Bellagio

Casinos come and go leaving behind a rich history of showbusiness.

Casinos come and go leaving behind a rich history of showbusiness.

What a hotel!

The Bellagio hotel sits on the site of the original Dunes Hotel. The Dunes Hotel opened in 1955 and remained open until 1993. In November 1992, it was purchased by Steve Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, Inc for $75 million to make room for the company's new project, which would eventually become the Bellagio, a resort inspired by the Lake Como resort of the same name in Italy.

The Bellagio Hotel was completed in 1998 and is one of Las Vegas' most elegant hotels. Built at a cost of $1.6 billion, the massive hotel complex features a large lake with flood-lit fountains that dance to music. This is reminiscent of Liberace's Dancing Waters that used to be in his Las Vegas Hilton shows.

The dancing fountains have become one of the Strip's signature attractions. The fountains span more than 1,000 feet across and soar up to 240 feet in the air. The shows are choreographed to music ranging from Luciano Pavarotti to Frank Sinatra.

The Bellagio Hotel's huge entertainment venue is home to Cirque du Soleil's popular production entitled "O". O (pronounced eau -French for water) Opening October 1998. "O" is Cirque's first and only aquatic show, which features underwater acts such as synchronized swimming as well as ariel acts.

Since this is a water based show, every member of the cast is SCUBA-certified. Some of he costumes have a lifespan of 20 shows, with multiple costumes per performer costing about $10,000 to produce. In order for the platform stage to rise and fall without a wake, the surface of the stage has thousands of tiny holes allowing the water to drain in seconds.

O is without doubt one of the most stunningly beautiful and technically complex shows not only in Vegas but anywhere in the world.

The Bellagio is one of the few hotels in Las Vegas that still has a lounge. The Fontana Room is probably the best lounge in modern day Las Vegas and has played host to performers such as Jimmy Hopper, Dian Diaz, Fuse, Odyssey, Isis. As well as the highest quality bands the Fontana room boasts one of the best views on the strip of the Bellagio lake which is right outside the large panoramic windows along the right hand side of the room.

If you have any information about the history of entertainment at this property please do contact us, we aim to update this section of the site as frequently as possible so that we can ensure as accurate as possible correct historic information.