Mandalay Bay

Mandalay Bay is a 43-story luxury resort and casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International, it was originally developed by Circus Circus Enterprises and opened on March 2, 1999, at a cost of $950 million. Built on the former site of the Hacienda hotel-casino, Mandalay Bay was later acquired by MGM in 2005, with the Blackstone Group becoming a co-owner in 2020. Vici Properties took over MGM’s ownership stake in 2022.

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The resort features a tropical South Seas theme and spans 120 acres. It boasts a 147,992-square-foot casino and 3,209 rooms. A Four Seasons hotel occupies floors 35 through 39 of the tower, operating independently. The Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay was the first Las Vegas hotel to receive the AAA Five Diamond Award in 1999.

Several major additions opened in 2003, including the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Mandalay Place shopping mall, and a second hotel tower called THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, which was renamed W Las Vegas in 2024. The resort also houses attractions like the House of Blues, Shark Reef Aquarium, and Michelob Ultra Arena. The 1,800-seat Mandalay Bay Theatre has hosted Broadway shows such as Chicago, Mamma Mia!, and The Lion King. Since 2013, it has been home to Michael Jackson: One.
Mandalay Bay was the site of the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in U.S. history in 2017, when a shooter fired from the 32nd floor, killing 60 people at a nearby outdoor concert.

The resort was built on the former Hacienda site, which Circus Circus Enterprises purchased in 1995. Initially planned as “Millennium” and later called “Project Paradise,” the luxury resort was designed to compete with high-end properties like The Mirage and The Venetian.
Construction began in 1997, but issues arose due to soil settling, causing parts of the building to sink unevenly. This problem was resolved with micropiles, a costly fix that delayed progress. In February 1998, the resort was officially named Mandalay Bay, inspired by the city in Myanmar and the poem Mandalay by Rudyard Kipling.

At $950 million, Mandalay Bay was the most expensive project ever undertaken by Circus Circus Enterprises. Ahead of its opening, the company invested over $10 million in marketing to promote the new luxury destination.