Zona de Azar USA – Fontainebleau Names 2 New Executives

USA.- February 19, 2025 www.zonadeazar.com A megaresort on the Strip announced the appointment of two high-level executives Monday, both of whom bring years of Las Vegas experience to the still-young property.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas casino-hotel hired David Willis as chief strategy officer and Kevin Sweet as senior vice president of slot marketing and operations, according to a news release.

“As Fontainebleau Las Vegas enters its second full year of operations, the luxury resort and casino is strengthening its leadership team with strategic hires that signal a bold approach to the future,” the release stated.

Willis most-recently served as chief commercial officer for Crown Resorts, an Australian gaming and hospitality company. Sweet was most recently with Rio Las Vegas, where he was the property’s chief gaming officer. Both executives worked at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas between 2015 and 2022, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

Maurice Wooden, president of Fontainebleau, said Willis and Sweet, “bring valuable leadership experiences and a collaborative approach that support our ongoing innovation and positive trajectory.”

The $3.7 billion Fontainebleau has gone through several management-level changes since it debuted in December 2023, including appointing Wooden, a longtime Wynn Resorts executive, to oversee the property less than two months after it opened.

“David’s strategic vision and global experience, combined with Kevin’s deep understanding of the gaming and luxury hospitality sectors, will assist our growth and keep Fontainebleau Las Vegas at the forefront of the industry,” Wooden said. “We are looking forward to having David and Kevin join our team.”

In addition to the upper-level shakeups, Fontainebleau’s entry into the Las Vegas market has been hampered by a mix of internal shortcomings, such as an underdeveloped customer database, and external factors, such as its less-than-ideal location for pedestrian traffic at the north end of the Strip.

In a recent interview with the Review-Journal, Wooden expressed optimism that the property was nearing the end of its growing pains and was closer to finding solid footing in the market.

“I think we’ve now established ourselves as a destination with not just great hotel or food and beverage or beautiful property, but it really is about the people that work here and in the service that they provide,” he said in late-2024.

The property was recently accepted into Virtuoso, a global collection of luxury-oriented travel agencies, destinations and high-end services.

Fontainebleau’s ownership group purchased five acres of vacant land adjacent to the casino hotel last year for $112.5 million, calling it a “strategic acquisition.”

Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com