Velotta at rvelotta reviewjournal. Follow RickVelotta on Twitter. Contact Todd Prince at tprince reviewjournal. Wynn Resorts plan to spin off Wynn Interactive with investor William Foley-backed special purpose acquisition company was called off, the company announced Friday. What will he do next? Scott Long was in town with friends for a poker tournament when he hit the jackpot at a Strip resort on Wednesday morning. By Richard N. Las Vegas Review-Journal file. MGM Grand under construction in July The banner in front says "Watch Us Roar in MGM Grand was the world's first combined hotel, casino and theme park.
The park opened to the public on Dec. By signing up you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The casino held four poker tables, and a sports and racing book. Even though the MGMs interior was rebuilt safer, Kerkorian knew that his dream would always be associated with death and tragedy. Seeing the Marina as a stable, solidly built resort, he decided not to destroy the resort but to build around it, making the Marina a part of his dream.
The acre Tropicana Country Club was also bought. On November 30, , the Marina was closed and on October 7, , ground breaking occurred to recreate Kerkorian's The City of Entertainment. On February 23, , MGM celebrated a "topping off" ceremony with the placement of the last panel of emerald green glass hoisted onto one of the story hotel towers. A total of 5, green balloons were released, each containing a gift certificate valid for one complimentary stay in one of the rooms.
The MGM Grand sat on approximately acres, with , square feet of casino larger than Yankee Stadium's field , eight restaurants, five lounges and bars, 23 retail shops, and , square feet of meeting space. When entering the resort, guests were greeted by the characters from the Wizard of Oz on the yellow brick road. Looking up at the ceiling one could see the silhouette of the Wicked Witch of West flying, and various jack-in-the-boxes on top of some of the slot machines would have munchkins popping out.
One could have a drink in the Center Stage Lounge. The Sports Casino contained horse-racing, race cars, baseball, football, and basketball. This sports book utilized state-of-the art equipment specially designed for the MGM.
Its bar was the Turf Club Lounge. The rooms contained lavish thick carpets, bedding, and drapes. Parking was accessed underneath the five-story domed porte cochere accessed on Tropicana Avenue. There was valet parking for 1, cars and self-parking for 4, vehicles. The video wall in the guest registration lobby featured 60 TV monitors screening original entertainment videos. The Grand Spa featured six Jacuzzi spas, steam and sauna, personal trainers, and pro shop. The following year, in , the company moved into a more familiar arena when it purchased the Desert Inn Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, 48 acres of adjacent undeveloped property, and the Sands Hotel and Casino from Summa Corporation, Hughes Properties, Inc.
With this foundation in the hotel and casino business, Kerkorian embarked on a path that would establish MGM Grand as a high-profile giant in the Las Vegas hotel and casino business and lead to the creation of a new breed of entertainment facilities in the country's gambling mecca. In , the first signs of Kerkorian's bold and ambitious plans became evident when MGM Grand announced its intentions to build a movie theme park and new hotel in Las Vegas.
At the time, the project was to include a massive 4,room hotel and an expansive casino--the financial backbone of the complex--but the unique component of the company's project was the theme park.
Hollywood-style studio theme parks were on their way to becoming the rage of the day in certain areas of the country, as entertainment companies concentrated their efforts on attracting families.
Although MGM Grand embraced the theme park concept perhaps more fully than others, the company was not alone in its attempt to attract families through the establishment of theme parks. Other Las Vegas hotel and casino operators followed suit, creating a movement that the Los Angeles Times would later refer to as the "Disney-fication of Las Vegas.
As the company entered the s, the Las Vegas project began to take shape, evolving from an idea on paper into reality. The complex opened in December , amid the fanfare one would expect for the completion of what stood as the premier hotel-casino-theme-park in Las Vegas.
The acre theme park, which was operated by MGM Grand Adventures, included eight separate themed areas based on the Wizard of Oz, seven amusement rides, five theaters, three arcades, and a host of restaurants and retail shops. The casino, featuring standard table games such as blackjack, craps, poker, and baccarat, measured , square feet and was not only the largest casino in Las Vegas but the largest in the world.
The hotel was not to be outdone by the stature of the casino. With more than 5, rooms, the hotel also ranked as the largest in the world, featuring luxury suites, 52 of which were two stories in height and included internal elevators, formal dining rooms, and dual master bathrooms, each with their own hot tub.
Aside from the sheer size of the complex, the sprawling Las Vegas structure was adorned with trappings to attract every type of customer. The entrance to the complex was dominated by a seven-story lion. Inside, a foot-tall reproduction of the Wizard of Oz's Emerald City created an eye-catching, fantasy land. Nearby, the theme park, with its lights, rides, arcades, restaurants, and shops, served as a welcome diversion for those not drawn to the ranks of gaming tables inside the casino.
While the Las Vegas property was working its way toward recording its inaugural financial figures, Kerkorian led MGM Grand in other directions and into other projects.
0コメント