Bellagio (hotel and casino)

Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, USA. It is owned by MGM Mirage and was built on the site of demolished Dunes hotel and casino. Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an eight-acre (32,000 m²) artificial lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music that is the most well-known casino attractions in Las Vegas.

Bellagio was conceived by Steve Wynn and built by his company, Mirage Resorts, Inc. following the purchase and demolition of the legendary Dunes hotel and casino in 1993. Bellagio was designed by Marnell Corrao Associates and Jon Jerde. Bellagio had an original construction cost of $1.6 billion.

The Bellagio employs approximately 10,000 people. In the fall of 2006, the casino floor was remodeled and new uniforms were issued, changing the original color scheme to a more contemporary blue tone.

Inside Bellagio, Dale Chihuly’s Fiori di Como, composed of over 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, covers 2,000 square feet (610 m²) of the lobby ceiling. Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic production of “O”, only the second permanent production show for the world-renowned troupe.

History

On October 15, 1998, just before 11:00pm, Bellagio opened. The Bellagio reportedly spent $88 million on its opening. The VIPs invited to the grand opening were expected to donate to The Foundation Fighting Blindness $1,000 a person or $3,500 a couple, which entitled them to an overnight stay at Bellagio’s suite rooms.

Opening night’s entertainment began with Steve Wynn giving a 40 minute welcome speech and then the opening of the Cirque du Soleil production, “O.” Performing in Bellagio lounges that night were New York cabaret and recording artist Michael Feinstein, George Bugatti and John Pizarrelli. When it opened, it was the most expensive hotel ever built, having cost over $1.6 billion.

In 2000 it became a MGM Mirage property when Mirage Resorts merged with MGM Grand Inc. to create MGM MIRAGE.

Film history

* The Bellagio and its fountains are featured in the 2007 film Lucky You.

* In the 2007 film Ocean’s Thirteen, following Ocean’s Twelve (2004), and Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Daniel Ocean (played by George Clooney) is talking about The Dunes Hotel (which was situated on the same place before the Bellagio was built) while he is standing in front of the Fountains of Bellagio together with Rusty Ryan (played by Brad Pitt).

* Bellagio was featured prominently in the film Ocean’s Eleven. The curved staircase that Tess Ocean (played by Julia Roberts) descended was removed during a 2006 remodel to accommodate the entrance pathway from a newly built hotel tower, called The Spa Tower. New shops and restaurants fill the space. The vault for the three casinos that were robbed (MGM Grand, Mirage, and Bellagio) owned by Terry Benedict (played by Andy Garcia) was located beneath the Bellagio.

Gambling

Poker room

Many professional poker players prefer to play at the Bellagio poker room, calling it their home base (or more commonly “The Office”) due to the high table limits. Poker professionals refer to the high-limit table as The Big Game.

Bellagio has also partnered with the World Poker Tour to host several of their tournaments.