MGM continues to operate the property under a lease arrangement.īellagio is located on 77 acres (31 ha). MGM owned the Bellagio until 2019, when it sold the resort to Blackstone Inc. A 33-story hotel tower, with 928 rooms, was opened in 2004. Profits improved under the ownership of the newly formed MGM Mirage (later MGM Resorts). Early revenue was less than expected, and Wynn departed the resort in May 2000, when Mirage Resorts merged with MGM Grand Inc. Built at a cost of $1.6 billion, it was the world's most expensive resort up to that point. Construction began on November 1, 1995, with Marnell Corrao Associates as general contractor.īellagio opened on October 15, 1998, with 3,005 rooms in a 36-story tower. However, Wynn changed the project plans in 1995, instead theming it after the village of Bellagio, near Lake Como. Plans were announced in 1994 to replace it with Beau Rivage, a French-themed resort. Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, purchased the Dunes in 1992. Bellagio was conceived by casino owner Steve Wynn, and was built on the former site of the Dunes hotel-casino. and operated by MGM Resorts International. oʊ/ bə- LAH-zhi-oh) is a resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada.