There’s a little over two weeks until Encore Boston Harbor officially opens its doors in Everett. The president of the resort issuing a promise: they are not for sale.
Bob DiSalvio took NBC10 Boston on a tour of what’s dubbed the Harbor Walk – sidewalks and turf surrounded by trees, shrubs and flowers. It’s part of the 6.5 acres of public space around the resort. Once a contaminated industrial site, this piece of land is now home to the $2.6 billion resort casino in Everett.
“We really want to be able to show that we are a great corporate citizen,” said DiSalvio.
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. Within the last month there were talks of a possible sale to MGM. Asked how committed Encore and Wynn Resorts is to the community, DiSalvio said, “We are 100 percent committed and all talks of that are off and the property is not for sale.”
Wynn Resorts just paid the state a $35 million fine following the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s investigation into allegations of misconduct by company founder Steve Wynn.
DiSalvio says the culture of the company has changed.
“It really has,” he said. “We have moved away from a founder-led company to something that is more team oriented.”
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When all is said and done, Encore will employ close to 6,000 people. Many of them are already on site.
“We just want to finish up training,” DiSalvio said. “For us it’s all about making sure our team members are ready for a flawless opening on the 23rd.”
Finishing touches are being put in place. Construction continues around the clock.
“We are down to the wire doing some final details and finishing work,” DiSalvio said.
Ferry service from the casino to Boston will start this month.
The resort doesn’t officially open until June 23rd but nearly one week before that they’re hosting what’s called VIP preview days. It’s really a chance for the staff to get familiar and do run throughs with how things will operate.
“I don’t think the Greater Boston area has seen a resort of this caliber,” DiSalvio said.
