|
As
of June, 2006, Mamma Mia! was the long-term stage production
at Mandalay Bay. Mandalay Bay features the 11-acre (4.5 ha)
Mandalay Beach with two heated pools, a wave pool, topless
pool and a lazy river that features a small waterfall. There
are also two restaurants at the Beach. The pool area is considered
among the best in 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.
In
keeping with the resort's tropical Asia theme (the resort
takes its name from Rudyard Kipling's poem Mandalay), it features
the Shark Reef, a saltwater aquarium containing the third
largest tank in North America. Shark Reef contains numerous
other exhibits, including two tunnel-shaped, walk-through
aquaria. 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.
There
are 24 restaurants and cafés at the resort. Michael
Mina, Charlie Palmer, Hubert Keller, Wolfgang Puck and Mary
Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger (Too Hot Tamales) are all associated
with restaurants on the property.
On
December 31, 1996, the Hacienda was imploded to make way for
the Mandalay Bay.
During
construction engineers discovered that one side of the tower
had sunk about two feet (600 mm) stopping construction. Construction
was delayed while a solution was designed and tested. Eventually
they were able to add material below the structure to carry
the weight. Since then, there have not been any reports of
this problem recurring.
The
resort opened on March 2, 1999, with actors Dan Aykroyd, Jim
Belushi, and John Goodman headlined 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 ft² (9,000 m²).
In
2004 a new 43-story tower was opened with 1,120 suites, called
THEhotel at Mandalay Bay.
The
Las Vegas Review Journal states that a condo-hotel called
Mandalay Place is planned on land across from the hotel belonging
to the Luxor.
|
