Disclaimer: TravelZork Travel covered all of the non-gaming experiences for this visit to Fontainebleau Las Vegas that you’ll read about below. The property was not aware we would be doing a review. All gambling losses were my own. Be sure to contact us to book your next VIP stay in Las Vegas!

My first overnight stay at Fontainebleau Las Vegas was a mixed bag. Feelings ranged from dealing with new casino opening problems to I love this place! 

Fontainebleau is a large casino resort, and I could visit numerous bars and restaurants without repeating. I wasn’t able to eat or drink at every venue, and there are still more to open next year.

Fontainebleau is new, and not all processes are working at 100%. Resorts World had similar opening issues Resorts World did when we reviewed the Conrad Tower hotel room shortly after the property opened. 

The number one takeaway is to be patient if you visit Fontainebleau soon. On the bright side, the ATM/Bill breaker machines had more than singles like Resorts World’s opening weeks.

It shouldn’t take 20 minutes to order a slice of pizza but that’s what happens when the system goes down. The breakfast restaurant that says it opens at 6 am should be open at 6 am. 

The good news is that the slow week before Christmas allowed the property some grace while trying to get everything ready for the large crowds about to descend on Las Vegas.

Arrival at Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Christmas Stay at Fontainebleau Las Vegas and Valet

My visit to Fontainebleau started on Christmas Eve and ends the day after Christmas. I used valet, which is $40 on the weekend and $35 during the week. This fee is waived for Silver tier level Fontainebleau Rewards members during weekdays and upper tiers every day.

I was alerted that Fontainebleau has a ticketless valet system and was texted a link to retrieve my car upon leaving. The ticketless valet worked perfectly. All casinos should use this system.

Many people were working at the front desk when I arrived. Like most casino openings the property was overstaffed to make sure problems were kept to a minimum. 

Booked By TravelZork Travel – Fontainebleau Las Vegas VIP

I forgot that TravelZork booked me as a VIP guest so I approached the regular check-in desk. I was quickly whisked away to VIP check-in where my room was sorted – or so I thought. 

The keys to my 34th floor room didn’t work so I went back down to VIP and asked for a new set. Instead of sending me back to the room alone with new keys, I was escorted back to make sure the keys worked this time. I thought this was a nice touch.

The keys worked, and it was time to get this show on the road.

It should be noted that VIP check-in is not ready for primetime yet. Forget my key issue for a moment. VIP check-in has room for guests to lounge. However, the space only has pastries at this time and there is nothing to drink other than water.

The good news is that coffee and spirits are being added to the VIP lounge next year. This will feel much more like a true VIP Lounge when that’s added.

WiFi – 200 Mbps

After taking some pictures of the nearly 500 square-foot Bleau King room I tried to use wifi. Not so fast my friend!

The regular wifi connection wasn’t working. After trying to deal with this myself for 25 minutes I called the concierge and then tech support. 

The issue was remedied in minutes with tech support and I was able to access a different connection with blazing 200 Mbps up and down. Next time I should just ask for help. Anyway…Zoom zoom!

Bleau King Room – Fontainebleau Las Vegas

The Bleau King rooms are just under 500 square feet. The pretty modern room design feels like something you’d see on most HGTV design shows. Nothing wrong with that. Like the casino floor, the room is beautiful. 

There’s no desk in the room but the dining table and chairs get the job done for those visiting for work.

The main room isn’t large but isn’t small. It should feel comfortable for two people. It was fine for my Sunday football and Monday and Tuesday work days. 

The bed is comfortable and there’s plenty of room on the end tables for anything a guest should need to the bed.

The Headboard – Star Of The Bed

The real star of the bed is the headboard. Yes – the headboard.

Each side of this headboard has outlets for charging multiple devices. There are also buttons to control the drapes and lights. There are similar well-labeled controls on the walk next to the door. 

I’m not sure why but the drapes closed on their own multiple times during my visit. I wasn’t about to ask questions in case the spirits were listening.

According to the Fontainebleau website, the Bleau rooms only come with a Mountain View. We requested a strip view and ended up with a little bit of both.

Technically, the Las Vegas Festival Grounds and empty lot for All Net Arena are on the Vegas Strip. Likewise, I can see the mountains to the west. 

I don’t spend much time looking out the windows so this isn’t a big deal for me. The Gold rooms have views of the pools, mountains, and/or Vegas Strip if you’re looking for the best view.

The bathroom has an interesting large vanity-wide sink for two. While it’s pretty, this reduces counter space. 

Fontainebleau has its own branded toiletries. They smell good, but the moisturizer left me wanting for my Cetaphil at home.

There’s a large tub and a relatively small shower compared to Delano and The Cosmopolitan. The shower pressure is powerful, and the water heats up in no time. I’ve said it before, but a high-pressure shower is important to recover after a long day and night in Las Vegas.

Overall, the room is very pretty and comfortable. The 500-square-foot space feels more cozy than luxurious. 

Drinking And Dining Around Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau has 16 full-service restaurants and seven more dining options in the Promenade food hall.

I sampled a lot of restaurants during the 2 night/3 day stay at Fontainebleau. My only disappointment came when Vida didn’t open on time. Every meal was satisfactory or better. 

Let’s take a look, starting with in-room dining (room service). This is a dying luxury that can be crucial on certain days. 

Room Service (In-Room Dining) – Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Good morning ☀️ pic.twitter.com/gW7pgyt92A

— Marc (@MeltzVegas) December 25, 2023

The room is perfect for room service with the table next to the windows. Breakfast with a bright view and TV is always a treat.

I love a simple bacon and egg breakfast as long as there is coffee. The traditional American breakfast with a half liter of coffee and juice is $40 on the room service menu. 

Everything Was “Spot On!”

The meal arrived 10 minutes quicker than the 30 minutes I was told it would take. Everything was spot on. 

The table was set for me, and the cart was removed, and I was asked when I’d like to have the empty plates taken away. This is a nice feature, so there aren’t room service trays throughout the hallway.

More casinos should offer this service. The Cosmopolitan notoriously leaves room service carts outside of the rooms for hours.

Miami Slice

I love a punny restaurant name and Miami Slice fits the bill. The Promenade Food Hall pizza restaurant was the first place I visited to grab a bite

I don’t eat pizza often but the $9 Pepperoni Proper slice was delicious. The small pepperonis were ample and crispy. 

Pizza isn’t number one on my list of quick meals but I returned for another slice on my second afternoon at Fontainebleau.

Don’s Prime

The first full meal I had at Fontainebleau was at Don’s Prime. This is one of two steakhouses at Fontainebleau. Papi’s is located near the club on the second level.

Since I was solo for this visit I didn’t make a reservation and decided to eat at the bar. Dinner started with a $38 glass of Macallan 12. 

My $80 NY Strip was cooked a perfect medium rare plus.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a new steakhouse but this was the best since my first visit to Carversteak at Resorts World. The $10 macaroni and cheese was a perfect side. 

This is an expensive meal, but it was a good meal, and that’s what matters. 

Nowhere 

Fontainebleau is a massive property that doesn’t have much of a vibe yet. It’s beautiful but there’s no soul. That will take time to develop.

Nowhere Lounge is somewhat off the beaten path for most visitors. It’s in a hall by the hotel tower elevators on the second level of the property.

THIS IS A VIBE.

Nowhere is a large bar and lounge with live music every night. The band was playing standards while I was relaxing with a few drinks at the bar. The band said it would return with Christmas songs but I was a little too deep into the booze to hang out all night.

There’s plenty of seating in different spaces. Nowhere also has billiards, backgammon, and other things to pass the time.

This was my favorite space at Fontainebleau. It’s also one of two bars I liked enough to have a second drink. Prices are fair for the Vegas Strip. The glass of Angel’s Envy was $16.

Chez Bon Bon

One of the best things about Fontainebleau is the lack of Starbucks. There are numerous coffee shops, but I found myself visiting Chez Bon Bon because of the delicious La Colombe coffee. It’s one of the smoothest national coffee brands around.

While this is a 24-hour restaurant, they might run out of supplies late at night or not have enough at the beginning of the day. Breakfast sandwiches weren’t available the morning I visited. This turned out to be fine, as you’ll see shortly.

The Tavern

This is a bar and restaurant in front of the relatively small sportsbook. The Tavern is the kind of place sports fans like me will visit so I figured I should see how the food is.

The burger was excellent and I paired it with an Atomic Duck from my favorite local brewer Able Baker. I asked for a view of the Christmas games and was able to watch them while I was eating.

The view was obstructed slightly but there were only two games which I could see without a problem. This could be an issue on a busy weekend of football games

This is home to the only gaming bar in Fontainebleau and it closes at 11 p.m. I expect this will be one of the many changes at the property.

The video poker paytables are typical of most Vegas Strip bars. Comp drinks require putting $50 in the machine and playing max credits. The comp drink selection is fantastic and you aren’t required to play at a certain pace.

Bartenders come and go often and so do your tips. Just something to be aware of if you’re a heavy tipper when you sit down at the bar. You may not have time to create a rapport with the bartenders.

Bleau Bar And Collins

I wanted to get a drink at the beautiful Bleau Bar on the casino floor but there either wasn’t a seat available at the bar or the staff was too busy to take an order. That’s ok, it gave me a chance to try a different bar.

Collins is the bar just off the hotel lobby. I didn’t notice it when I arrived because VIP check-in avoids this area. 

I’m glad the busy Bleau Bar led me to Collins because I loved it. This is a nice, quiet, and relaxing bar and lounge just off the hotel lobby. I liked it so much that I had two drinks there. 

Collins is a great spot for a meeting or just a group who wants to hang out in a quiet non-gaming environment. It’s also the first bar most people will pass when entering Fontainebleau from valet so it might end up being busier than it was when I visited. 

I’m still curious about Bleau Bar but it’s so loud and busy that I’m not upset about not getting a drink there.

Vida

The website says Vida opens at 6 a.m. That wasn’t the case when I visited. I tried to get food at Chez Bon Bon but that turned out to be a cup of coffee to hold me over until 7 a.m. when Vida opened.

Once again, I had the traditional American breakfast. This was essentially the same meal as room service only it was $28. The price of breakfast includes coffee so this works out to be similar to other restaurants on the Vegas Strip. 

I was the second person in the restaurant and my menu didn’t have a menu. I was amused and enjoyed the basic breakfast.

Gambling at Fontainebleau Las Vegas

I didn’t plan on gambling too much during this visit. As usual, the first game I played was Pai Gow Poker.

PGP – Pai Gow Poker

Table minimums seemed to change often. I was at one Pai Gow Poker table where the minimum went from $15 to $25. I was the only person at the table and was grandfathered with the $15 minimum. The game above is the one traditional Pai Gow Poker table where the dealer cards are face down and players pay a commission on pushes. Most Pai Gow Poker games in Las Vegas are now Face Up with a push hand replacing commissions.

Craps and Blackjack

The lowest craps and blackjack minimums I saw was $15. It was $25 most of the time. I only saw $25 minimum bets for roulette.

Baccarat

Mini baccarat minimums on the main casino floor were $50 and $100. The high-limit games were $300 and $500.

There aren’t many video poker machines or electronic table games at Fontainebleau. As I mentioned before, The Tavern is the only gaming bar at Fontainebleau 

The Fontainebleau Rewards online portal appears to be slow adding points to the account. I had the same amount of points leaving as I started. There’s no accounting for how many points I accumulated from my time at the property over this period.

Random Observations From Fontainebleau

I have mixed feelings about Fontainebleau after spending 48 hours at the property. It’s usually somewhat easy to see the vision of a casino after one walk-through. I still don’t have a vision for the future of this property.

Frankly, nobody does. There will be changes large and small over the next few years.

There’s a lot to like, and Fontainebleau is beautiful. The visit was fun, and the staff was fantastic.

Unlike some of the newest casinos opening, I’m unsure who Fontainebleau’s customers will be moving forward. The Christmas crowd had way too many families and they’re never indicative of a hardcore casino customer base on the Vegas Strip.

What’s the Vibe? FB Las Vegas?

The number one question I get about Fontainebleau is what kind of vibe the property has. I’ve been to Fontainebleau twice for three days total and don’t have a good answer. 

The property is beautiful, but it also feels like an airport or mall at times. The casino areas are cozy but there are also wide open spaces around the property that feel cold. It’s almost like the building has too much space.

My visit was during Christmas, and there were way too many families for my liking. There were also a lot of people with dogs in the casino.

I like dogs but there were a lot. I played Pai Gow Poker next to a very good boy or girl. There was another being posed for pics playing a slot machine. They were all sizes and well-behaved.

One thought I have is that it would be nice if we could normalize casinos with fresh flowers. I love the fresh smell while walking around a casino. 

Fontainebleau isn’t the most intuitive casino to navigate. The casino floor is made up of circular sections that take some time to get used to. If you find a favorite game, make sure to remember its surroundings. 

It took me numerous laps to remember where the Pai Gow Poker tables were. There’s plenty of clear signage but dodging children by navigating the casino area was probably the biggest help in learning where everything was. 

Yesterday, I was reminded that the Cosmopolitan most people know and love today started with a focus on non-gamblers. It wasn’t until a new boss was inserted that the company slightly changed its positioning and welcomed all visitors. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see changes after a year or two at Fontainebleau.

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