Bellagio Features That are Hidden in Plain Sight


Gennadius shares the deets of Bellagio observations from his November 2017 trip.

My November 2017 trip was a poker focused one. That means countless hours spent at the tables, generally short breaks for quick meals, and at all other times, non-stop poker action. It is different, yet equally as fun, kind of trip for me. On one of the last nights I was going to be there, I took a bit more of an extended break and met up with a friend of mine and her husband, both of whom had moved out to Las Vegas recently since he had taken a position with MGM.

Beyond hanging out and catching up, I gave them an excuse to go try a restaurant that they had not been to yet. Izakaya Go was quite good, and perhaps will be the subject of a future article. I will say that if you get an opportunity to eat there, take it. You will not regret it.

After dinner and catching up, we drove over to Bellagio while chatting a bit about the differences in the casinos and their player’s programs. Coming in through the parking garage via the employee’s entrance, I remarked how even with as many times as I have been to Vegas, this was something new that I didn’t quite know was there, even though it was right in front of my eyes. Once we made our way into the property, we ended up walking through the recently opened Bellagio Fall Conservatory, which was gorgeous and very well done. This Fall Conservatory featured a lot of your traditional autumn themes but also had a prominent spot for two large peacocks whose tails were wonderfully constructed out of over 14,000 roses. It also featured the large talking tree, which has become a staple of their fall displays.

The Conservatory is one of those items that I believe most people know about, but many people don’t always get over to see it on every trip, even though there is a remarkable amount of time and effort put into designing and building each display. Even more amazing is how often the display changes, typically at a minimum of once per season. Because of that, I felt that this fell into a category of unique features of Bellagio that are always there but that not everyone sees or takes advantage of.

Following that same theme, we wandered out to the front of the Bellagio, where there were a couple of items that he wanted to point out that people generally overlooked. The first item had to do with the pair of Chinese Guardian Lions out in front of the main entrance. These imposing statutes greet everyone as they approach, whether arriving on foot or by vehicle.

I was told that these are very common representations of lions in China, and that here in the United States; they are often misidentified as dogs. An additional new feature that I learned as part of this conversation, which apparently has always been there and is common in most statues of this type, are that the statues represent differing genders of lions. The male rests his right paw on an ornamental ball, often taken to represent supremacy over the world. The female rests her left paw on the belly of a cub that is playing in front of her, often taken to represent the nurturing aspects in the world.

After that enlightening discussion, I now appreciate these statues, which I had walked by innumerable times, in a whole new light.

Another quick item that was pointed out to me while we were out at the front entrance of the Bellagio was the logo B that is widely associated with the property. This logo goes back to the original conception of the entire property by Steve Wynn, and eventual construction of it by his company at the time, Mirage Resorts Inc.

The capital B is made up of what looks like two distinct strokes, one the vertical component of the B, looks like a hurried S. The second stroke, which makes up the rest of the B, looks like a W turned on its side. Looking at it now, it seems fairly obvious, but while I consider myself quite observant, I never would have linked the logo to Steve Wynn’s initials, in the past. Now that it has been pointed out to me, I can’t help but think of the two-component letters every time I see the B.

The last major item we discussed was my contribution to our discussion of things that I thought that everyone should see at Bellagio, but that many people don’t always get a chance to see up close. This would be the Bellagio fountains, and while everyone can see them from the street side, one can see from these two pictures that there are a couple of places where one could potentially get a much different view.

I have eaten at Lago a couple of times, and have spent many, many, nights at Hyde Bellagio. Both of these places are well known and easily stand on their own within their respective areas (Italian small plate restaurant and nightclub). However, they both contribute to another hidden in plain sight feature of Bellagio, and that is the ability to see the fountain show from a much closer perspective, and from the opposite side of the normal street view.

The view from Lago that I had did have windows in between us and the fountain, in order to prevent the spray from coming up and disrupting people’s meals, but the view is a very unique and impressive one regardless. Some parts of the restaurant may have only partial or removable glass instead of a full window, but I haven’t experienced those seats.

The view from Hyde varies depending on the outside temperature. Sometimes Hyde will have their large windows closed, allowing you to see the show but keeping the cooler temps out. Other times, those windows will be gone, and you can look out and watch the fountains go off in all their glory directly with your eyes. There is an area that extends a bit further out that is under the open-air, and simply has some glass to deflect some of the spray. Regardless of where you see it from within Hyde, the fountain show is quite the sight to see with the other strip properties in the background framing it. As an added sensory feature, if the wind is blowing in the right direction, one can even feel the spray of the water from the fountain show on one’s face.

Above and beyond that, I also learned that there is a very unique VIP experience at Hyde Bellagio that places you in that more extended, open-air, section of the club, provides you with a 3 foot tall bottle of Jay-Z’s Ace of Spades champagne, and gives you control of the Bellagio fountain show via a big red button. What is the cost of this hidden in plain sight feature? A cool $250,000, no big deal.

Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into some features that are there in Bellagio for everyone to experience, and the next time you are in Las Vegas and you have the opportunity, you’ll be able to see them as they lie in plain sight.

6 thoughts on “Bellagio Features That are Hidden in Plain Sight

  1. You are scratching my itch here! I love the Bellagio and love this article. I’ve never ever thought of the “B” being Steve Wynn’s initials. Interesting. I have eaten on the patio at PRIME which gives you a stunning view of the fountains with the tower and Planet Hollywood in the backdrop. It’s a great view with no crowds and excellent food.
    Viva!

    1. Glad the article helped! I did not think about the B either, but once my friend’s husband told me about it, I literally cannot un-see it.

      I have not eaten at PRIME, but that’s good to know there is yet another location with a good view of the fountains from the Bellagio side. I’ll have to check it out. Thanks for reading!

  2. How did you get into the parking garage through the employees entrance? I’m curious about this?

    1. Ah, I described in my article how I was visiting my friend and her husband. They had just moved out to Las Vegas since he had just taken a position with MGM. Since he was driving, I was able to enter in through that entrance with them!

      1. Makes sense now…..I thought you were saying there was a way for the public to enter the property off of Frank Sinatra drive. I didn’t realize you were riding with an employee. Thanks for clarifying.

  3. Hello! The logo of the “B” is actually (S)teve Wynn’s and (E)laine Wynn’s initials – The S comes first then the E backwards was meant for Elaine … obviously way before the lawsuite ;)

Comments are closed.

Previous post Dining Review – Herbs and Rye
Mad Aplle Next post Mad Apple: “A Truly Mad Affair” to Open at NYNY