The days of windowless casinos are now officially over with the announcement by MGM Resorts International that the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be taking down its front façade, from the famous MGM lion to the north end by M&M’s World.
“It will put the hotel-casino directly on the Strip—opening it up for the thousands who pass by each day to see right inside,” MGM President Scott Sibella told the Las Vegas Sun. “It’s just façade walls with nothing behind them, so we can easily remove them and put MGM right on the Strip.”
Demolition began in July. “Instead of rushing it for Labor Day weekend, we’ll do it properly and have it open for Thanksgiving with a full-blown, star-studded gala party,” Sibella said.
MGM also is adding a new entertainment arena behind the company’s New York-New York casino hotel, set to break ground in summer 2014 and for a grand opening in spring 2016.
“The business of concerts, sporting events and convention meetings is there. We are already turning down more shows in our MGM and Mandalay Bay arenas than we can handle,” MGM CEO Jim Murren told the Sun. “The new arena will add more tourists to Vegas because of a more varied selection of shows and diverse music choices.”
