Las Vegas Places

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

This resort is actually three hotels in one—the namesake Mandalay Bay, THEhotel, and the Four Seasons-Las Vegas. Each brand is distinct, and each has a separate entrance.

Mandalay itself is decked out like a South Seas beach resort, complete with the scent of coconut oil drifting through the casino and pagodas rising out of the vast casino floor. Unlike other properties, such as Excalibur or Paris, it has wide-open spaces and broad, pleasant walkways. It also boasts the Beach, 11 acres of sheer tropical bliss. THEhotel, on the other hand, is all about intimacy. This boutique "hotel within a hotel" has nothing but suites, and is all about style. Finally, the Four Seasons-Las Vegas offers some of the most exquisite accommodations on the strip, with separate restaurants, a separate spa, and completely separate pool. Add in the million-square-foot Mandalay Bay Convention Center, and the quartet could give the Beatles a run for their money.

The History

Geographically speaking, Mandalay is an ancient inland temple city in Myanmar (Burma), with no bay. Yet in 1999, when the current resort opened with the name Mandalay Bay, MGM/Mirage gave it a South Seas motif. The opening event was filled with fanfare, as actors Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, and John Goodman led a parade of Harley-Davidson motorcycles through the front doors. For years, the property consisted of just one tower; then in 2003 the convention center touched off a period of furious growth. Following the new meeting space, the all-suites THEhotel opened in 2004. Looking forward, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that a condo-hotel called THEplace is planned on land across from the hotel belonging to the Luxor.