Wynn Al Marjan Island will open in September 2027 the first official month confirmed by Wynn Resorts as the UAE’s first licensed integrated gaming resort prepares to welcome guests in Ras Al Khaimah. The total project cost has risen to $5.7 billion, up $600 million from the previous estimate, partly due to supply-chain disruption caused by the US-Iran conflict.
Wynn Al Marjan Island opening date moves to September 2027
Wynn Resorts had previously targeted the first quarter of 2027. It now has a firm month: September. The update came in the company’s second-quarter 2026 financial results, released on 4 August.
CEO Craig Billings said: “Wynn Resorts, alongside our partners in Ras Al Khaimah, are now pleased to announce that Wynn Al Marjan Island will open its doors to guests in September of 2027.”
Billings had already flagged a “modest delay” in May. The September date shifts the opening roughly six months from the original Q1 target. That is a meaningful slip, but it is not unusual for a project of this complexity. Delivering a 70-storey integrated resort across more than 60 hectares of reclaimed island involves hundreds of contractors working simultaneously, and the regional context since mid-2025 has made logistics harder for everyone in the Gulf construction sector.
Good progress is being made on the interior fit-out of the hotel, and hiring is also progressing well, the company said. For travellers and investors following Ras Al Khaimah’s development, September 2027 puts the opening at the start of the UAE’s cooler hospitality season. That timing is not accidental.
Project cost rises to $5.7 billion
The total development cost has risen from the previously estimated $5.1 billion to approximately $5.7 billion. The $5.7 billion is the project’s full revised price tag. The increase itself is approximately $600 million.
Project detail | Latest information |
Project | Wynn Al Marjan Island |
Location | Ras Al Khaimah, UAE |
New opening | September 2027 |
Revised estimated cost | Approximately $5.7 billion |
Increase | Approximately $600 million |
Developer/operator | Wynn Resorts |
Project type | Integrated resort |
Rather than slow construction, which would have pushed costs higher still, Wynn chose to absorb the increase and maintain pace. CEO Billings reaffirmed strong confidence in the UAE and the project, opting to keep building rather than slow down, arguing that stopping construction would be far more costly than absorbing the increase.
Why has the project become more expensive?
Billings said approximately half of the $600 million increase is directly attributable to the regional conflict, including higher material and shipping insurance costs that required some equipment to be resourced or rerouted. The remaining portion reflects remeasurement and trade coordination costs unrelated to the conflict.
The cost pressures break down as follows.
Marine war-risk insurance on vessels operating in the Persian Gulf rose sharply after the US-Iran conflict escalated. Every shipment of specialist materials arriving by sea carried a higher insurance premium. Supply chains had to be rerouted or expedited around a disrupted Strait of Hormuz, adding freight cost and time to deliveries. Capitalised interest costs also accumulated as the schedule stretched. When a construction programme extends by six months, financing costs continue to accrue. On a $5 billion-plus project, those additions are not rounding errors.
Beyond the conflict-linked elements, a portion of the increase reflects normal large-project cost evolution: revised quantity surveys, trade package adjustments, and coordination costs across a workforce of thousands. The UAE real estate and construction sector has faced similar pressure across multiple major projects over the past year, as global logistics costs have remained elevated.
What is Wynn Al Marjan Island?
Wynn Al Marjan Island is an integrated resort under construction in Ras Al Khaimah, developed by Wynn Resorts, Marjan, and RAK Hospitality Holding. The project sits on Al Marjan Island, a series of man-made islands extending into the Arabian Gulf, and covers more than 60 hectares.
The project includes approximately 1,530 rooms, 22-plus restaurants and bars, a theatre, an events centre, private beach clubs, a tropical poolscape and a deep-water marina. The resort tower rises 70 storeys. Guest facilities also include 12 pools, a spa, a beach club, and a luxury shopping partner.
Among the legal milestones, the project secured the UAE’s first commercial gaming licence, granted by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA) in October 2024. That licence authorises regulated land-based gaming at the property. Gaming is one component of the resort’s offer, not the whole picture: the property also carries the largest food and beverage programme of any resort currently under construction in the UAE, with named venues including an Alain Ducasse steakhouse and the international debut of Delilah, the Las Vegas supper club.
Wynn holds a 40 per cent stake in the joint venture. Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding are the other partners. For readers looking at beaches and resorts across the UAE, this property will be a different category of experience from anything currently operating in the country.
Why Wynn Al Marjan Island matters to the UAE
Ras Al Khaimah has been building a distinct tourism identity for several years. It has mountain terrain, clean coastline, and a growing adventure and outdoor sector, none of which Dubai or Abu Dhabi can easily replicate. The Wynn adds something else: the UAE’s only licensed integrated resort with regulated gaming.
The resort holds the UAE’s first commercial gaming licence, granted in October 2024, in a region where gambling is otherwise prohibited. That is not a minor distinction. It puts Ras Al Khaimah in a different conversation from other Gulf tourism destinations, and it is the kind of offering that attracts a segment of international leisure travellers who would not otherwise consider the emirate.
Ras Al Khaimah recorded 1.28 million overnight visitors in 2024 and is targeting 3.5 million by 2030. The Wynn is central to that plan. It does not operate in isolation either: the emirate’s adventure tourism scene already draws a different visitor profile, and the two markets can coexist without cannibalising each other.
With 1,530 suites and villas, the resort will be the UAE’s third-largest hotel, behind Atlantis and JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai. For a relatively small emirate, that is a substantial piece of hospitality infrastructure.
What the September 2027 opening means for Ras Al Khaimah
A September opening lands at the start of the UAE’s high season. The months from October through April bring cooler temperatures and higher visitor volumes across the region. Opening in September gives the resort a short run-in period before peak demand begins.
There are currently 425 people employed at Wynn Al Marjan Island. Around 3,000 will be needed before the launch, with more to follow after opening. That hiring curve will accelerate over the next twelve months and will itself generate local economic activity as training, accommodation, and support services expand around the site.
For Al Marjan Island more broadly, the resort’s opening will pull forward demand for the surrounding residential and commercial developments that have been announced around it. Infrastructure already built in anticipation of the resort, including the AED 1 billion Wynn Boulevard roadway connecting the island to the UAE’s main highway network, is part of a masterplan designed to benefit from, not just support, the resort.
Those tracking UAE economic and business news will find this project useful as a proxy for how the country’s regulated gaming sector develops more broadly. Wynn has the only licence currently in operation. How the opening goes will shape the conversation about what comes next.
What happens next
The resort’s physical structure is largely complete. Work is now focused on interior fit-out: guest rooms, restaurants, the gaming floor, and public spaces. Wynn’s quarterly earnings calls will be the most reliable source of progress updates, and the company’s cash contribution disclosures will give a clearer picture of how spending tracks against the revised $5.7 billion budget.
On staffing, moving from 425 current employees to the 3,000 needed for opening is a significant undertaking for a hospitality operation that has not yet existed. How quickly Wynn closes that gap will indicate how confident the company is that the September date holds.
Regulatory watchers will track any further announcements from the GCGRA about operational rules for the gaming area. The licence is in place. The operational framework for how the gaming floor runs, including entry requirements and table limits, will matter to those assessing the resort as an integrated gaming destination rather than just a luxury hotel.
The regional backdrop matters too. Around half of the $600 million cost increase was tied to the US-Iran conflict and its effects on Gulf shipping. Any change in that situation between now and opening could affect the final delivery picture in either direction.
Final Thoughts
The key facts are now confirmed. Wynn Al Marjan Island opens in September 2027. The project’s total estimated cost is approximately $5.7 billion, up by around $600 million from the previous figure of $5.1 billion. About half of that increase is linked directly to supply-chain and shipping disruption from the regional conflict. The rest reflects normal large-project cost evolution. Wynn Resorts has not slowed construction. The opening timeline, while later than originally planned, puts the resort on track for the UAE’s peak hospitality season. For Ras Al Khaimah, this is the largest single tourism development in the emirate’s history, and the first regulated gaming facility in the country. That combination is unlikely to repeat for some time.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)n
Wynn Al Marjan Island is confirmed to open in September 2027. CEO Craig Billings announced the date during the company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call on 4 August 2026. It is the first time a specific month has been officially confirmed, after the resort had previously been targeting the first quarter of 2027.
The total estimated project cost is approximately $5.7 billion. This follows a $600 million increase from the previous estimate of around $5.1 billion, disclosed in the same Q2 2026 earnings call. About half of the increase is linked directly to regional supply-chain disruption.
The resort is on Al Marjan Island, a group of man-made islands in Ras Al Khaimah, the northernmost emirate of the UAE. The site is approximately one hour from Dubai by road and sits on the Arabian Gulf with direct beach and marina access.
The opening moved from the first quarter of 2027 to September 2027, a shift of approximately six months. Around half of the $600 million budget increase is directly linked to the US-Iran regional conflict, which raised marine war-risk insurance premiums and disrupted supply chains through the Strait of Hormuz.
Wynn Al Marjan Island is an integrated resort being developed in Ras Al Khaimah by Wynn Resorts, Marjan, and RAK Hospitality Holding. It will include around 1,530 rooms, 22-plus restaurants and bars, a theatre, spa, marina, and the UAE’s first licensed commercial gaming facility, granted by the GCGRA in October 2024.
