FIERY ATTRACTION:

Improved volcano rekindles Mirage’s economic hopes

Evening shows to help bring in more visitors

Justin M. Bowen

After months of the Mirage’s volcano laying dormant, the hotel and casino reignited its icon to the public with a new look and a new sound.

By Amanda Finnegan (contact)

Published Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 | 7:43 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 | 5:32 p.m.

The Mirage Volcano

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Despite harsh economic times on the Strip, the Mirage launched its latest multimillion dollar addition Monday night, a project that has been on the resort's agenda for almost four years.

After months of the Mirage’s volcano laying dormant and more that 19 years after its original opening, the hotel and casino reignited the fiery icon in a public ceremony, showcasing a new look and a new sound.

Mirage president Scott Sibella and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman were there to unveil the resort's $25 million outdoor project.

Plans and preparations for the improved volcano have been in the works since late 2004. The volcano had been closed for construction from February until Monday night.

Sibella said in early September that the plan for the outdoor spectacle was to hopefully bring visitors inside the casino.

“I think it’s going to bring traffic flow back into the property. It creates a lot of demand to stay here to see the volcano. It tells a story that if a casino is spending $25 million on this volcano, what have they done inside? We are doing this so we can stay competitive with all these new properties on the Strip,” Sibella said in September.

In late October, MGM Mirage announced it would be scaling back projects in an effort to cut costs, including shelving projects in Atlantic City and renovations in current properties. The company reported a 67 percent lost in the third quarter from last year.

Monday night, Sibella admitted that the property had some concerns about the Mirage’s investment in the volcano upgrade.

“I’m concerned now, but at the time we had already gone through this process for three or four years. But we got to the point where we had to continue it because we had so much time and money invested in it,” Sibella said.

Sibella said the property was lucky to have the project fully funded a few years ago.

“We spent the whole $25 million,” Sibella said.

The Mirage summoned the forces of top designers and musicians for the redesign.

Design firm WET, which created the original Mirage volcano in 1989 — as well as the Bellagio Fountains — is responsible for the new effects and look of the volcano.

The new volcano show fires up for 4 minutes and 30 seconds, its eruptions choreographed to the music of Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart and Indian tabla artist Zakir Hussain.

The show features all of the elements, with the volcano shooting water 120 feet in the air while fire shoots from the lagoon below, all to a primal soundtrack.

Shows will run every hour, on the hour, from dusk to midnight each evening.

Strip visitors may have already seen parts of the show because the Mirage has been testing it in spurts throughout the week.

The Mirage also announced Robbie Knievel, son of the late dare-devil Evel Knievel, plans to jump the volcano on New Year’s Eve. The jump will be the fourth in Las Vegas for Robbie Kenievil and his last live event until he returns to England.

Discussion: 10 comments so far…

By GHM

12/8/08 at 8:08 p.m.

Suggest removal

thanks !!
By tvegas

12/9/08 at 12:10 p.m.

Suggest removal

Wonder how many jobs this cost?
By acrosby85254

12/10/08 at 4:34 a.m.

Suggest removal

There's not too many 'free' attractions left in Vegas anymore, well .... not unless you count tent city as one, but that's beside the point. It is nice to have the old volcano back, good for you Mirage.
By BorisR

12/10/08 at 5:51 a.m.

Suggest removal

tent city is a place Las Vegas should take care of. I once stopped there and gave the rest of my water bottles to the poor guys hanging around on the streets, getting ready for bed time. It's a shame that just a few blocks further south, it's all about gambling and money whereas these people have problems to make ends meet. But there's not we can do about, it's the way the things work. As for the Mirage, it was nothing without the vulcano. Great to hear it's re-activated :)
By rocket_car

12/10/08 at 1:02 p.m.

Suggest removal

Of all the gimmicks on the Strip, I always thought that igniting natural gas into billowing waves of colorful flames was the most primal. We've come so far from dancing around the fire...or have we?
By Desi

12/10/08 at 1:08 p.m.

Suggest removal

The Mirage needs a LOT more than a new volcano to rekindle their business. They need to train the people at the front desk on how to deal with customers. It doesn't matter how nice the casino, rooms, and other amenities are when you treat customers like garbage at check-in. The LAST time I stayed (and I mean LAST), I checked in on a Sunday afternoon around 1 pm. That's early, I know. But 9 out of 10 times Vegas hotels can find me the room I'm looking for at 1 pm. I made the reservation weeks prior, requesting a King bed. Got a very good rate too. At check-in I was told that there are no rooms with King beds available AND that NONE would become available later in the day. She was telling me they were all spoken for, which of course is rubbish. She offered me a room with a king bed if I upgraded (more $$$ of course). Otherwise I'd have to wait for a room with 2 smaller beds. I chose to wait. After making a few entries on her keyboard, she said a King had just become available, but wouldn't be clean until after 4 pm. Actually it became available around 5 pm. The receptionist's approach was to try to upsell me which didn't work. Her reaction was to ruin my first day in Vegas. Her only objective was to make herself look good by getting me to purchase a more expensive room. She didn't care at all that I would leave Vegas with very bad feelings about the Mirage, would never want to stay there again, and would pass bad word of mouth to my friends. It's possible that no king beds were available at 1 pm. In that case she should have apologized for the delay, put me in a queue, and got me the room ASAP (maybe by 2 pm). Telling lies to try to 'extort' more $$$ from me was very, low class behavior. Does that sound like the kind of place you want to stay at? Does a nice volcano makeup for that kind of treatment? No way. I hope they go out of business.
By 9ballguy

12/10/08 at 2:13 p.m.

Suggest removal

I used to love to stay at The Mirage in the early nineties and The Staff was one of the main reasons. They were the best staff on the strip in my opinion because you could tell they loved and were excited to be working there. The remodeling they have done is nice but they and all of the now corporate owned strip properties had better work on investing in their staffs. It will be in everyone's best interest to do so.
By fvbump82

12/12/08 at 11:34 a.m.

Suggest removal

OK. Talk about lost jobs, if you wish. That's appropriate. But DO NOT start talking about those "poor souls" who market their homelessness aka "God Bless" cardboard sign nonsence along our freeway exits and entrances. Any one of you who gives those individuals a dime should realize what you are doing. You are enabling people with emotional and mental problems to continue to believe they need an entitlement from mankind. There are jobs available (maybe not as many as before), but they can find work. I carry a copy of the want ads in my car and have yet to find one of these folks "happy" when I hand it to them out of my car window. I retired after here after working for the last 50 years. I now work part time (for fun) for one of the hotel properties...OUTSIDE...in 115 degrees...or in freezing weather...for $6.50 an hour and love my job. I meet people from around the world and work hard to thank people for coming to our wonderful city. My job requires no special skills except to be pleasant to people. Seems like the "pleasant" greetings these homeless individuals give us in our cars would work well with our visiting public, huh???
By vegasmemories

12/21/08 at 1:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

My lovely wife and I have been coming to Las Vegas since August of 1969, when Elvis peformed at the International (which is now the Hilton). In 1990, we started our tradition of staying at either the Mirage or the TI. Before Wynn sold his incredible hotels and casinos to the MGM group, we always enjoyed watching the "free" shows out front. However, ever since MGM took over, things have NEVER been the same. They can set off all the volcanos and sinking ships they want to, but solely because of the poor service and unfriendly staff at check-in now at both casinos, we'll NEVER return to either one again. It's truly sad and also a shame that some hotel execs just don't understand how important it is to treat the customer with some respect and dignity, once you do get people in the front door.
By JKRIZ1

9/22/09 at 11:19 a.m.

Suggest removal

We love the Mirage!!! But with a big but!! Service needs to get much better, its far from worldclass and I am very unhappy with the middle class treatment from the front desk employees and cocktail waitresses. I was recently a Mirage guest for Labor Day weekend and come every few years and wish that I was happier at check out time!! I even had a cocktail waitress tell me to cash out on a dollar slot I was $400 up on and I didn't listen to her but an hour later when I hit blazin 777"s she wanted a big tip!! WTF!!! Bring me free drinks and comp my meals more often or I will be spending my money elsewhere very soon!! New Volcano or not! Sorry but most people pay for service like myself and the Mirage needs to pay their employees more and pamper its guests because any hotel could have a goood room rate its where I'm spening my gambling money at that counts!! Doesn't it!!! Mirage prosper, stay beautiful, Stay open for many years!! But pay your employees more!! So they will treat your customers that could be lifetime clients better!!! OK!!!!!!!!!!!!