Located on the famous Las Vegas Strip, the MGM Grand Hotel is one of the most iconic destinations in Las Vegas. The MGM Grand Hotel is the single largest Hotel in the United States — boasting 6,852 rooms. With five outdoor pools, rivers, and waterfalls, a legendary casino, large convention center, a multi-purpose arena, plentiful dining options, and much more, it’s no wonder why this hotel is as popular as it is.
Early History
Originally, MGM Grand, Inc. was part of the entertainment giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; however, in 1980, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film Co. and MGM Grand Hotels Inc. were separated into two distinct entities after being pushed to do so by self-made millionaire Kirk Kerkorian.
During this first year, MGM Grand’s Las Vegas hotel was damaged by a fire, which caused extensive property damage and left the company to deal with a number of legal issues. The company was hit by $1 billion in lawsuits, it had to abort its expansion plans in Atlantic City, and was facing a possible collapse.
In spite of this disaster, MGM Grand was able to sell MGM Grand Hotel Inc.’s two hotels and casinos to Bally Manufacturing for $440 million. Kerkorian, who became the majority shareholder in 1984, was able to retain exclusive rights to the MGM name and logo, which he used to start MGM Grand Inc. Kerkorian had ambitious plans for the new MGM Grand and would go on to bring those ideas to reality.
1993 Grand Opening
In 1993, the $1.1 billion construction of the MGM Grand Hotel, Casino & Theme Park was completed and what is now one of Las Vegas’ most iconic destinations was opened to the public.
Taking up 112-acres on the Las Vegas Strip the MGM Grand Hotel included a 33-acre theme park, a giant casino, more than 5,000 rooms, and much more. At the time of this grand opening, the MGM Grand Hotel was not only the largest hotel in the country, but it was also ranked as the biggest hotel in the world.
In its first year, this amazing hotel complex generated over $740 million in revenue and attracted over 60,000 guests per day. Thanks to an incredibly successful first year, Kerkorian was able to immediately begin other projects, such as plans to build two multimillion-dollar resorts in China. MGM Grand also partnered with Primadonna Resorts Inc. to make plans to build a $300 million resort in 1994.
Since then, MGM Grand has continued to expand. Over the years, it has added its own convention center, added additional restaurants, renovated its rooms, and more.
Media Appearances
Due to its status as one of the largest and most popular hotels in Vegas, the MGM Grand Hotel has been featured numerous times in media such as movies and books, including:
- The Great White Hype
- Ocean’s 11
- Vegas Vacation
- Casino
The MGM Grand Hotel is an incredibly massive destination which offers its guests a variety of accommodations, dining options, entertainment options, and, of course, a world-famous casino. As a result, it’s no surprise that this hotel is one of Vegas’ greatest attractions.
