Major renovation slated for Mirage Resort in Las Vegas

07.08.2005, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Major renovation slated for Mirage Resort in Las Vegas».

It is the biggest refurbishment since its opening in 1989

(US).- Le Mirage megaresort is changing the 3,000-room property’s restaurant lineup, adding an upscale nightclub and lounge, upgrading its signature volcano and adding a major Cirque du Soleil show based on the music of the Beatles, which will be the centerpiece of the transformation.

The renovation is the biggest single overhaul The Mirage has received since it opened 16 years ago.

When it opened in 1989, The Mirage set a new standard for luxury in the local resort sector and helped revitalize a tired Strip. Now, according to executives of parent company MGM Mirage, the property that launched the modern wave of themed megaresorts on Las Vegas Boulevard needs to be refurbished.

The renovation is the biggest single overhaul The Mirage has received since it opened 16 years ago; it’s also a bid to lure back customers who moved on to newer offerings such as The Venetian, Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas.

"This is about letting people know that if they haven’t been here in a while, they need to come back and see The Mirage," said Scott Sibella, president and CEO of the property. "A lot of changes are taking place to make the property more contemporary and more state of the art. We aren’t just replacing wallpaper -- we are creating a new experience."

Sibella declined to disclose the cost of the upgrades at The Mirage. He said that jobs at the resort would increase with completion of the changes.

Jim Medick, chief executive of market-research company MRC Group, said the upgrade is essential. "In the Las Vegas market, you need to be thinking about a new look almost every five years just to keep everything fresh," Medick said. "We see changes in the marketplace, including a younger crowd, more frequent trips and more weekenders.

Sibella said MGM Mirage began planning improvements about two years ago. Two key upgrades are already in place: Cravings, an upscale buffet with marble countertops, opened in May 2004; and a high-limit lounge with interior design elements by renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly and a private buffet opened in early July. "But major reconstruction will start this summer" Sibella added.

The centerpiece of that transformation is a Cirque du Soleil production based on the music of the Beatles. Sibella said a rebuilding of the former Siegfried & Roy showroom is 80 percent complete. Cirque du Soleil, which is producing the show in conjunction with The Mirage and Beatles holding company Apple Corps Ltd., said that the production’s development would cost at least us$ 100 million. When it makes its debut next summer, the show will be Cirque du Soleil’s fifth resident venture in Las Vegas.

Sibella said the Cirque du Soleil show should mean good business for several new restaurants, a nightclub and a lounge at The Mirage. Executives are replacing three restaurants -- Renoir, Moongate and Mikado. One of the new restaurants will open in spring 2006; the others will debut in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Light Group will develop a nightclub and lounge at The Mirage as well. At 15,500 square feet, nightclub Jet, scheduled to open in December, will be more than twice the size of Bellagio’s Light and will feature three separate rooms with three distinct dance floors and musical rosters. And Mink Bar & Lounge will open in early 2006 at the center of The Mirage with a combined rock bar- chic lounge concept. Jet will also have a north-side entrance that allows direct access to the club from the street.

Customers who linger outside the property will also see a revamped volcano. Wet Design, the California company that created the dancing fountains at Bellagio, will add taller fireballs, more realistic lava and louder sounds. Sibella said he expects the volcano to erupt on its current schedule -- every 30 minutes from 7 p.m. to midnight -- when the new version opens this fall.

Sibella said no design or operational changes to Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat are planned, though the attraction will soon begin a partnership with the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay and eventually allow visitors to help train the dolphins.

The Mirage’s rooms were renovated about three years ago. But the hotel’s common areas will get new carpet, and updated uniforms and sings are also on the list of improvements.

Über MGM Resorts International Operations, Inc.:

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) ist ein globales Unterhaltungsunternehmen des S&P 500 mit nationalen und internationalen Standorten, das erstklassige Hotels und Casinos, hochmoderne Tagungs- und Konferenzräume, unglaubliche Live- und Theaterunterhaltungserlebnisse bietet und eine umfangreiche Auswahl an Restaurants, Nachtleben und Einzelhandelsangeboten.

Das MGM Resorts-Portfolio umfasst 29 einzigartige Hotel- und Destination-Gaming- Angebote, darunter einige der bekanntesten Resort-Marken der Branche.

Wir betreiben ein Portfolio von Resorts in Las Vegas, darunter Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay und The Mirage, The Signature, Excalibur, Luxor, New York-New York, Park MGM und weitere. In Las Vegas haben wir auch eine bedeutende Beteiligung an CityCenter, dem legendären Hotel, Kongress-, Einzelhandels- und Restaurantkomplex im Herzen des Las Vegas Strip mit ARIA Resort und Casino und Vdara Hotel und Spa, Crystals Retail und Veer Eigentumswohnungen.

Das Unternehmen expandierte in den USA und auf der ganzen Welt und erwarb kürzlich den Betrieb des Empire City Casino in New York und des Hard Rock Rocksino in Ohio, das in MGM Northfield Park umbenannt wurde.

Im Jahr 2018 eröffneten MGM Resorts MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau und das erste Hotel der Marke Bellagio in Shanghai.

Die über 80.000 Mitarbeiter von MGM Resorts weltweit sind stolz darauf, dass ihr Unternehmen als eines der weltweit am meisten bewunderten Unternehmen des FORTUNE Magazine anerkannt wurde.

--- Ende Artikel / Pressemitteilung Major renovation slated for Mirage Resort in Las Vegas ---


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