Heart-Shaped Hotel Las Vegas: Inside the Approved SkyVue Site Resort
A heart-shaped hotel is coming to the Las Vegas Strip. Clark County commissioners approved the project on July 22, 2026, greenlighting a 29-story, 752-room resort on the long-abandoned SkyVue site directly across from Mandalay Bay. Developer Eli Applebaum, working through Kulik River Capital, will wrap the tower in a heart-shaped glass curtain wall with a full-height LED display, and finally clear the failed Ferris wheel pillars that have sat empty on the south Strip for more than a decade. If you have seen the renderings of the heart-shaped hotel Las Vegas is buzzing about, here is what was actually approved, what it will include, and when it might open.
We track every new project on the Strip because new resorts reshape where our clients stay and play, so here is the on-the-ground read on this one.
A Heart-Shaped Resort Is Coming to the Las Vegas Strip
The Clark County Commission signed off on the hotel-casino on July 22, 2026, turning one of the Strip’s most notorious empty lots into an approved development. It sits on a nearly 12-acre parcel that Applebaum purchased in spring 2026 for $70 million from the family of Seattle businessman Wayne Perry. The location is prime south Strip, directly across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay, and the heart-shaped silhouette is designed to be an instant landmark on a stretch of road that millions of visitors pass every year.
What the Heart-Shaped Hotel Las Vegas Will Include
The approved plans describe a full-scale integrated resort, not a boutique novelty. Early details include:
- Rooms and height: 752 hotel rooms across 29 stories, scaled back from an original 874-room proposal to meet Federal Aviation Administration height limits.
- The design: a heart-shaped glass curtain wall wrapped in a full-height LED display, plus a covered pedestrian plaza out front.
- Convention and amenities: more than 42,000 square feet of convention space, a gaming floor, multiple restaurants, retail, and a pool area.
- A restaurant in the sky: the old Ferris wheel support columns will be reinforced and folded into a suspended restaurant roughly 265 feet up.
The End of the Pillars of Sadness
The site has one of the Strip’s strangest backstories. It was meant to hold the “Las Vegas Super Wheel,” a roughly 500-foot observation wheel first pitched in 2011. Construction stalled in 2012, leaving a set of massive concrete support columns that locals nicknamed the “pillars of sadness.” They have loomed over the south Strip ever since. Rather than demolish them, the new design reinforces those columns and builds them into the resort as the base of the elevated restaurant, turning a long-running eyesore into a feature.
When Will the Heart-Shaped Hotel Open?
County approval is a major milestone, but it is the start of the build, not the finish. As of July 2026, the developer has not announced a construction start or an opening date, and projects on the Strip routinely shift timelines between approval and ribbon-cutting. The smart move is to treat this as one to watch: the design is approved and the land is owned, so the next signals to look for are a groundbreaking and a named opening window.
What It Means for the South Strip
A new resort across from Mandalay Bay adds fresh rooms, dining, and nightlife to the south end of the Strip, an area anchored by Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and the Allegiant Stadium crowd. When the heart-shaped resort opens, our team can fold it into a trip the same way we do the rest of the Strip, from booking the stay to securing tables at the surrounding venues. Start with our Las Vegas hotels hub for south-Strip options today, and let our VIP concierge team handle the details when the doors open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a heart-shaped hotel being built in Las Vegas?
Yes. Clark County approved a 29-story, 752-room heart-shaped hotel-casino on July 22, 2026, for the former SkyVue site on the Las Vegas Strip.
Where is the heart-shaped hotel located?
On the south Las Vegas Strip, directly across Las Vegas Boulevard from Mandalay Bay, on the site of the failed SkyVue Ferris wheel.
Who is building the heart-shaped Las Vegas hotel?
Developer Eli Applebaum, through Kulik River Capital, who bought the nearly 12-acre site in spring 2026 for $70 million.
What was on the site before?
The abandoned “Las Vegas Super Wheel,” a roughly 500-foot observation wheel that stalled in 2012, leaving concrete columns locals called the “pillars of sadness.”
When will the heart-shaped hotel open?
No construction start or opening date has been announced as of July 2026. County approval clears the way, but the timeline is still to come.
The Strip has a way of turning its strangest lots into landmarks, and a heart-shaped tower across from Mandalay Bay would be exactly that. When it opens, let Red Carpet VIP plan the trip so you see the new south Strip the right way.
Sources: Fox5 Vegas, Casino.org, GGB Magazine.
