The Mirage

The Mirage Resort and Casino
Location	Las Vegas Strip, Paradise, Nevada
Address	3400 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Opening date	November 22, 1989 (November 22, 1989)
Theme	Polynesia
No. of rooms	3,044
Total gaming space	100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2)
Permanent shows	Terry Fator The Beatles: LOVE
Signature attractions	The Volcano Dolphin Habitat The Secret Garden
Notable restaurants	Japonais STACK Fin TOM COLICCHIO'S HERITAGE STEAK Portofino Samba Brazilian Steakhouse
Owner	MGM Resorts International
Architect	Joel Bergman
Coordinates	36°07′16″N 115°10′31″W / 36.12111°N 115.17528°W / 36.12111; -115.17528Coordinates: 36°07′16″N 115°10′31″W / 36.12111°N 115.17528°W / 36.12111; -115.17528
Website	mirage.com

The Mirage is a 3,044 room Polynesian-themed resort and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The resort was built by developer Steve Wynn and is currently owned and operated by MGM Resorts International.

The original marquee sign in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world. The resort is connected by a free tram to the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino neighboring the hotel's property to the north.

History

Construction

Built environment: The Mirage seen from The Venetian, 2008, showcasing the Beatles-themed Love show.

The Mirage was built by developer Steve Wynn and designed by Joel Bergman and Roger Thomas.^[1] It was built on the site formerly occupied by the Castaways and prior to that, the Red Rooster Nite Club.

The Mirage was proposed with an initial cost of $565 million.^[2] Financier Michael Milken helped finance the project by selling $525 million worth of mortgage bonds.^[3] The Mirage was the first resort that was built with the money of Wall Street through the use of junk bonds. The project went over budget,^[2] and was the most expensive hotel-casino in history, with a construction cost of US $630 million.^[4] The hotel's distinctive gold windows get their color from actual gold dust used in the tinting process.

The Mirage's construction is considered noteworthy in that 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 1970s, especially around the time that 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 Las Vegas was no longer considered a fashionable destination, so a new, high-profile, project was necessary to jump-start the ailing industry.^[2] Wynn planned for the resort to feature boxing matches to compete against the Las Vegas Hilton and the adjacent Caesars Palace.^[5]

Name

Wynn initially considered naming the resort the Golden Nugget,^[2] after his Golden Nugget hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas. However, Wynn and others involved with the new resort knew that it would need a different name; otherwise, they believed that the two properties would become known as "the old one" and "the new one." Wynn chose "The Mirage" because of the resort's South Pacific theme. In 1988, to avoid confusion, Wynn purchased the rights to the Mirage name from two other businesses, the La Mirage Casino and the Mirage Motel. Both businesses received $250,000 to change their names.^[5][2]

Early years

A white tiger in the Mirage habitat.

The Mirage, initially scheduled for an opening in early December 1989,^[5] was opened early on November 22, 1989.^[2] At the time of its opening, The Mirage was the largest hotel in the world, with 3,044 rooms. The hotel tower, standing 29 stories, was built out in a Y-shape design, a concept that was later copied by Las Vegas' Treasure Island, Monte Carlo, and Mandalay Bay resorts. The hotel's top five floors were used exclusively for high roller rooms and penthouse suites. The Mirage was the first new resort to be built on the Las Vegas Strip in 16 years,^[3] after the completion of the MGM Grand in 1973.^[2] When it opened, The Mirage was the first casino to use security cameras full-time on all table games.^[6]

Starting in February 1990, The Mirage was the venue for the Siegfried & Roy show, held in the resort's 1,500-seat showroom.^[3] The two headliners combined magic and the use of wild animals. The show closed in 2003 after performer Roy Horn was bitten and injured by one of the white tigers used in the show.

In 1993, The Mirage hosted an extended run of the Cirque du Soleil show Nouvelle Expérience in a tent in The Mirage parking lot. It was during this time that Steve Wynn decided to invite Cirque to create Mystère for the soon-to-be-built Treasure Island resort next door. Finally returning to where they began in Las Vegas, Cirque du Soleil has a permanent production at The Mirage, LOVE.^[7]

As of 1999, The Mirage had 6,000 employees. At that time, Wynn was investing $100 million into the resort to build two theaters and to add 130,000 sq ft (12,000 m²) of convention space. The money was also to be used to have Danny Gans start performing at the resort starting in March 2000. At the time, Gans performed at the Rio Hotel and Casino.^[2]

Gans took over the marquee in 2004, becoming the resort's main entertainment attraction. In December 2006, the Beatles-themed REVOLUTION ultra-lounge opened. It was the first time Cirque du Soleil was involved in the development of a nightlife venue, operated by The Light Group.

Recent years

Gans left The Mirage in February 2009 to star in a show at the Encore Las Vegas.^[8] In 2009, ventriloquist and 2007 America's Got Talent winner Terry Fator began a 5-year run at the hotel. Also in 2009, The Mirage was featured on The Amazing Race 15, where one team member had to bungee the other into the air to grab a bouquet of flowers presented in the Love theater.

In November 2012 The Mirage casino became the second Las Vegas casino to offer Geoff Hall's Blackjack variant Free Bet Blackjack, after the Golden Nugget Casino.^[9] In 2014, The Mirage was featured in The Amazing Race 24, where teams had to replace the lightbulbs in the letter 'I' in 'Mirage'.

In 2015 MGM Resorts International announced that it would place the Mirage and other properties into a real estate investment trust. MGM would continue to operate The Mirage.^[10]

Attractions

LOVE entrance at the Mirage

Notable features include:

• Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. The Secret Garden was designed by Manny Caamano. During July 2017, the habitat announced the successful birth of a dolphin calf.^[11]
• An artificial volcano along the Strip that "erupts" nightly at 7PM and 8PM, plus 9PM on Friday and Saturday. After sister property Bellagio opened, the design firm WET Enterprises improved the technology behind the volcano effect to make it more spectacular in 1996. To avoid the smell of uncombusted natural gas odorant, the mercaptan is stripped from the natural gas and a pina colada fragrance is added to the natural gas stream. The Volcano closed for a second and more elaborate renovation in February 2008 and reopened on December 8, 2008. A new soundtrack, complete with the sounds of actual volcanoes erupting, and featuring the work of Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart,^[12] has been included for an even more enhanced experience.
• An atrium at the hotel entrance features a large number of palm trees, water features, and other "rainforest" flora.
• The 53-foot-long (16 m), 8-foot-tall (2.4 m) aquarium behind the registration desk is home to nearly 1000 specimens.
• LOVE, a Cirque du Soleil theatrical production involving remixes of The Beatles.
• Terry Fator is a current showcase after winning America's Got Talent.
• "1OAK", a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m²) nightclub with a New York theme.^[13][14] The venue features 2 separate areas and regularly hosts events.^[15]
• "Bare", a poolside lounge in which guests can go topless.^[16][17] While men are welcome, this attraction is mainly promoted for women since they are allowed in the lounge for $10–$20 as opposed to the charge for men of $20–$40. One must be 21 years or older to enter.^[18]

The Mirage's front attraction, the Volcano, erupts regularly at night  Aquarium behind the registration desk  Cirque du Soleil Show Theatre Mirage Hotel  The dome over the Mirage atrium

Sporting events

• December 7, 1989 - Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán 3
• October 25, 1990 - Evander Holyfield vs. Buster Douglas
• May 18, 1996 - Félix Trinidad vs. Freddie Pendleton

Appearances in film

• The poker room at The Mirage was the dream destination of Matt Damon's character in the movie Rounders.
• The movie Vegas Vacation was filmed mainly at The Mirage.
• The Mirage is parodied in at least three video games: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas as 'The Visage', Need For Speed: Carbon as 'The Mirror', and Hitman: Blood Money as 'The Shamal'.
• The Mirage was one of the three casinos that Danny Ocean and his crew robbed in the 2001 version of the film Ocean's Eleven.
• A scene from Steve Martin's Sgt. Bilko was shot at The Mirage.
• The movie Pure Country featuring George Strait features scenes from The Mirage.
• The show Criss Angel: Mindfreak sometimes takes place here.
• Cher's 1991 CBS special Cher Extravaganza: Live at the Mirage was taped during stops of the singer's 1990 Heart of Stone Tour.
• The volcano attraction at the front of the casino was briefly used in the 1997 film Volcano.
• The 2009 film 2012 featured the Mirage several times; one in a destroyed Vegas.
• A scene from the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street features the Mirage during Jordan Belfort's bachelor's party, the event takes place in 1991.
• The Mirage was featured in The Amazing Race 15 and The Amazing Race 24.

See also

• List of largest hotels in the world

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Mirage hotel (Las Vegas).

• Mirage.com – Official website
• Bare at the Mirage
• 1 OAK – Mirage Nightclub