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The Fontainebleau Las Vegas Probably Won't Open in 2009

Just when CityCenter got out of the woods of tough financing, it looks like the The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is the next one to go down. Yesterday the hotel's developers sued a group of major banks for canceling a crucial round of funding.

The lawsuit, which was first reported by the WSJ, deals with a lot of numbers about financing but the bottom line is that the Fontainebleau is going to need a major injection of cash if it wants to open in 2009 or even early 2010.

Additionally, stopping the project will put about 3,300 construction workers out of work as well as prevent nearly 6,000 hotel and casino jobs from being fulfilled. And forget about watching the giant LED-type display on the side of the building or accessing in the in-room iMacs.

However, we're still holding out for a hero here. The Fontainebleau has already lined up some amazing tables from great chefs and has plans for nearly nine bars and clubs, a Lapis Spa and an "avant-garde theatre production." It sounds almost like The Palms but classier. So we really want someone to save it.

[Photo: Nick Barlow]