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The
Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on
the famed Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. The casino
is owned by MGM MIRAGE and the gold exterior color is from
the gold used in the windows.
The
Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island, its
sister property immediately to the north. The marquee in front
of The Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the
world.[citation needed] Unlike the majority of major resorts
on The Strip, The Mirage does not have a wedding chapel.
The Mirage was built by developer Steve Wynn and opened in
November 1989 on the former grounds of the Castaways hotel
and casino, and was owned by Wynn's company Mirage Resorts
(later MGM Mirage). It was the first resort that was built
with the money of Wall Street through the use of junk bonds.
The Mirage was the most expensive hotel/casino in history,
with a construction cost of $630 million. It was reported
that the resort would have to bring in a million dollars a
day to pay off a 7-year construction loan. But in fact The
Mirage did so well, the loan was paid off in just 18 months.
Its
construction is also considered very noteworthy in that Mr.
Wynn had set a new standard for Vegas resorts, and is widely
considered to be the father of today's Las Vegas. Prior to
the Mirage's opening, the city was experiencing a decline
in tourism that began in the 70's, especially around the time
the state of New Jersey legalized gambling and tourists (in
particular those on the East Coast) began to frequent the
casinos of Atlantic City. Also, this was a time when Las Vegas
was no longer considered a fashionable destination, so a new,
high-profile, project was necessary to jump-start the ailing
industry. When it opened, The Mirage was the first casino
to use security cameras full time on all table games.
From
1990 through 2003, the Mirage was the venue for the Siegfried
& Roy show. The two headliners combined magic and the
use of wild animals. The closing of the popular attraction
in 2003, after Roy Horn was attacked by one of the white tigers
used in the show, impacted the Mirage for a while. Siegfried
& Roy's White Tiger Habitat keeps one of the white tigers
always on view.
In
1993, the Mirage hosted an extended run of the Cirque du Soleil
show Nouvelle Experience in a tent in the Mirage parking lot.
It was during this time that Steve Wynn decided to invite
Cirque to create Mystere for the soon-to-be-built Treasure
Island resort next door. Finally returning to where they began
in Las Vegas, Cirque is bringing a new permanent production
to the Mirage, LOVE.
In
2004 Danny Gans took over the main showroom and marquee becoming
the resort's main entertainment attraction.
In
2005, The Mirage was slated for a massive remodel that would
continue into 2006. Many restaurants were renovated or replaced.
In December 2005 the Beatles-themed REVOLUTION ultra-lounge
opened. It is the first time Cirque du Soleil was involved
in the development of such a venue, although they do not operate
it.
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