Discover

:''For the town in Italy, see Bellagio.''
'Bellagio' is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. It is owned by MGM Mirage and was built on the site of demolished Dunes hotel and casino. Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio is famed for its elegance. One of its most notable features is an eight-acre (32,000 m²) artificial lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a major free attraction which provides a romantic ambiance for couples walking along the strip.
Inside Bellagio, Dale Chihuly's ''Fiori di Como'', composed of over 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers, covers 2,000 square feet (610 m²) of the lobby ceiling.
Bellagio was conceived by Steve Wynn and built by his company, Mirage Resorts, Inc. following the purchase and demolition of the legendary Dunes hotel and casino in 1993. Bellagio was designed by Marnell Corrao Associates and Jon Jerde.
Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil's aquatic production of ''"O"'', only the second permanent production show for the world-renowned troupe.
The Bellagio employs approximately 10,000 people. In the fall of 2006, the casino floor was remodeled and new uniforms were issued, changing the original color scheme to a more contemporary blue tone.

Contents

History

Film history

Gambling

Poker room

Attractions

Fountains of Bellagio

Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

See Also

External links

History

On October 15, 1998, just before 11:00pm, Bellagio opened. The Bellagio reportedly spent $88 million on its opening. The VIPs invited to the grand opening were expected to donate to The Foundation Fighting Blindness $1,000 a person or $3,500 a couple, which entitled them to an overnight stay at Bellagio's suite rooms.
Opening night's entertainment began with Steve Wynn giving a 40 minute welcome speech and then the opening of the Cirque du Soleil production, "O." Performing in Bellagio lounges that night were New York cabaret and recording artist Michael Feinstein, George Bugatti and John Pizarrelli. When it opened, it was the most expensive hotel ever built, having cost over $1.6 billion.
In 2000 it became a MGM Mirage property when Mirage Resorts merged with MGM Grand Inc. to create MGM MIRAGE.
The English-American actor Justin Pierce, who starred in the controversial film Kids committed suicide by hanging himself in room 25125 at the Bellagio on July 10, 2000. He was found by hotel security officers and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two suicide notes were found at the scene. Pierce, a Los Angeles resident, had apparently been in Las Vegas to do a video shoot for a fashion company.

Film history

★ The Bellagio and its fountains are featured in the 2007 film ''Lucky You''.

★ In the 2007 film ''Ocean's Thirteen'', following ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004), and ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001), Rusty Ryan (played by Brad Pitt) is talking about The Dunes Hotel (which was situated on the same place before the Bellagio was built) while he is standing in front of the ''Fountains of Bellagio'' together with Daniel Ocean (played by George Clooney).

★ Bellagio was featured prominently in the film ''Ocean's Eleven''. The curved staircase that Tess Ocean (played by Julia Roberts) descended was removed during a 2006 remodel to accommodate the entrance pathway from a newly built hotel tower, called The Spa Tower. New shops and restaurants fill the space. The vault for the three casinos that were robbed (MGM Grand, Mirage, and Bellagio) owned by Terry Benedict (played by Andy Garcia) was located beneath the Bellagio. There is no confirmation whether in fact the vault exists as portrayed in the movie.

Gambling

Poker room

Many professional poker players prefer to play at the Bellagio poker room, calling it their home base due to the high table limits. Poker professionals refer to the high-limit table as The Big Game.
Bellagio has also partnered with the World Poker Tour to host several of their tournaments.

Attractions

Fountains of Bellagio

The ''Fountains of Bellagio'' attraction consists of an elaborate and massive musical fountain display set to light and music. The display takes place in front of the Bellagio hotel and can be viewed from the Strip. The fountain show takes place every 30 minutes in the afternoons and early evenings, and every 15 minutes from 8 pm to midnight. Exceptions: a single or string of shows may be withheld when winds prevail; a single show may be skipped to avoid interference with a planned event.
The fountain display is choreographed to various pieces of music. Current pieces include:

★ ''And All That Jazz'' (from Chicago)

★ ''Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye)'' - Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli

★ ''Fly Me To The Moon'' - Frank Sinatra

★ ''God Bless The USA'' - Lee Greenwood

★ ''Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus'' - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

★ ''Hey, Big Spender'' (from Sweet Charity)

★ ''Hoe-Down'' - Aaron Copland

★ ''Luck Be A Lady'' (from Guys & Dolls) - Frank Sinatra

★ ''My Heart Will Go On'' - Celine Dion

★ ''One, Singular Sensation'' (from A Chorus Line)

★ ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'' - Rachmaninov

★ ''Singin' in the Rain'' - Gene Kelly

★ ''The Star Spangled Banner'' - Whitney Houston

★ ''Viva Las Vegas'' - Elvis Presley

★ ''Your Song'' - Elton John
A full list of songs is on the Bellagio's web site [1].
The Fountains are set in an eight-acre man-made lake, filled with treated greywater from the hotel[2]. They incorporate an array of underwater pipes with over 1,200 nozzles that makes it possible to stage fountain displays coordinated with over 4,500 lights. It is estimated that the fountains cost $50 million to build.
Three types of nozzles are used for the various effects:

★ ''"Oarsmans"'' - Swing back and forth to create dancing water

★ ''"Shooters"'' - Shoots water upwards

★ ''"Super Shooters"'' - Sends a water blast as high as 250 ft (76 m) in the air.
The Fountains were created by WET Design, who specializes in creating intricate water shows. [3] Following the success that WET Design had with the Fountains, Steve Wynn asked them to improve and modify the volcano attraction at sister casino The Mirage.

Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

The hotel also contains a ''Conservatory and Botanical Gardens''. The displays are changed out several times a year and reflect the current season.

See Also

Musical Fountains
Las Vegas Strip

External links

★ Bellagio website

★ Bellagio Hotel Virtual Tour - 360 degree virtual tour

★ History of the Bellagio

★ Las Vegas Travelog - photo collection

★ Satellite view of the site

★ Bellagio reviews and video clips

★ Marnell Corrao Associates technical project overview

★ Video of The Bellagio Fountains

★ Photos of the Bellagio & Conservatory

★ Light - the Nightclub at Bellagio

★ Tour of Bellagio's back of house employee areas