The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the famed Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The casino is owned by MGM Mirage.
| The Mirage | |
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| File:Mirage hotel logo.png | |
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| Address | 3400 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas, NV 89109 |
| Opening date | November 22, 1989 |
| Theme | Polynesian |
| No. of rooms | 3323 |
| Total gaming space | 100,000 ft² (9,290.3 m²) |
| Permanent shows | Danny Gans LOVE |
| Signature attractions | The Volcano White Tiger Habitat Dolphin Habitat The Secret Garden Aquarium Jet |
| Casino type | Land-Based |
| Owner | MGM Mirage |
| Previous names | Sans Souci (1955) Castaways (1963) New Castaways (1967) |
| Renovated in | 2002 |
| Website | The Mirage's Website |
The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island, its sister property immediately to the north.
History
The Mirage was built by developer Steve Wynn and opened in November 1989 on the former grounds of the Castaways, and was owned by Wynn's company Mirage Resorts (later MGM Mirage). It was the first resort that was built with the money of Wall Street through the use of junk bonds.
Its construction is also considered very noteworthy in that Mr. Wynn had set a new standard for Vegas resorts, and is widely considered to be the father of today's Las Vegas. Prior to the Mirage's opening, the city was experiencing a decline in tourism that began in the 70's, especially around the time the state of New Jersey legalized gambling and tourists (in particular those on the East Coast) began to frequent the casinos of Atlantic City. Also, this was a time when Vegas was no longer considered a cool place to be so a new, high-profile, project was necessary to jump-start the ailing industry.
From 1990 through 2003, the Mirage was the venue for the Siegfried & Roy show. The two headliners combined magic and the use of wild animals. The closing of the popular attraction in 2003, after Roy Horn was attacked by one of the white tigers used in the show, impacted the Mirage for a while. Siegfried & Roy's White Tiger Habitat keeps one of the white tigers always on view.
In 1993, the Mirage hosted an extended run of the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle Experience in a tent in the Mirage parking lot. It was during this time that Steve Wynn decided to invite Cirque to create Mystere for the soon-to-be-built Treasure Island resort next door. Finally returning to where they began in Las Vegas, Cirque is bringing a new permanent production to the Mirage, LOVE. ref
In 2004 Danny Gans took over the main showroom and marquee becoming the resort's main entertainment attraction. In June 2006, The Mirage was slated for a massive remodel that will start in August 2006.
Attractions
Notable features include:
- Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat
- An artificial volcano along the Strip that "erupts" periodically during the evening. After sister property Bellagio opened, Wet Design, the company that helped create the Fountains of Bellagio attraction, redid the technology behind the volcano effect to make it more spectacular. To hide the smell of the natural gas used for the fire effects, The Mirage pumps out a Piña Colada scent.
Trivia
- Unlike the majority of major resorts on The Strip, The Mirage does not have a wedding chapel.
- The marquee in front of The Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.
- The poker room at The Mirage was the dream destination of Matt Damon's character in the movie, Rounders.
- The movie, Vegas Vacation was shot and filmed mainly at The Mirage.
- The Mirage appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in the city of Las Venturas, based on Las Vegas. The Mirage in the game is called 'The Visage.'
- In 1989 The Mirage was the most expensive hotel/casino in history, with a construction cost of 630 million dollars. It was reported that the resort would have to bring in a million dollars a day to pay off a 7-year construction loan. But in fact The Mirage did so well, the loan was paid off in just 18 months.