we take a trip to fountain blue.

Las vegas developers acquired land for the $3.7 billion resort all the way back in 2000.

Now, after multiple setbacks and owners, the 67 story hotel on the north end of the Las Vegas Strip is finally open.

About a week, I sat down with the CEO, Colleen Burch.

Well, congratulations on this opening more than 20 years in the making.

What do you think distinguishes Blue Las Vegas from all the other resorts on the Las Vegas Strip?

Thanks for being here and super excited to share our story.

You know, we are a fully integrated resort, tallest habitable building in Las Vegas.

That gives us a little bit of bragging rights that 67 floors up and meeting space is over the top.

And our adjacency to the west hall at the convention center across the way.

And really I really think sets us apart.

You know, the building itself is beautiful and our food and beverage programing is going to be over the top.

But it's our people that set this place apart.

Well, tell me more about that, because I know you are very unique in your hiring methods and your outlook on that.

Investing in culture and investing in hiring, making sure people are very good fit for our business was incredibly and will be incredibly important for our success here.

So we've coined the phrase that's polite with the personality.

This idea that you can you can offer great, great service.

But if we do a good job of getting to know our guests and we let our guests know a little bit something about the members we call ourselves members versus employees don't believe that membership is unique to somebody is, you know, part of our our loyalty program.

We are all members of Fountain Blue Las Vegas.

How many positions do you have left to fill?

How many have you filled?

Gosh, I think we're about 58, 96 in our member count.

And peak season.

So we've got the full season just right around the corner and they'll push us over that 6000 mark.

Okay, So that's what 6000 total is what you're looking for?

Yes.

A lot of people, members who are just so excited, open our doors tonight and really show this city what what it's I think, the best kept secret.

You now that outlook on hiring and your methods.

Is that something that developed as a result of properties having trouble getting workers to come back after COVID or is that something that's existed in Blue's long history?

Well, you know, when I joined this project in November of last year, you know, working with a leadership team and you know, our our senior vice president of people came over to us and was an exceptional partner in this process for me.

But coming up with criteria of what do we want in this building and what what is going to resonate with our guests.

We felt we needed to do something a little bit different than your typical career fairs and just allow in kind of a first come, first serve.

We really wanted to be specific about who we were selecting to join this team.

So what did you do different?

I'll tell you about before you before you even got to interview for your job, you came in for an audition?

Just a culture audition, we called it.

So we were gauging who you are as a person and, you know, trying to figure out, do you have hospitality in your heart?

And then if you don't, we we sent you we politely, you know, said it's probably not a good fit for us.

And then the second round of that was sitting down with leaders who needed to talk to you about the skills to actually do a given job.

But I'm a firm believer that you can teach the skills and and teaching hospitality is a little bit more difficult.

I mentioned the long history of accountability.

So the original location, Miami Beach, opened about 70 years ago.

Are there influences of Miami Beach here at this property?

Absolutely.

So I'll tell you what, Fontainebleau, Miami Beach will turn 70 next year and December.

So we get to partake in the 70th anniversary of such an iconic brand.

There are definitely some fall stories from Miami as as it relates to Fountain Blue Las Vegas.

So the columns that you see in our casino floor, those are the same lobby columns in Fountain Blue, Miami Beach.

We've got a blue bar here.

Everything in Las Vegas is a little bit larger, as we know.

So our blueberries larger than theirs.

But I'll tell you what, they've got a great legacy there in terms of who they have hosted and how they have made people feel.

And we plan to do that very same thing.

Will you tell me about this sculpture behind us?

It's a gentleman named Urs Fisher is is the artist.

And there's murals above and one on this other side as well.

And this is called this is part of his lovers series.

And this is the third lover's sculpture.

I that's about as much as I know.

I'll tell you what, I'm excited to meet him.

I think he's in the building.

I haven't met him yet, but I'm going to sit down and make him help me understand what was going through his mind.

I just think it's stunning.

And this welcome reception here in our south lobby, just adjacent to the West Hall and our meeting spaces just above us, I think it's just a stunning, stunning piece of art.

It does.

It starts with your tracks.

So 2008 is when construction on this property halted didn't resume until 2021.

How dramatically did the plans change between 2008 2021?

The bones of the building were still here, and I think it was a bit of a myth that this building hadn't been taken care of.

And all of those years, that is absolutely not not accurate.

So there is a there is maintenance in a way that that allowed us to pick up the pieces when our ownership groups came back into the fold in 20 and 2021.

I'll tell you what, it was really the design that changed a little bit.

So, you know, original design, there are some people in town, the Plaza actually bought some carpets and some of our furniture when we shuttered.

I say we because I was a part of this property for nine months in 2008 until it and told the property halted and in June of 2009.

But the you know the art that the renderings that that are our artistic choices kind of had changed just because the climate has changed and you know right I would imagine is there's pace of change now that weren't cool in 2008.

And for locals who have driven past the unfinished building for more than a decade, thinking of it as an eyesore, as a reminder of the Great Recession, how do you go about changing their attitudes or do you?

absolutely.

I think you'll you'll walk in the store or even drive by.

I mean, we've had a commitment to the exterior, as in as much detail as we do on the inside.

Amazing landscape and actually a beautiful art installation at the southwest corner, if you haven't seen that.

So I really just believe it will be one time in this building and then you'll say, Wow.

And finally you are contributing to the development of the north end of the Las Vegas Strip.

What else would you like to see here that will ultimately help drive business to South Blue Las Vegas?

Well, we've got a vacant lot adjacent to us, our ownership group talks, and I think it would be lovely if we purchased that land so that we could be in control of what happens just north of us.

But you would like to do something on your own over there?

Gosh, if we had our our our choice.

Yes.

I mean, is that in the works?

I think it's an idea, but I think that would be premature.

Okay.

Thank you so much for your time.

You're welcome.

Thanks for being here.