The project was announced in July 2002 and is named after the nearby Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The project initially was to include a 23-story, 300-foot hotel tower with 1,000 rooms, as well as timeshare buildings that would be added in a future phase. In October 2003, the project received opposition from people who believed that it would harm the quality of life for Summerlin residents and that it would destroy the views of Red Rock Canyon. A compromise was ultimately reached in January 2004, reducing the hotel tower to 198 feet while removing the timeshare aspect entirely.