MGM Grand Las Vegas

The MGM Grand Las Vegas is owned by the American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s company, MGM Resorts International. The 5 star hotel on the Strip is the second largest hotel in the world based on the number of its rooms. Since it was built it has been in competition with the Venetian/Palazzo and other complexes on the Strip. It is one of the main symbols of modern Las Vegas.

History of the MGM Grand Las Vegas

The MGM Grand Las Vegas was built on the site of the Marina Hotel, a 714 room older hotel- casino dating from 1975. Kirk Kerkorian bought it in 1989 and for a few months it was attached to the Tropica Country Club becoming the MGM-Marina Hotel. This was closed down in November 1990 but it was October 1991 before the demolition and then the construction of the new complex began. At that time casino owners on the Strip were beginning to try to become more family oriented and to attract a new clientele with entertainment aimed at all ages. Kerkorian followed this trend and to build up the entertainment aspect he used one of the other main companies in his group : Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which produces films and cartoons for all ages.

On the 23rd of February 1993, when the complexes 30 storey towers had been constructed on the Strip, MGM carried out a pre-launch stunt by releasing 5005 green balloons each offering a free stay in one of the hotel’s rooms. When the 89 metre high MGM Grand Las Vegas opened to the public it was the largest hotel in the world with its 5005 rooms on 39 floors. At the time the complex stood out due to the many attractions on offer including an adventure park for all the family ( The MGM Grand Adventure Theme Park which closed down in 2003). The complex was renovated in 1996 and again in 1998. During the last renovations, the previous entrance which had been through the mouth of MGM’s mascot, “Leo the Lion” was replaced by a more classic entrance due to the beliefs and superstitions of Asian visitors.

However there is a 50 ton, 14 metre high, bronze statue of a lion over the entrance. In 2000, major renovations were carried out to give the hotel’s interior a touch of art deco class from Hollywood’s hey day. 2005 saw the opening of the “West Wing”, a renovation of the Marina Hotel’s rooms which had survived from the initial work. Then from 2011 to 2012 all of the MGM Grand’s rooms were renovated with a more contemporary design.

The MGM Las Vegas’ other attractions

The MGM Grand Las Vegas has 5034 rooms and suites as well as a “resort” offering other attractions :
-18 restaurants
-2 spas : “The Christophe Salon” and “The Spa at MGM”.
-A large theatre : The MGM Grand Garden Arena
– A gym
-Several tennis courts
-A swimming pool complex
-A convention centre : The Convention Center.
-A wedding chapel : The Forever Grand Wedding Chapel

Other permanent attractions are also on offer including a glass lion habitat opened in 2012, a Cirque du Soleil Show ( Ka), David Copperfield’s Magic Show in the Hollywood Theatre as well as “The Experience”, entertainment based on the famous CSI television series.

The MGM Grand Las Vegas Casino

At 15 930m2 the MGM Grand Las Vegas casino is one of the largest on the Strip with over 2500 slot machines with wagers from 1 cent to $1000. In a special High Limit Slots area, players can receive payouts of up to $500 000. The MGM Grand Casino also contains a 20 table poker room as well as a magnificent sports betting and horse racing room with a capacity of up to 100 gamblers. It also has hundreds of gaming tables for roulette, baccarat, blackjack, sic bo, craps and several versions of poker.