PHOTO: GREG ASKINS
Feature: Park MGM
New Wine In Old Bottles MGM’s newest resort is a marvel of reinvention. By David McKee
F
ive years ago, MGM Resorts International realized it had a problem. Its Monte Carlo casino-resort wasn’t resonating with visitors. Opened in 1996, a joint venture of Mirage Resorts and Circus Circus Enterprises, it trumpeted “the era of affordable excellence,” replete with marble and wannabe Roman statuary. Both companies were eventually subsumed into MGM and the latter found that Monte Carlo didn’t translate for American customers. Out went the statuary, in went new restaurants and bars, defacing the façade, until then-COO Bill Hornbuckle decided Volume 17: Issue 146
something full-scale was needed. What emerged in stages, from 2016 to 2019, was Park MGM, a lifestyle-oriented resort. Its amenities included a showroom that quickly became a magnet for the top names in entertainment, as well as a dedicated Stay Well floor that promises guests “better rest, fresher air, personalized lighting, a nutritious menu and more.” To roll out this thorough remake of a tired property into the freshest thing on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM turned to three-decade company veteran Ann Hoff. President of both Park MGM and Bellagio, Hoff 13
