County approves new hotel tower at Mandalay Bay

Thursday, Aug. 8, 2002 | 10:57 a.m.

Clark County commissioners Wednesday unanimously approved a plan by Las Vegas Strip casino operator Mandalay Resort Group to build a 1,126-room hotel tower at its Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

Mandalay Resort Group announced it would build the tower in May to serve primarily attendees at its convention center, which will open next year. The move allows the company to compete with other Strip casinos that offer suites for convention-goers. The tower is expected to break ground in September and open in fall 2003.

No opposition to the project surfaced during the commission meeting.

The tower also will feature other uses such as a coffee shop, exercise room and meeting facilities.

The company may have to help pay for a series of roadway improvements, should they be needed to accommodate greater traffic volume, commissioners said.

Possible improvements include increasing the number of left turn lanes from Las Vegas Boulevard into the property, and modifying the Strip's roadway median to accommodate more turn lanes. The county has required casino companies to pay for such improvements after expansions that draw more visitors to their properties.