08/07/2003
Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - Bellagio is about things that are good for the soul -- fine dining, gardens, flowers, art and fashion. The goal, from the outset, was to create a hotel that would exemplify absolute quality while emphasizing romance and elegance -- romance in the literary sense -- a place of ideal beauty and comfort; the world everyone hopes for, as it might be if everything were just right.
A dreamy notion, to say the least, but a notion compelled by today's extremely competitive world leisure market. Folks just plain expect more these days. The old concepts of resort attractions are just that, old.
In order to become synonymous with beauty and elegance, Bellagio must address its guests' higher sensibilities. It must be more than just the best place to stay in Las Vegas. That, perhaps, had already been achieved with The Mirage.
Bellagio had to be distinctive enough to surpass the expectations of discerning individuals not easily fooled by advertising or hype. In a cynical world, creating a place of special elegance, quality and distinction is a difficult feat.
There are few places in the world so exceptional they don't require superlatives. Such places are best described with the simplest of words. Bellagio is such a place.
Architecture
Well-built hotels in Las Vegas have prospered in good times and in bad. The question was how to advance to the next level? Gaming as a unique or special kind of attraction to support tourism is a historical fact, but not a current dynamic. The hotels on the Strip are among the most exciting, dynamic and expensive structures on earth.
Still, Las Vegas lacked another dimension -- exquisite and sophisticated elegance and beauty.
Bellagio is aimed, both in scope and presentation, to impress everyone, both the well traveled and the not so well traveled, without being pretentious. The most difficult task of all was keeping Bellagio from looking like the Victoria and Albert Museum or an old mansion with lots of gilt and fretwork.
The challenge became building a place so preemptive, so overwhelmingly attractive and delicious, that it would attract people who did not visit Las Vegas before -- people who are not that impressed with gaming. Put another way, the challenge was making Las Vegas a successful competitor to London, Rome or Paris.
So began the long, difficult evolutionary process of developing an idea that, when turned into an enterprise, would fire the imaginations of the public, regardless of language, economic or ethnic background.
Bellagio captures the romantic symbolism and classical imagery of Italian architecture. It represents the softer side of the human soul.
Arrival
Guests will realize that Bellagio is distinctive as soon as they arrive. Along the entire street in front of Bellagio is a tree-lined boulevard -- so much so that it hides parts of the hotel including its own marquee -- historical heresy in Las Vegas.
With its Tuscan architecture along an eight-acre lake, Bellagio stands out as something completely out of character with what people know or expect in Las Vegas.
The initial impression of Bellagio begins as visitors approach the hotel along the water's edge traveling along its winding driveway. The drive rises some two or three stories and then curves into the beautiful glass and metal Porte Cochere. The arrival statement on this cobblestone driveway is so striking that guests' initial reaction is usually one of spirited curiosity.
Bellagio's best elements are not revealed right away. People are taken on a journey. They are put off balance. They are surprised. Bellagio exceeds their expectations, even when they expect a lot. After all, this is Las Vegas. The vision was a fanciful environment without extreme formality. Bellagio is a study in informal elegance.
The Front Lobby
The lobby is, in a word, grand, both in scale and in design. Above the 18-foot ceiling is a coffer filled with the most extraordinary glass sculpture, a chandelier called Fiori di Como, by glass sculptor Dale Chihuly, whose work has been exhibited in every major museum in the world. The flower petals are in every rich and vibrant color hanging in an explosive three-dimensional glass sculpture lit from behind.
Guests are treated immediately to this sensory use of color and natural shapes like flowers. By this time, having driven up the driveway, experiencing the garden adjacent to the Porte Cochere and then this arrival experience in the lobby, Bellagio has begun to establish its unmistakable personality. It is clearly a place unlike any that people have seen or experienced before. It's show business in a way. Bellagio aims to dazzle arriving guests by making the most powerful initial impression possible.
The traditional front desk has been abandoned. At Bellagio, the front desk is bordered by a thriving garden filled with trees, plants, flowers and fountains. Just beyond that garden -- 40 or 50 feet away -- is the front of a building resembling an Italian villa, two stories tall. When employees check a reservation or go to the office, they walk through the gardens, through a door, into the villa, which is actually an office behind the scenes.
Throughout Bellagio, living plants, flowers and gardens have been integrated into the surroundings to soothe the soul and make a wonderful impression on people. Utilizing the quiet elegance of flowers and gardens is not the kind of sensual stimulation that one would consider mainstream Las Vegas technique. It's more subtle. It's far more profound. Who doesn't enjoy the tranquility or beauty of a lush colorful properly organized garden?
Combining this natural sensuality with the high energy of a Las Vegas resort creates a counterpoint or tension. Transfixing or compelling environmental experiences cannot occur without conflict. The conflict happens when what people expect and what they see don't match. It's not enough just to surprise people, to be discordant. It isn't enough just to be different. That moment of conflict has to be exceptional.
The yellows and the vermilion and the greens and oranges and reds of roses and anemones and peonies and mums and birds of paradise and cherry blossoms, those shades aren't man-made. They're all real -- natural.
That's what guests experience as they check in. The energy level in a Las Vegas resort is very high. The hum of one of these hotels is almost impossible to resist -- it's undeniable. Bellagio's energy is extraordinary when set in contrast with the exquisite beauty of nature's palette.
The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Across the lobby from the front desk is an opening through which a glass ceiling rises up 50 feet. This is the beautiful conservatory garden. The ceiling framework and beams are the sculpted green metal of oxidized copper, called verde, set in floral patterns. Resort guests spend a lot of time visiting the hotel's dining room, health spa and beauty salon. The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens' pathways lead to Caf? Bellagio, the 24-hour dining room, Aqua, Michael Mina's wonderful gourmet seafood restaurant from San Francisco, the Chihuly Gallery, the first and only shop featuring the work of Seattle artist Dale Chihuly, The Botanical Garden, a fine shop displaying home and garden accessories, Spa Bellagio and Salon Bellagio.
These amenities were placed in the front, rather than the gaming, so that guests coming and going through this space to enjoy a part of their day will be treated to the soothing and exciting dance of color that is only available in nature.
The entire personality of the Bellagio experience changes with each of the four seasons. The conservatory garden has different trees, different flowers and an entirely different theatrical presentation with the changing seasons.
Renowned lighting designer David Hersey oversaw the lighting of Bellagio's exterior as well as its botanical gardens. David has won seven Tony Awards for Cats, Evita, Starlight Express, Les Mis?rables and Miss Saigon. He also has done the lighting for The Mirage volcano and the pirate village at Treasure Island. Specialized light fixtures were designed for Bellagio allowing for every flower to be specially lit. Each time the set-up is changed, the conservatory has theatrical control over every spot in the area.
A horticulture staff of 130 maintains the botanical garden and a 90,000-square foot greenhouse located behind the resort. The staff has the ability to achieve seasonal designs by selecting flowers that complement the trees, gazebos, bridges and ponds and can add or remove water features to enhance the seasonal effect.
For starters, orange and yellow, brown and gold are used to match the fall foliage. Following Thanksgiving weekend, the gardens are transformed for the Christmas season. Bellagio's holiday display is one of extraordinary beauty. Chinese New Year follows with its distinctive dragons and Feng Shui design. Spring brings cherry blossoms, while the summer offers flora equally as fragrant. The wonderful fragrances and magnificent colors of the seasons take over the entire arrival experience.
This ever-changing natural display is the single most significant component of Bellagio's design, fulfilling the promise of creating the most extraordinary hotel in the world.
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
Las Vegas' premier exhibition venue, the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art presents exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by the world's most influential artists. These museum-caliber exhibitions offer visitors a rare opportunity to view legendary works of art carefully selected from prestigious international collections. The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is a cultural destination in which visitors of all backgrounds and interests can experience exceptional art in an unrivaled setting.
The adjacent Gallery Store offers unique, exhibition-related products developed in collaboration with artists, their estates, and museums exclusively for this venue. At the gallery store, visitors also will find select original artworks from galleries around the world, as well as distinctive pieces of jewelry by well-known artists. The gallery and Gallery Store are available for special events such as private viewings and receptions.
The Pool and Courtyards
Divided into six distinctive pool courtyard settings, Bellagio's pool area captures the romance of the Old World in the classical setting of a Mediterranean villa.
Relaxing pools, soothing spas, garden vista caf?s and private cabanas are accented by artfully formed citrus and parterre gardens. The formal use of plantings along with groupings of Italian cypresses, olive trees and climbing vines appointed with large unique Mediterranean urns define the gardens' unique characteristics. For added distinction, several pools are enhanced by hand-carved Italianesque stone fountains in its center.
The six pools and surrounding courtyards were planned with an emphasis on elegance and convenience. The setting is easily viewed from Caf? Bellagio and the elegant Aqua restaurant as well as the arcade walkway and the charming al fresco terraces off private meeting rooms.
Symmetrically elegant parterre gardens banded by hedges complement the artistically tiled pools that are reminiscent of the Mediterranean designs evident elsewhere at Bellagio.
For complete relaxation, poolside massage treatments are available in private cabanas.
Cirque du Soleil's Production of “O”
Bellagio started out as an extraordinarily ambitious project. But ultimately, for the resort to keep its promise, the entertainment had to be as spectacular as Bellagio itself. It had to produce an entertainment experience that people would talk about in Singapore, Rome, Hong Kong, London, New York and Buenos Aires.
Bellagio had the performance, the money and the ingenuity to create a theatre and a stage with every kind of technology. With a great piece of entertainment in this environment, the audience is taken to a place they've never been before. It is a journey that's not about thrill rides or motion simulators or virtual reality. It's about something far more powerful and deep. It's about the movement of the spirit and soul. It's about imagination.
Bellagio turned to colleagues from Montreal, the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil. Just as with the hotel, it wouldn't be enough to simply put a new costume on a previous concept — even if that concept was heralded as one of the best shows in America, as is the case with Mysture at Treasure Island. Cirque du Soleil had to create its most ambitious project.
An international cast of synchronized swimmers, divers, acrobats, aerialists and characters was assembled to dazzle audiences in a magnificent theatre reminiscent of the Paris Opera House. “O” is a spectacle that promises to astonish audiences with its fusion of circus acts, modern theatrical effects, live music, dance and most of all, water.
The Restaurants of Bellagio
In order to fulfill its goals, Bellagio's restaurants had to run the gamut from gourmet five diamond dining to easy informal meals. Food lovers no longer have to go to Paris for the best meals. Several of the finest restaurateurs were invited to bring their chefs and managers along with their invaluable expertise to the Bellagio experience.
There are four James Beard award-winning chefs at Bellagio including Nevada's first James Beard award recipient, Julian Serrano. Additionally, Bellagio features one James Beard award-winning restaurant. Never before has such an exceptional collection of chefs and restaurants been assembled under one roof.
When looking at the finest dining establishments in America, the number one restaurant in New York City is Le Cirque owned by the Maccioni family whose patriarch is Sirio Maccioni. Sirio, his sons and his wife agreed to join Bellagio. Once the Maccioni family joined in, the restaurant community knew Bellagio was serious.
One of the finest restaurants in Boston is Olives, the talk of San Francisco is the world- renowned seafood restaurant Aqua and the versatile Jean-Georges Vongerichten is internationally known for his work in New York, London and Hong Kong. They all were invited to Bellagio.
Some of the finest Executive Chefs and Pastry Chefs in the world were also sought out including Julian Serrano and Jean-Philippe Maury. With the approval of his family, one of Bellagio's premier restaurants was named for the greatest painter of the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso. It had to be a totally unique experience, reflective of his preeminence.
Taking its inspiration from the villages of the Mediterranean, Picasso is a rough-hewn restaurant with a beam and brick ceiling and gesso-covered burlap walls. Some of the great master's colorful and delightful paintings, as well as his ceramics, tiles and sculpture were incorporated into the restaurant's d?cor. Claude Picasso, the son of Pablo, designed the carpet and the furniture for the restaurant. This environment is the perfect setting to enhance the experience of renowned chef Julian Serrano's magnificent Mediterranean food.
The wonder of Picasso has been internationally recognized. The restaurant received the prestigious AAA Five Diamond Award in 2002 and 2003, one of only two Las Vegas restaurants to receive this coveted award.
At Picasso, guests eat indoors surrounded by the works of Pablo Picasso or enjoy a cocktail on the outdoor patio along the water's edge. There is no other place in the world where people can do that unless they go to the Picasso museum in Paris with a box lunch and sit down on the floor. And they probably can't do that. The security guards might object. Besides, there are no windows in the Picasso museum.
Lounges at Bellagio
While Las Vegas has a long and colorful history of lounge entertainment, Bellagio's vision for the lounges was to define a new era. This concept included not only the performances themselves but also the designed spaces. Bellagio has strived to offer a wide range of sensorial approaches to lounges; from fast-paced excitement to elegant relaxation.
Among the highlights is the Fontana Bar at center stage on Bellagio's Casino Level where guests enjoy live entertainment and expansive views of the lake.
Caramel Bar & Lounge, Bellagio's latest creation, introduces a new taste to the Las Vegas nightlife scene. With no line or wait to get in, Caramel Bar & Lounge is a great choice for enjoying a cocktail before dinner or after an evening show or just as a late-night destination. Caramel Bar & Lounge's environment comes alive with music ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Beatles.
Then, there is the Petrossian Bar that was designed to become the ultimate meeting place. Here, guests may choose from an array of offerings from afternoon tea to the finest champagnes, Petrossian caviar and smoked salmon. Its lavish d?cor transports guests to another era marked by fantasy and indulgence.
Light at Bellagio
Light is a sexy but refined bottle-service nightclub based on the popular cocktail lounge in New York. Rich and vibrant fabrics of sateen and velvet drape the walls and ceiling creating an intimate and elegant atmosphere. Combined with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, Light offers guests a unique nightclub experience.
Shopping at Bellagio
Bellagio is like a symphony. It has movements. The secret to a great symphony is the texture, the variety, the depth of the movements of which it is made. Each of the movements has its own personality and wonderful moments within the framework of the symphony. But even though there are differences in those movements, what makes it a symphony is that all of them are part of the same score.
Retail shopping is part of Bellagio's symphonic production. Via Bellagio, a unique collection of upscale boutiques and shops, combines the timeless with the avant-garde, the simple with the extravagant.
The retailers located along Via Bellagio have never before been located together. These designers can't be found in malls across the country. Giorgio Armani always puts his primary Armani line in a stand-alone store. Chanel and the great fashion designs of Karl Lagerfeld go in freestanding stores. Herm?s, the great French designer of sportswear and leather goods goes in freestanding stores. So does Prada, the designer.
Yet Bellagio managed to bring them together for the first time. A stroll along Via Bellagio allows guests to browse through exquisite collections at Yves Saint Laurent, Prada, Herm?s, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Chanel and the rare and extraordinary jewelry of Fred Leighton. Christian Dior will open their new boutique November 2003.
Given the popularity of shopping in Las Vegas, Bellagio offers a complete shopping experience. Superb jewelry, watches, gifts, works of art, elegant evening fashions and fine sportswear all are available in the shops at Bellagio.
The Fountains of Bellagio
Throughout the world great public spaces have been accented with wonderful fountains. When thinking of the many romantic places in Paris or Rome, London or Madrid, fountains immediately come to mind. The Fountains of Bellagio express the romantic spirit of the resort.
The result of collaboration with WET Design is the most ambitious water feature ever conceived in terms of choreographic complexity and scale.
At Bellagio, more than a thousand fountains dance in front of the hotel, enhanced by music and light. The display spans more than 1,000 feet with water soaring as high as 240 feet into the air.
A wide range of musical works has been selected for the fountain's shows, from classical and operatic pieces to popular music and songs from Broadway shows. Designers, musicians and performance artists were invited to choreograph the fountain to these differing musical selections. The result is a rich, dynamic collection of performances in water, each uniquely expressive in its interpretation. The performances range from delicate and whimsical to grand and commanding.
Guest Rooms and Suites
Bellagio offers deluxe guest rooms and suites featuring sweeping vistas of the resort's lake, surrounding mountains and Las Vegas skyline. Each room is elegantly appointed with custom European-style furnishings, fine art and conveniences such as computer and fax accessible data ports, multiple telephone lines and a convenient mini-bar.
Special attention was paid to the guest room bathroom design. Italian marble floors and surfaces along with plush robes and soaking tubs were incorporated into the bathroom design as bathroom amenities truly enhance a vacation. From the moment a guest enters their accommodations, they feel wrapped in comfort and luxury.
Spa and Salon
Bellagio's staff searched the finest spas in the world for treatments and amenities that could be brought back to the resort. Guests of Spa Bellagio enjoy a wide array of luxurious body care treatments in the European tradition, including a complete range of massage therapies featuring the Lemon Ginger Stone Massage, the spa's signature treatment. The unique Stone therapy combines specially harvested stones, prepared in a hydrobath, with an energy- balancing technique to provide a thoroughly relaxing experience. Also available at Spa Bellagio are hydrotherapy services, facials, body treatments and Vichy showers. The exercise room features a full line of Cybex equipment complemented by the most attentive service. Separate men's and women's facilities provide the ultimate in comfort with steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools and a lounge where guests enjoy refreshments such as fresh fruit and juices.
Adjacent to the spa is Salon Bellagio. Guests choose from a full range of services in a relaxed and intimate setting. Located in The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, salon visitors are pampered with treatments while surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the gardens.
Business and Convention Travel
Las Vegas is the largest convention market in the world, and growing. Attending a convention or business function at Bellagio is just as elegant and comfortable as the experience of our vacation guests.
Featuring more than 125,000 square feet, the meeting facilities at Bellagio offer business travelers an extraordinary level of product and service in an unrivaled setting. To ensure that every meeting runs as smoothly as possible, each meeting room is equipped with speakerphones, data ports and the latest audiovisual equipment is available for presentations. A professional staff is on hand to deliver faxes, send mail and assist with word processing.
Committed to ensuring every event's success, a Convention Services and Catering Manager will oversee every detail and address any special needs that may arise.
For occasions that require an imaginative touch, MGM MIRAGE Events – a fully integrated event-planning company – is available to assist with props, graphic design, invitations, floral fashions and entertainment.
In addition to business amenities, many meeting rooms offer balconies with enchanting views of the pools and gardens. Impeccable service in the most exquisite of surroundings ensures that business at Bellagio is anything but usual.
The Wedding Chapels and Terrace of Dreams at Bellagio
The Wedding Chapels and Terrace of Dreams at Bellagio offer an intimate setting for couples wishing to be married in an atmosphere of elegance and romance.
The two chapels were created in an effort to provide couples with elegant surroundings in which to share their wedding with family and friends. Both chapels are beautifully inspired by timeless European design with colorful stained glass windows that adorn the wall behind each altar. Ornate lamps and chandeliers of amethyst Venetian glass complement the gentle hues of cream, rose, peach, antique green and bride's blue found throughout the tapestries and fabrics of the chapels.
Terrazza di Sogno (Terrace of Dreams), an Italian balcony with toasted marble flooring and walls tinted a warm golden patina, is available for couples wanting the perfect outdoor wedding, vow renewal or commitment event. Couples overlook stunning views of a Tuscan landscape and a Mediterranean-blue lake with the Fountains of Bellagio soaring to the sky at the moment of the long-awaited first kiss.
An attentive staff specializing in personalized service enhances the exquisite atmosphere of the chapels and the terrace. A professional wedding coordinator is appointed to each couple and can assist the couple in making arrangements including dinner reservations at Bellagio's gourmet restaurants, reserving guest rooms for the wedding party and contacting Bellagio Catering regarding the wedding reception.
Spa Tower
Building on its unrivaled reputation for luxury and service, Bellagio broke ground on April 2003 on its Spa Tower. In addition to 928 luxurious rooms and suites, the new tower will feature an expansion of the resort's elegant spa and salon, additional meeting and convention space, added retail and a casually elegant restaurant.
Conclusion
Bellagio is about gardens, flowers, fine dining, fashion and extraordinary service. It is a place about music and things that are good for the soul. Bellagio is a pointed departure from all that has preceded it in Las Vegas.
Dozens of wonderfully creative people have made cameo appearances. Guest designers who are famous in the world did sections, a restaurant here, a lounge there, a fountain show up front, to add a dimension to Bellagio's personality.
The test of a wonderful place that can truly be called the greatest resort in the world is not the presence of gaming or the ability to make money. It is that people can go there and have experiences that seem to happen just in the right time and place to suit their moods.
Bellagio may never be duplicated or copied in its scope, but this project has drawn the very best work from thousands of talented and energetic people and, as such, is a source of creative satisfaction for all involved. Everybody feels they have taken their best shot. Bellagio put its best foot forward and allows its guests to be the judge of the endeavor.
When people look back as they depart, they think, ‘it wasn't like anything I've seen before…it was better than I expected… truly incredible…in every respect, lovely and just right.'
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