Mandalay Bay Las Vegas

Situated just opposite McCarran International Airport, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is one of the most famous hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip.

It is owned by Kirk Kerkorian’s MGM Resorts International group and offers gamblers and entertainment seekers all they could wish for in a luxurious setting.

History of the Mandalay Bay

The Hacienda Resort and Casino was bought in 1995 for 80 million dollars and closed to the public on the 10th of December 1996. On New Year’s Eve 1996 the complex was destroyed but the plan to construct a new hotel-casino on the same site was approved. The project to build the 950 million dollar “Paradise” casino complex with a Hawaiian theme was modified in February 1998 to become the giant Mandalay Bay hotel-casino based around the theme of an ancient Burmese city.

After some delays due to technical difficulties, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino finally had a celebrity filled launch on the 2nd of March 1999 when the actors John Goodman, James Belushi and Dan Akroyd arrived on Harley- Davidsons. At that time, the 146 metre high Mandalay Bay had 3309 rooms on 39 floors served by 24 lifts.

Two additions were made to the complex in 2003, The Mandalay Bay Convention Centre in January and in December a 43 storey extension of 1117 suites, “The Hotel”. With its 4426 rooms the Mandalay Bay became the third largest hotel in the world behind the MGM Grand Las Vegas and the Venetian/Palazzo.

However, in 2012, the MGM Resorts International Group sold the extension, “The Hotel” to the Morgan Hotel Group but the company is replacing it with a new complex, the “Delano Las Vegas” which is due to open in 2014.

The Mandalay Bay’s other attractions

The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino is one of the most attractive complexes in Las Vegas and among its many services and attractions are :

• 26 cafés and resorts
• 5 night clubs : Mix Lounge, Foundation Room, Late Night at House of Blues, Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce and the Rumjungle Nightclub.
• 3 swimming pools with a slow flowing river and a beach area, Moorea Beach.
• 2 spas : the Mandalay Spa and the Bath House Spa
• Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay : a giant aquarium with sharks, one of the complex’ main attractions.
• A shopping centre with 36 shops : Mandalay Place
• A conference Centre : the Mandalay Bay Convention Center which was the fifth largest conference centre in the country when it opened.

The Mandalay Bay Casino

The Mandalay Bay Casino offers jackpot seeking slots fans around 2200 slot machines of all types in its 12 500m2 casino. Fans of table games will find more than 120 gaming tables including the grand classics such as roulette, blackjack, craps, baccarat, Sic Bo and Texas Hold’em poker among others.

The Mandalay Bay in the Cinema

The main boxing match in the Sylvester Stallone (2006) film “Rocky VI” was filmed in the Mandalay Bay. The two first two series of the television series “Casino” were filmed in a casino inspired by the Mandalay Bay.