because of the lengthy construction schedule ahead. In response, Wynn Resorts reduced the share price to attract investors. Marnell Corrao Associates, which built Wynn's previous resorts, was hired as general contractor. Groundbreaking took place on October 31, 2002, with a ceremony attended by hundreds of people, including Nevada senators Harry Reid and John Ensign, and former governor Bob Miller. As of June 2003, construction proceeded on a 24-hour schedule, with rebar installation during the day and concrete pours at night. The tower was topped off in February 2004. As project costs increased, another stock offering in Wynn Resorts took place later that year to raise additional financing. Hiring began on November 1, 2004. Within three months, more than 80,000 people applied for jobs at the resort, which would employ 9,000. In total, the resort received 105,000 applications. As of January 2005, construction crews were working on a 20-hour schedule each day to get the resort finished on time. At a final cost of $2.7 billion, it was the most expensive resort ever built. Analysts anticipated that Wynn Las Vegas would launch a new wave of resort construction on the Strip. The resort was also expected to help transform the northern Strip and attract an upper-class clientele to the area. Several new Strip projects were announced during Wynn's construction, including The Palazzo, CityCenter, Fontainebleau, and Echelon Place. Opening and operation Wynn kept many details about the project secretive until its opening, granting few interviews prior to that point. He said the resort's features were difficult to describe: "That's the reason there hasn't been a lot of chatter about the hotel. It's not because we're trying to keep a secret. This is a place that does not lend itself to verbalization. So, when you start to describe them, you resort to strained attempts to communicate something no one has seen". As the opening approached, Wynn appeared in a commercial promoting the new resort, in which he is shown on the roof of the hotel tower. The advertisement aired during Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005, and was subsequently broadcast in Phoenix, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Wynn Las Vegas opened at 12:01 a.m. on April 28, 2005, Elaine's birthday. It was the first new resort to open on the Strip since the Aladdin in 2000. The public opening was preceded by a private charity fundraiser reception for approximately 2,000 guests. An estimated