Prevue November-December 2013 - (Page 14)

fresh meets MGM Resorts International $350 million invested in 2013 in hotel venues, WiFi, nightlife & entertainment M ichael Dominguez, senior vice president of sales for MGM Resorts International, is a busy guy. His company is investing over $350 million this year at the 12 MGM hotels on the Las Vegas Strip. The city is back in a big way, and Dominguez says MGM needs to be prepared for the boom in advance group bookings for 2014/15. In September, MGM rolled out what it's promoting as the "highest-performing, next generation wireless LAN in the industry." All of the hotels are now connected to the $14 million, high-density WiFi system, customizable per group. "Now 5,000 people can be on the network with one meg of power per person at the same time-it's unheard of in the industry, it's very cutting edge," says Dominguez. "The beauty of it is that we can move bandwith. That way, if I have a large group hosting a buyout, and I know that they're hosting it from 8am to 5pm, I can move bandwidth from the guest rooms to the meeting space. You don't see that on a lot of WiFi platforms in today's market. The beauty is that the resort fee for internet in the guest rooms also goes for WiFi in the meeting space. There's not a separate charge, it's seamless." During IMEX America in October, we were excited to check out the brand new Hakkasan Las Vegas Restaurant & Nightclub at MGM Grand. The largest nightclub in the country is part of the recent $170 million remodel of the hotel, and the flexibility this venue provides is impressive. The 80,000-sf, 5-level venue features a "Shanghai-Chinoise" vibe, unbelievable laser light shows in the club, and the Hakkasan Group's renowned Cantonese cuisine served in myriad private and semiprivate spaces on multiple floors. And that's just the beginning. "We've invested over a billion dollars in our hotels over the past three years," says Dominguez. "We wanted to be a luxury brand in Las Vegas that provides several options to really capitalize on the recovery. At Mandalay Bay, there's a new nightclub called Light that complements Hakkasan very well. We also have new restaurants and the new Cirque du Soleil show [Michael Jackson ONE]. We want to make sure you can come into both hotels and have plenty of options." Hakkasan, MGM Grand For large events up to 20,000 delegates, MGM is building a new professional sports and concert arena between New York-New York Hotel and Monte Carlo Resort. The $350 million project breaks ground next year. Adjacent to that, a new outdoor pedestrian district and park will open next summer. "One thing that has changed is that we used to keep you locked into one place for your entire stay," says Dominguez. "Now, Las Vegas has become a very pedestrian-friendly city. We needed to create some great outdoor space for people to use.... The idea is to have an outdoor outlet where planners can rent out the Brooklyn Bridge and then use the park. Lastly, MGM is increasingly targeting more global attendees with new product like Delano Las Vegas, sister property to Delano Miami and Marrakech. Part of Mandalay Bay, the hotel is scheduled to open in Q3 2014. "Delano has such a great reputation in the Miami market," says Dominguez. "We aren't trying to bring South Beach to Las Vegas, but you will get Delano's sexy, modern luxury aspect." mgmresorts.com; lvcva.com "5,000 people can be on the network with one meg of power per person at the same time-it's unheard of" 14 | prevue magazine http://www.mgmresorts.com http://www.lvcva.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Prevue November-December 2013

Planner's Pick: Hartford
Fresh Meets: MGM Resorts
Bureau Buzz: Las Vegas
Good Business: Hyatt, Hilton, Fairmont
Sea Shores: Silversea Cruises
Cool, Cultured & Creative
Imex America
Special Section: Asia Pacific
Ireland
On Location: Hard Rock San Diego
Santa Fe
Cincinnati
On Location: InterContinental Costa Rica
On Location: Marriott Orlando
On Location: Hilton Orlando
South Walton, Florida
Check Out: Moon Palace Cancun

Prevue November-December 2013