LOST VEGAS: The Resorts World That Could Have Been
Posted on: June 2, 2026, 05:46h.
Last updated on: June 2, 2026, 06:00h.
Paul Steelman, founder of the Las Vegas-based Steelman Partners architecture firm, says he “feels sad” every time he enters Resorts World because it became “a lot less” than previous proposals his firm rendered beginning in 2012.
Appearing on the most recent edition of the On the Corner of Main Street podcast, Steelman said it wasn’t his choice to have the nightclub Zouk double as the resort’s primary entrance from the Las Vegas Strip.
Steelman said his dream — as well as the dream of former Genting Berhad CEO Tan Sri K.T. Lim — was Halo, a massive front‑of‑house attraction proposed in 2018 and listed on Steelman Partners’ website as “Resorts World Halo — Phase 2.”
The website describes the atrium front entrance as “one-of-a-kind Las Vegas destination” that “blends a VR theme park, fantasy waterpark, bioluminescent nightlife, lounges, rides, and unforgettable events.”
Steelman said it was “absolutely a spectacle, and it was approved by the board of directors.”
Steelman added that Steve Wynn was “very frank” about the Halo-fronted Resorts World being his only real competition in the Strip spectacle department.
“He thought (Lim) would be the only one on the Strip that could really compete with him, because he runs a lot of theme parks.” (Lim oversaw the master plan for Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park in Malaysia, as well as Universal Studios Singapore and Illumination’s Minion Land. In his new role as chair and director of Resorts World Sentosa, he’s overseeing the Singapore Oceanarium.)
Ultimately, Steelman said, just as his team submitted its drawings, “they decided to stop and add 1,000 rooms instead.”
Lost Worlds
Halo was part of one of many alternate Resorts Worlds. In 2012, Lim first envisioned the property as a massive Chinese-themed village complete with live panda habitat, a replica Great Wall, tea gardens, and red pagodas.
Then, Steelman said, political reality intruded.
“In 2012, China was on a good footing with America,” he explained. “And this was going to be a Chinese resort, no question. There were Chinese customers coming in, and (Kim) really wanted to lean into it.
“But what happened in 2016? Well, the president changed. Things happened. China became out of favor.
“All of a sudden you’re looking at a multi-billion dollar investment. You’re saying, if you’re KT Lim, ‘Well, maybe not.’”
Last Resorts
The $4.3 billion resort (built on the 87–88-acre former Echelon Place site, acquired by Genting for $350 million from Boyd Gaming in 2013) ultimately opened on June 24, 2021. The first ground-up Strip resort in more than a decade, it featured Zouk Group’s 75,000 square-foot entertainment complex — including Zouk Nightclub, AYU Dayclub, RedTail social gaming bar, and FUHU restaurant — on the southeastern corner directly on the Strip.
That was also a design created by Steelman’s firm, though he apparently wasn’t thrilled with having to remove all spectacle from the equation.
“It’s a shame,” Steelman said. “Resorts World was scheduled probably to be one of the most fascinating casinos.”
As it was being constructed, in fact, many confused Resorts World for a mere copy of the twin properties across the street.
That includes Wynn Resorts, which sued Genting in December 2018, alleging that its design was “substantially and confusingly similar” to the “trade dress” and architectural style of the Wynn and Encore. (By January 2019, the two companies reached a settlement: Resorts World agreed to add red and orange hues, and multi-colored patterns on the glass façade.)
Steelman ended his interview with a good word about Resorts World — not the version that the Strip ended up with, but the version it could still potentially become.
“I still think today with, all the master plans we’ve done and the front to create the shiny object there, maybe some more suites, potentially the south development is 11 acres, I mean, potentially maybe the corner of Zouk doesn’t remain. Who knows? I’m not sure it’s that popular of a nightclub.
“But at the end of the day, there’s something still there… And I think we all have to hope that this happens.”
Roughly one-third of the 88-acre site (about 29 acres to the south and northwest) was deliberately left vacant for future expansion.
“Lost Vegas” is an occasional Casino.org series spotlighting Las Vegas’ forgotten history. Click here to read other entries in the series. Think you know a good Vegas story lost to history? Email corey@casino.org.
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