Bellagio

The AAA-Five Diamond Bellagio Luxury Hotel and Casino is as iconic as hotel and casino resorts come. Situated on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, Bellagio boasts a host of attractions.

The Fountains of Bellagio are a sight to behold, as countless water fountains dance in time to music on an 8-acre artificial lake between the Bellagio and the Strip, while Bellagio Casino has a hidden gem in the form of its tranquil Botanical Garden – a peaceful alternative to the usual bright lights and noise of Vegas.

Bellagio, which employs an impressive 10 000 people, is also the permanent home of Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic production, "O’.

Inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy, Bellagio was built on the site of the old Dunes Hotel and Casino.

The resort was the brainchild of Steve Wynn, owner of Mirage Resorts. Mirage built the resort at an initial constuction cost of $1.6 billion, making Bellagio the most expensive hotel ever built at the time of its opening on October 15, 1998.

Bellagio is now owned by MGM Mirage following a merger between Mirage Resorts and MGM Grand in 2000.

In 2004, Bellagio expanded to cater to more tourists, adding almost 1 000 new hotel rooms and many elegant new features.

Bellagio Casino

Bellagio Casino offers its high rollers 24-hour gaming ranging from poker, to slots, to race and sport books.

The Bellagio Poker Room is used by a number of professional players as a sort of ‘home base’, because of its high table limits. The Poker Room hosts the Five Star World Poker Classic, while the hotel and casino resort has also hosted a number of World Poker Tour events.

Bellagio Casino’s high-limit lounge is known as Club Privé, and evokes images of the lavish art deco period with its raised floor, interlinking metal, dark wood, and glass- and silver-leafed screen partitions.

Club Privé offers seclusion, as well as comforts such as a speakeasy-style bar that serves some of the most exclusive spirits on earth.

In 2006 the casino floor was remodelled and the staff uniform was changed. The new, blue colour scheme is seen to be in keeping with the times.

Did You Know?

The Fountains of Bellagio feature prominently in the movie Ocean’s Thirteen, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.