MGM Grand Las Vegas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids MGM Grand Las Vegas |
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| Location | Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| Address | 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard |
| Opening date | December 18, 1993 |
| Theme | Hollywood |
| No. of rooms | 5,044 |
| Total gaming space | 171,500 sq ft (15,930 m2) |
| Permanent shows | Brad Garrett's Comedy Club David Copperfield Jabbawockeez Kà |
| Signature attractions | MGM Grand Adventures (1993–2000) MGM Grand Garden Arena Hakkasan CSI: The Experience (2009–2020) Topgolf |
| Notable restaurants | Joël Robuchon L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Emeril's New Orleans Fish House International Smoke Craftsteak Wolfgang Puck |
| Casino type | Land-based |
| Owner | Vici Properties |
| Operating license holder | MGM Resorts International |
| Renovated in | 1996–1998, 2011–12, 2017–2019, 2022 |
| Coordinates | 36°06′08″N 115°10′10″W / 36.1022°N 115.1695°W |
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a huge hotel and casino found on the famous Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by Vici Properties and run by MGM Resorts International. This amazing resort was created by Kirk Kerkorian. He had built another MGM Grand hotel in 1973, which later changed its name.
Plans for the new MGM Grand started in 1989. The resort officially opened on December 18, 1993. With over 5,000 rooms, it was the biggest hotel in the world when it first opened! Most of the hotel is 30 stories tall. There's also a 14-story part that was originally a different hotel called the Marina Hotel, built in 1975.
The MGM Grand has a huge casino, about 171,500 sq ft (15,930 m2). This was the world's largest casino when it opened. The resort's main theme was the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz. However, this theme was removed during a big renovation that started in 1996.
The MGM Grand also opened with a fun theme park. It covered 33 acres (13 ha) next to the resort. The whole project, including the hotel and theme park, cost $1 billion. The theme park closed in 2000. That land was later used for The Signature at MGM Grand, which has hotel condos, and a Topgolf attraction.
The MGM Grand has many restaurants by famous chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Joël Robuchon. From 1997 to 2012, it also had Studio 54, a popular nightclub. The resort has several places for entertainment, including the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Long-running shows at the resort include Kà and the famous magician David Copperfield.
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History of the MGM Grand
The land where the MGM Grand stands was once home to the Tropicana Country Club and the Golf Club Motel, which opened in the 1960s.
The Marina Hotel (1975–1990)
The Marina Hotel was built by Wiesner Investment Company. It opened on May 1, 1975. This hotel was 14 stories tall and had 714 rooms. It also had a casino, restaurants, and an entertainment lounge. The Golf Club Motel next door later became the Mariner. It was torn down in 1986 to make space for a parking lot for the Marina.
In 1989, Kirk Kerkorian decided to buy the Marina Hotel. He bought it through his company, MGM Grand, Inc.. He also bought the Tropicana Country Club, which was behind the Marina. Kerkorian announced plans to build the MGM Grand Hotel and Theme Park on these properties. This project was part of a bigger idea to make Las Vegas a fun place for families.
Kerkorian finished buying the Marina for $80 million in January 1990. The Marina Hotel building was updated and briefly called the MGM Marina. The Tropicana Country Club closed later that year. The MGM Marina closed on November 30, 1990. Both made way for the new MGM Grand. The old Marina building became part of the MGM Grand, known as its West Wing.
Building the MGM Grand (1993–present)
A special ceremony to start building the MGM Grand happened on October 7, 1991. It was heavily inspired by the resort's Wizard of Oz theme. The top of the building was finished on February 23, 1993. The MGM Grand and its theme park covered 112 acres (45 ha) and cost $1 billion to build.
The MGM Grand opened to the public on the morning of December 18, 1993. This was three months earlier than planned because construction went very quickly! The MGM hired 8,000 people to work there. A huge 251-foot-tall sign was added along the Strip soon after opening. It was one of the biggest signs in Las Vegas. In 1995, a monorail opened, connecting the MGM Grand to Bally's hotel. This was an early version of the Las Vegas Monorail.
In 1996, the MGM Grand started a big renovation that lasted 30 months. The goal was to make visitors feel like they were at a movie premiere. Much of The Wizard of Oz theme was removed during this update. The hotel rooms got their first big makeover in over ten years from 2011 to 2012. In 2022, the West Wing was renamed the Studio Tower after more renovations.
In January 2020, MGM Resorts announced it would sell the resort to a joint company. Vici Properties later bought out the other owners in January 2023. MGM Resorts still operates the hotel.
What the MGM Grand Offers
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The MGM Grand has 5,044 rooms. Its main hotel towers are 30 stories tall. The original western part is still 14 stories. When it first opened, the MGM had 5,005 rooms, making it the largest hotel in the world by room count. It is still the largest hotel in the U.S.
When it opened, the resort also had the world's largest casino, covering 171,500 sq ft (15,930 m2). It had 3,500 slot machines and 165 table games. The casino floor had four themed areas. One was the Emerald City Casino, based on the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. This area had performers in costumes and moving characters from the movie. The entrance had a seven-story dome that changed from day to night. There was also a 15-minute magic show called The Wizard's Secret. Other gaming areas included the Hollywood Casino and the Monte Carlo Casino.
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The hotel rooms also had different themes, like Casablanca and Hollywood. The Wizard of Oz was the main theme for the hotel. The outside of the hotel is made of green glass panels. These were meant to look like Emerald City.
The casino opened with 50 "Lion's Share" slot machines. These machines offered a jackpot of over $2 million. Only one of these machines was left after several years. It became very popular with players. A couple finally won the jackpot in 2014, and then the machine was retired.
In 2000, the hotel started a special desk at McCarran International Airport where guests could check in. It was one of the first Las Vegas resorts to offer this.
The Mansion, a private area with fancy suites and villas for very important guests, opened in May 1999. It was designed to look like buildings from Tuscany, Italy.
In 2005, the hotel added Skylofts at MGM Grand. These are 51 special units on the top two floors. They are designed to look like city apartments for wealthy guests. Three towers with hotel condos, called The Signature at MGM Grand, started opening in 2006.
The Grand Entrance
The MGM's first entrance along the Strip was a giant lion head. It was made of fiberglass and looked like a cartoon version of MGM's logo, Leo the Lion. Visitors walked in under the lion's closed mouth. This entrance was 88 feet tall. Some people from Asian cultures thought entering through a lion's mouth was bad luck. So, in May 1996, plans were made to remove the lion entrance.
The new entrance has a huge lion statue. It weighs 50 tons and is 45 feet (14 m) tall, standing on a 25-foot base. It is the largest bronze statue in the U.S. This new entrance also has 11 statues of winged men holding big bowls. These statues are made of fiberglass with a bronze finish. They are joined by water fountains and large LED screens. The statue and fountains were finished in February 1998.
Restaurants and Nightlife
The MGM Grand opened with eight restaurants. These included the 1,000-seat Oz Buffet and the 750-seat Studio Cafe, which had a movie theme. There was also a restaurant by chef Wolfgang Puck. The resort also had a food court with seven other places to eat. Emeril's New Orleans Fish House, by chef Emeril Lagasse, opened in 1995. A Rainforest Cafe opened in 1997 and stayed until 2015.
The MGM added several new restaurants in the early 2000s. These included Craftsteak by chef Tom Colicchio and Nob Hill by chef Michael Mina. Chef Joël Robuchon opened two restaurants at The Mansion in 2005. One was L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, and the other was his main restaurant, Joël Robuchon. His main restaurant has won many awards.
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Shibuya, which opened in 2004, was the resort's Japanese restaurant. It was replaced in 2016 by Morimoto, a Japanese restaurant by chef Masaharu Morimoto. Three years later, Michael Mina and chef Ayesha Curry opened International Smoke. This restaurant serves food from different parts of the world, including barbecue.
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In 2022, the Jonas Brothers and their family opened Nellie's Southern Kitchen. This restaurant is named after their great-grandmother.
A nightclub called Studio 54 opened at the MGM in December 1997. It had items from the original Studio 54 in New York. The Las Vegas location closed in February 2012. The space was then replaced by a nightclub and restaurant called Hakkasan, which opened in April 2013.
Other Cool Features
When it opened, the MGM had family-friendly attractions. These included the Oz Arcade, with over 150 games, and the 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m2) Oz Midway, with 30 carnival games. The theme park was located northeast of the resort. It closed in 2000. Some of that land was later used for the Signature towers. Topgolf opened one of its driving ranges on the remaining land in 2016.
The MGM opened a 380,000 sq ft (35,000 m2) conference center in April 1998. This facility, along with a pool and spa, was built on land that used to be part of the theme park. The conference center was expanded from 2017 to 2019, costing $130 million.
An indoor lion habitat opened at the resort as a free attraction on July 1, 1999. This $9 million area was 5,000 sq ft (460 m2). It had many glass walls and a see-through tunnel for viewing. Over 40 lions were rotated daily for visitors to see. The lions belonged to animal trainer Keith Evans. The habitat closed on January 31, 2012, as part of renovations. It was replaced by a sports bar.
The 1996–1998 renovation added a shopping and restaurant area called the Studio Walk. It had a Hollywood sound stage theme. In 2013, the Studio Walk was renamed The District.
In April 2001, CBS opened Television City, a TV research center, in the Studio Walk. An exhibit called CSI: The Experience opened at the Studio Walk in 2009. It was a paid attraction based on the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Visitors could explore fake crime scenes and clues to solve murder cases. This attraction closed in 2020.
The MGM opened with a 144,000 sq ft (13,400 m2) pool complex. Wet Republic, a popular 54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) dayclub, has been at the pool area since 2008. Level Up, a video game lounge, opened in 2016 in the old Rainforest Cafe space.
Live Entertainment at MGM Grand
The resort originally included the 15,200-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena. It also had the 1,700-seat Grand Theatre and the 630-seat Hollywood Theatre.
A big show called EFX ran at the resort from 1995 to 2002. Different famous entertainers like Michael Crawford and David Cassidy performed in it.
In 1999, the resort had a version of the American game show Wheel of Fortune. Audience members could play and win money. This show ended by 2001.
Magician David Copperfield has been performing at the MGM since 2000. Kà, a show by Cirque du Soleil, has been performed at the resort since 2005. It takes place in a special theater that seats almost 2,000 people.
Brad Garrett's Comedy Club opened in March 2012. It can seat 283 people. The club has hosted many comedians, including Brad Garrett himself. In 2022, the club moved to a new, better location in The District.
See also
In Spanish: MGM Grand Las Vegas para niños
