Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino
Address	3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, Nevada 89119
Opening date	March 2, 1999
Theme	Tropics
No. of rooms	3,309
Total gaming space	135,000 sq ft (12,500 m2)
Permanent shows	"Mamma Mia!" (2007-2009) The Lion King (2009-2011) Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour (beginning 2013)[1]
Signature attractions	Shark Reef House of Blues Mandalay Beach
Notable restaurants	Aureole "Alain Ducasse MiX" Charlie Palmer Steak Fleur "Red Square" "RM Seafood" "Shanghai Lilly" "Stripsteak" "Border Grill Las Vegas"
Casino type	Land-Based
Owner	MGM Resorts International
Previous names	Hacienda (imploded to make way for Mandalay Bay)
Years renovated	2002, 2007
Website	www.mandalaybay.com

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is a 44-story luxury hotel casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by MGM Resorts International. Five floors (floors 35–39) of the main hotel building are occupied by the five-star and AAA Five-Diamond Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas.^[2] The top 3 floors (numbered as floors 60-62) are penthouses, with a penthouse lounge on level 62 for guests staying in the penthouses. It is connected by the free Mandalay Bay Tram to its sister properties, Excalibur and Luxor.

Mandalay Bay has 3,309 hotel rooms, 24 elevators and a casino of 135,000 sq ft (12,500 m²). The adjacent Mandalay Bay Convention Center has almost 1,000,000 sq ft (93,000 m²) of space. In addition, the Mandalay Bay Events Center hosts events including boxing, the UFC's MMA fights and concerts. It hosted the Latin Grammy Awards in 2007 and from 2009 to 2011. It will host the Latin Grammys again in 2012.

History

On December 31, 1996, the Hacienda was imploded to make way for Mandalay Bay.

The working title for the $950 million resort and casino was "Project Paradise", officially replaced with Mandalay Bay in 1998.

During construction engineers discovered vertical movements and particularly differential movements ('dishing') between the tower core and the wings. The tower core was sinking at a rate of ¹⁄₂ to ³⁄₄ inch (13 to 19 mm) per week and the wings were sinking at a slower rate causing differential distortion between the column bays. If these movements were not stopped structural damage would occur. Construction was halted while a solution was developed and implemented. The solution proved to be the installation of micro-piles (formerly marketed as 'Pin Piles') filled with grout 200 feet (61 m) deep below the structure each capped with a hydraulic jack to stabilize the structure at the desired vertical height to carry the weight.^[3] Since then, there have not been any reports of this problem recurring.

The gold coloring of the hotel is a result of gold leaf used on the windows.

The resort opened on March 2, 1999 with actors Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi, and John Goodman headlining a parade of Harley-Davidson motorcycles through Mandalay Bay's front doors to celebrate the grand opening.

The convention center was added in January 2003. When it opened, it was ranked as the fifth largest in the United States. It also offered the largest unobstructed ballroom in the country, at 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²).

In 2003, a new 43-story tower was opened with 1,120 suites, called THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. The hotel contains 1,117 one-bedroom suites, each at least 750 square feet (70 m²). The top floor of THEhotel is a restaurant and bar called Mix. The bar has an age restriction of 21+.

Mandalay Bay is connected to Luxor by both a monorail and shopping mall called Mandalay Place which also features restaurants.

Film and television history

• Play It to the Bone 1999
• Las Vegas 2003–2005
• Fear Factor 2003
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 2006–2008 - From opening credits as a symbol of Las Vegas.
• Rocky Balboa 2006
• Ocean's Thirteen 2007
• The Hangover 2009 - various background shots.
• Wisin & Yandel - Te Siento (Promotional Video).
• Top Chef 2009 - Bryan Voltaggio used the resort for his inspiration for his dish.
• The Amazing Race 15 2009 - Team members had to rappel down the building.

Attractions

Mandalay Bay pool.

Mamma Mia! was a long-running stage production at Mandalay Bay which closed in early January 2009. The show was replaced with Disney's The Lion King, which opened on 15 May 2009. Its run will end in 2011 to make way for Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, a Cirque du Soleil show. The show will open at Mandalay in 2013 after a world tour.

Mandalay Bay features the 11 acres (4.5 ha) Mandalay Beach with three heated pools, a wave pool with connecting pool for small children,and a lazy river that features a small waterfall. The wave pool features 1.6 million gallons of water and waves in 90-second intervals with heights ranging anywhere from two to four feet. Because of this, it has a strict 48" height requirement. The European-style pool called Moorea, features its own private bar as well as the allowance of female guests to bathe topless. Because of this, Moorea is separated from the rest of the pool by smoked glass windows and has an over-21 requirement. There are also two restaurants at the Beach. The pool area is considered among the best in Greater Las Vegas, winning the 2006 Las Vegas Review Journal's Reader's "Best Pool of Las Vegas" award for the 7th year in a row.^[4] One pool remains open throughout the winter months.

In keeping with the resort's tropical theme, it features a saltwater aquarium, the Shark Reef Aquarium, which contains the third largest tank in North America. Shark Reef Aquarium contains numerous other exhibits, including two tunnel-shaped, walk-through aquarium. Another popular attraction is the House of Blues, a venue for live music and a restaurant, with a capacity of approximately 1,800. On the top floor of the hotel is the House of Blues Foundation Room, featuring a dining room, private dining rooms, and a balcony looking down the Las Vegas Strip.

Dining Options

• Aureole
• Bayside Buffet
• Beach Bar & Grill
• Burger Bar
• Border Grill
• Charlie Palmer Steakhouse
• China Grill
• Convention Center Food Court
• Fleur
• Foundation Room
• House of Blues at Crossroads
• House of Blues Restaurant
• Hussong's Cantina
• Lupo
• Mizuya Sushi Bar
• mIX
• Noodle Shop
• Orchid
• Raffles Café
• Restaurant RM
• Red Square
• Red, White, and Blue
• Ri Ra Irish Pub
• RM Seafood
• Seabreeze Ice Cream & Pizzeria
• Shanghai Lilly
• Sports Book Grill
• Starbucks (2 locations)
• STRIPSTEAK
• THEcafé
• THEcoffee bar
• Verandah
• Yogurt In

Lounge & Nightlife Options

• Bikini Bar
• Evening Call
• Eyecandy Lounge
• mIX Lounge
• O.N.E. Oasis Bar
• Orchid Lounge
• Sports Book Bar
• THElounge

Former Dining & Lounge Options

• Bayview Patio (Closed 2010, Now Empty)
• Chocolate Swan (Closed 2009, Now Hussong's Cantina
• Coral Reef Lounge (Closed 2010, Now Mizuya Sushi Bar)
• Fleur De Lys (Closed 2010, Now Fleur)
• Giorgio Italian Restaurant (Closed 2007, Now Empty)
• Giorgio Ristorante & E Bar (Closed 2009, Now Empty)
• Island Lounge (Closed 2010, Now Eyecandy Lounge)
• Ivan Kane's Forty Duece (Closed 2010, Now Empty)
• R Bar Café (Closed 2009, Now RM Seafood)
• rumjungle (Closed 2011, Now Empty)
• Trattoria De Lupo (Closed 2010, Now Lupo)

The resort has offered several nightclubs during its existence, but as of 2009 only RumJungle (which operates as a restaurant in the early evening) remains. (RumJungle has since closed.)

There are 24 restaurants and cafés at the resort.^[5] Michael Mina, Alain Ducasse, Rick Moonen, Charlie Palmer, Hubert Keller, Wolfgang Puck, Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger are all associated with restaurants on the property.

Since 2008, the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino has played host to the Las Vegas stop of the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auctions.

On August 23, 2010, the Miss Universe 2010 Pageant was held at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.^[6]

Entertainment venues

• Mandalay Bay Events Center
• Mandalay Bay Theatre
• House of Blues
• Shark Reef Aquarium
• The Beach at Mandalay Bay

See also

• Red Square (restaurant)

References

1. ^ "Cirque: Michael Jackson show to debut at Mandalay Bay in 2013". Las Vegas Weekly. 2011-04-21. http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/luxe-life/2011/apr/21/cirque-confirms-michael-jackson-show-debut-mandala/. Retrieved 2011-04-21. 
2. ^ "Guest rooms and suites". Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas. 2006-06-09. http://www.fourseasons.com/lasvegas/guest_rooms_and_suites.html. Retrieved 2006-06-15. 
3. ^ http://www.nicholsonconstruction.com/PDF%20Files/Micropile%20Underpinning-mandalay.pdf
4. ^ "Best Pool". 2006 Best of Las Vegas survey. Las Vegas Review Journal. 2006. http://www.reviewjournal.com/bestoflv/2006/LongReturns.jsp?bestID=8777&shortList=true. Retrieved 2006-06-15. 
5. ^ Mandalay Bay dining
6. ^ [1]

External links

• Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino

Coordinates: 36°05′30″N 115°10′29″W / 36.09167°N 115.17472°W / 36.09167; -115.17472