on their own, but together, they’ve created a level of consistency that’s become part of how I think about the Wynn brand.
At Wynn and Encore, luxury feels rooted in anticipation. The experience is built around removing little moments of friction before guests ever have to think about them. Service feels like part of the product, instead of just part of the stay.
Fontainebleau feels like it’s pursuing its own version of luxury. The design is beautiful, the food and beverage program is outstanding, and every experience I had on property felt polished. The room rates are also often much more competitive than people expect for a resort of that caliber. Once you’re there, guests have more flexibility to decide how they want to spend. Maybe it’s a cabana. Maybe it’s dinner at Komodo. Maybe it’s the spa. Maybe you’d rather put the savings from the room toward another experience entirely. My afternoon at the Veuve Clicquot pool summed that up well. The price of the cabana was a pleasant surprise, the service was exceptional, and I walked away feeling like I’d received far more value than I’d paid for.
Marketing does an incredible job of shaping expectations before someone ever books a room. Once a guest checks in, the brand belongs to operations, the front desk, bartender, housekeeping, restaurant staff, pool team, and everyone else responsible for delivering the experience. Every interaction either reinforces the story the marketing created or changes it.
Guests rarely go home talking about an advertising campaign. They talk about the bartender who remembered their drink. The conference where the catering somehow became part of the conversation. The birthday dinner that felt effortless. The unexpectedly good value of the cabana. The resort where every detail seemed to be anticipated before they had to ask. The property that gave them the flexibility to build exactly the kind of luxury experience they wanted.
Those stories become the brand.
Every luxury resort has to decide what kind of story it wants guests to tell after they leave. From my perspective, Wynn and Encore have built theirs around anticipatory service. Fontainebleau seems to be building theirs around contemporary luxury, exceptional food and beverage, thoughtful design, and giving guests more flexibility in how they experience the property.
Marketing may shape the first impression. Hospitality writes the story people tell afterward.
