Echelon is a casino and hotel being built
on the Las Vegas Strip. Built by Boyd Gaming
Corporation, it will replace for the Stardust
Resort & Casino. Echelon has an estimated cost
of $4 billion with construction beginning in
2007 and the opening was initially planned for
in 2010. On August 1, 2008, Boyd Gaming
announced that construction of Echelon would be
delayed for 3 to 4 quarters due to changes in
U.S. economic conditions. Amid falling profits
in 2009, Boyd announced that the project will be
suspended for at least three to five years.
Echelon will be a multi-use project on 87 acres
(35 ha) with a 140,000 sq ft (13,000 m2)
casino, 4 hotels providing 5,300 rooms, 25
restaurants and bars, the 650,000 sq ft
(60,000 m2) Las Vegas Expo Center,
and a 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m2)
convention center. The Echelon Resort will be a
3,300 room hotel owned and operated by Boyd. The
other hotels are expected to be a Shangri-La
Hotel, a Delano Hotel, a Mondrian Hotel, and the
Echelon Tower.