Park MGM originally operated as the Monte Carlo. A portion of the resort's land was once occupied by the Desert Rose motel, opened in 1953. Another portion of the future resort site was occupied by a golf course, built in the 1960s, for the nearby
Dunes hotel-casino. In May 1994, Mirage and
Gold Strike Resorts announced a joint venture to build a then-unnamed resort on part of the former golf course. The Desert Rose was also purchased and demolished to make way for the resort. Ground was broken in March 1995.
Circus Circus Enterprises acquired Gold Strike three months later and took over its role of managing the project. Gold Strike had hoped to name the project the Grand Victoria, the same name as
the casino being developed by the company in Illinois, but that idea was discarded because of potential confusion with the
MGM Grand. "Victoria" and "Victoria Bay" were reported as likely names. Details about the property were revealed in July 1995, including that it would be named the Monte Carlo and feature
Belle Époque architecture, based on the unaffiliated
Monte Carlo Casino in
Monaco. The Monte Carlo opened to the public at midnight on June 21, 1996, following an invitation-only pre-opening celebration, including a fireworks show. Originally proposed as a $250 million project, The resort aimed for mass appeal, offering European luxury rooms to middle-income guests, The Las Vegas property became popular among tourists as a second-choice hotel, handling overflow from other resorts. As of 2009, the Monte Carlo print advertising campaign featured intentionally misspelled French words ("tray sheek") coupled with glamorous images. The campaign's tagline was "Unpretentiously luxurious". Mirage and Circus Circus split the resort's profits, and operations were overseen by the latter company. MGM Grand, Inc. acquired Mirage in 2000, forming
MGM Mirage and acquiring 50-percent ownership of the Monte Carlo. MGM acquired the other half in 2005, after purchasing
Mandalay Resort Group (formerly Circus Circus Enterprises).
2008 fire The rooftop of the hotel's 32-story tower contains most of the resort's air-conditioning, as well as electrical equipment. A
three-alarm rooftop fire began on January 25, 2008, shortly before 11:00 a.m. Approximately 120 firefighters responded to the blaze, which was put out by 12:15 p.m. Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation. Local fire safety protocols, adopted after the 1980
MGM Grand fire, were credited for the organized evacuation and minimal injuries. However, some guests complained of a delay in initiating the evacuations, which was left blackened. Large chunks of EIFS fell from the tower; A later analysis found that a non-approved resin had been used in two areas along the roof during initial construction, which helped spread the fire at a faster rate. Many rooms also suffered water damage and had to be stripped down for repair work, Welding had been taking place on the roof and was the cause of the fire. A team of contractors had been cutting steel for a walkway along the roof's edge, to be installed for window-washing. According to fire officials, the workers had failed to acquire a permit for their work and failed to use a
slag mat, designed to catch molten drippings. Because the fire was determined to be accidental, no citations were issued by the fire department. The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the contractor $18,000, alleging it broke nine workplace safety laws. However, the agency's review board overturned nearly all of the citations, while acknowledging that the contractor failed to take necessary precautions to prevent the fire spread. The resort ultimately lost nearly $100 million because of the fire, including damage and lost revenue from the closure. However, company losses were minimal due to MGM's portfolio of Strip properties. The Monte Carlo partially reopened on February 15, 2008, and much of the property was operational within a week.
Park MGM (2018–present) In 2015, construction was underway on MGM's nearby
T-Mobile Arena. The Monte Carlo was viewed as the gateway to the venue, prompting MGM to consider renaming the resort, which was seen as underutilized. The Park, a dining and entertainment district, In June 2016, MGM announced that the Monte Carlo would be rebranded as Park MGM, a reference to The Park. The resort received a two-year renovation which took place in phases, allowing the property to remain open. The name change took effect on May 9, 2018, although construction remained ongoing. Renovations took place throughout the entire resort, and cost more than $550 million, Nevada casinos were ordered to close in March 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and
its effects on the state. Nevada casinos began reopening a few months later. When Park MGM reopened on September 30, 2020, it instituted a non-smoking policy, becoming the only casino resort on the Strip to be smoke-free. This was done to attract a non-smoking clientele who dislike the cigarette smoke that is typically associated with casinos. The timing for such a decision was considered appropriate, as there was support for smoke-free policies amid the pandemic. The non-smoking policy had previously been considered two years earlier, until MGM passed on the idea. Smoking is still permitted in designated outdoor areas. ==Features==