Encore Las Vegas is a luxury resort, casino and hotel located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The resort is connected to its sister resort, Wynn Las Vegas, located directly south. Both are owned by Wynn Resorts and located on the former site of the Desert Inn resort, which Steve Wynn purchased and closed in 2000. Encore took the place of two Desert Inn hotel structures, the Palms and St. Andrews towers, both demolished in 2004. Construction of Encore began on April 28, 2006, the first anniversary of Wynn Las Vegas' opening. The Encore project, built by Tutor Saliba, cost $2.3 billion. It opened on December 22, 2008.