For the band, see The Mirage (band) The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada (though like most hotels on the Strip, it uses a Las Vegas mailing address). The casino is owned by MGM MIRAGE. 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.

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History

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. The hotel's distinctive gold windows get their color from actual gold used in the tinting process. 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 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 70s, 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. ^[1]

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.

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 has a permanent production at the Mirage, LOVE . ^[2]

In 2004 Danny Gans took over the main showroom and marquee becoming the resort's main entertainment attraction. Gans will be leaving The Mirage in 2009 to star in a show at the Encore resort ^[3].

In December 2006 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.

In 2009, ventriloquist Terry Fator from America's Got Talent will begin a 5 year run at the hotel.

Film history

• The poker room at The Mirage was the dream destination of Matt Damon's character in the movie Rounders .
• The movie Vegas Vacation was filmed mainly at The Mirage.
• The Mirage appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in the city of Las Venturas, based on Las Vegas. The Mirage in the game is called 'The Visage.'
• The Mirage was one of the three casinos that Danny Ocean and his crew robbed in the film Ocean's Eleven .
• A scene from Steve Martin's SGT Bilko was shot at the Mirage.
• The movie "Pure Country" featuring George Strait features scenes from the Mirage.
• The show Criss Angel: Mindfreak sometimes takes place here.

Attractions

Notable features include:

• Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.
• An artificial volcano along the Strip that "erupts" periodically during the evening. After sister property Bellagio opened, the design firm WET, the company that created the Fountains of Bellagio attraction, improved the technology behind the volcano effect to make it more spectacular. To avoid the smell of uncombusted natural gas odorant, the mercaptan is stripped from the natural gas and a pina colada smell is added to the natural gas stream. The Volcano erupted for the last time in February 2008, and is currently undergoing a renovation, due to reopen in October 2008
• An atrium at the hotel entrance features a large number of palm trees, water features, and other "rainforest" fauna.
• The 53-foot long, 8-foot tall aquarium behind the registration desk, recently renovated by top aquarium designers from around the world, is home to nearly 1000 specimens.
• LOVE , a Cirque du Soleil theatrical production.
• Terry Fator is a current showcase after winning the hit television show, America's Got Talent.

Sporting events

1990-10-25 Evander Holyfield vs. James Buster Douglas

1996-05-18 Felix Trinidad vs. Freddie Pendleton

References

1. Arnold M. Knightly (February 25, 2007), ''Blink and you'll miss him'', Las Vegas Review-Journal, Page 1E.
2. `Mystere' worker recalls uncertain times during show's birth
3. Danny Gans to star in the new Encore theatre in 2009