Treasure Island Hotel and Casino
Encyclopedia
Treasure Island Hotel & Casino (also known as "TI") is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip
in Paradise
, Nevada
, USA with 2,664 rooms and 220 suites, and is connected by tram to The Mirage
as well as pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall
shopping center. Since March 2009, TI is owned and operated by real estate investor Phil Ruffin
.
The hotel has received the AAA
Four Diamond rating each year since 1999.
in 1993 under the direction of Steve Wynn at a cost of US$450 million. It was designed by architect Joel Bergman
. The initial plans called for a tower addition to The Mirage
, but later evolved into a full-fledged separate hotel casino resort. Treasure Island originally intended to attract families with whimsical pirate features and icons such as the skull-and-crossbones
strip marquee, a large video arcade
, and staged pirate battles nightly in "Buccaneer Bay" in front of the casino entrance on the Strip.
In 2003, the hotel largely abandoned its pirate theme for a more contemporary resort with a focus on adult amenities and services. The original arcade and kid-friendly pool areas were replaced with an adult-friendly hot tub, contemporary nightclub and party bar. The famous skull-and-crossbones sign at the Strip entrance was replaced by one reading simply "TI" that is also a large LCD video screen. The exterior color of the hotel was also changed from a light orange to a darker maroon color.
On December 15, 2008, MGM Mirage announced the resort would be sold for US$775 million to Phil Ruffin
, former owner of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino
. Ruffin took full ownership of the hotel and casino resort on Friday, March 20, 2009.
. Presented several times nightly with a large cast of stunt performers, the show depicted the landing and subsequent sacking of a Caribbean village by pirates, serving to attract gamblers from the strip and into the casino after each show in the same fashion as its predecessor, the Wynn-conceived volcano fronting The Mirage
casino. Notable special effects included a full-scale, manned pirate ship that sailed nearly the full width of the property, a gas-fired "powder magazine" explosion, pyrotechnics, and the sinking to the bottom of the sailing ship "Brittania" along with its captain.
In 2003, "Buccaneer Bay" was replaced with "Sirens' Cove" and the new show, "The Sirens of TI
" utilizing many of the technical elements of its predecessor. The live, free show was intended to appeal more to adults by including singing, dancing, audio-visual effects, bare-chested pirates and attractive women in the large outdoor show produced by Kenny Ortega
.
TI is also home to Cirque du Soleil
's Mystère
, which revolutionized stage show
s on the Las Vegas Strip
and introduced the entertainment style of Franco Dragone
. The show opened in 1993 as the original Cirque du Soleil
production in Las Vegas. Mystère has been voted nine times as the best production show in the city by the Las Vegas Review Journal reader's poll. With the sale of TI, it is the only hotel on the strip to host a Cirque du Soleil show that is not affiliated with MGM Resorts International.
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in Paradise
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, USA with 2,664 rooms and 220 suites, and is connected by tram to The Mirage
The Mirage
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...
as well as pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall
Fashion Show Mall
Fashion Show Mall is a shopping mall located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Fashion Show Mall is owned by the General Growth Properties Inc. With of space, this is one of the largest enclosed malls in the world...
shopping center. Since March 2009, TI is owned and operated by real estate investor Phil Ruffin
Phil Ruffin
Phillip G. Ruffin is an American businessman. His business interests lie largely in casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, and real estate. Ruffin lives in Las Vegas, Nevada....
.
The hotel has received the AAA
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
Four Diamond rating each year since 1999.
History
Treasure Island was opened by Mirage ResortsMirage Resorts
Mirage Resorts was an American corporation that owned and operated hotel-casinos. It was created in 1989, having previously been called Golden Nugget Companies...
in 1993 under the direction of Steve Wynn at a cost of US$450 million. It was designed by architect Joel Bergman
Joel Bergman
Joel Bergman is an architect who has designed several landmark casinos.Bergman was born in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1965.-Stern and Associates:In 1968 he joined Martin Stern, Jr....
. The initial plans called for a tower addition to The Mirage
The Mirage
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...
, but later evolved into a full-fledged separate hotel casino resort. Treasure Island originally intended to attract families with whimsical pirate features and icons such as the skull-and-crossbones
Jolly Roger
The Jolly Roger is any of various flags flown to identify a ship's crew as pirates. The flag most commonly identified as the Jolly Roger today is the skull and crossbones, a flag consisting of a human skull above two long bones set in an x-mark arrangement on a black field. This design was used by...
strip marquee, a large video arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, and staged pirate battles nightly in "Buccaneer Bay" in front of the casino entrance on the Strip.
In 2003, the hotel largely abandoned its pirate theme for a more contemporary resort with a focus on adult amenities and services. The original arcade and kid-friendly pool areas were replaced with an adult-friendly hot tub, contemporary nightclub and party bar. The famous skull-and-crossbones sign at the Strip entrance was replaced by one reading simply "TI" that is also a large LCD video screen. The exterior color of the hotel was also changed from a light orange to a darker maroon color.
On December 15, 2008, MGM Mirage announced the resort would be sold for US$775 million to Phil Ruffin
Phil Ruffin
Phillip G. Ruffin is an American businessman. His business interests lie largely in casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, and real estate. Ruffin lives in Las Vegas, Nevada....
, former owner of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino
New Frontier Hotel and Casino
The New Frontier was a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip that had operated continuously since October 30, 1942. Actually located within the unincorporated suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA, it was the second resort that opened on the Las Vegas Strip. The Frontier closed its doors for...
. Ruffin took full ownership of the hotel and casino resort on Friday, March 20, 2009.
Film and television history
- In the 20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog StoryDodgeball: A True Underdog StoryDodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as simply DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and starring Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Rip Torn...
, while Steve the Pirate is walking down Fremont StreetFremont StreetFremont Street is a street in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is the second most famous street in the Las Vegas metropolitan area after the Las Vegas Strip...
, someone drives by yelling "Go back to the Treasure Island". An alternate ending to the movie was that the Average Joes lost the dodgeball tournament, but got their money back when Steve won it at Treasure Island. - In the movie Miss Congeniality 2, a climactic fight scene took place in the lagoon, with a main character trapped inside a sinking ship.
- In the movie Beavis and Butthead Do America, the original Treasure Island sign, along with the pirate ship outside of the hotel, are briefly seen as Beavis and Butthead are driving down the Las Vegas strip in a limo.
- Treasure Island appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San AndreasGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
. In the game it is called "Pirates in Mens Pants" (a pun referencing Pirates of Penzance). - In the movie Knocked UpKnocked UpKnocked Up is a 2007 American romantic comedy drama film co-produced, written, and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann, the film follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between Rogen's slacker character and Heigl's just-promoted...
, Ben (Seth RogenSeth RogenSeth Rogen is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, producer, screenwriter, and voice artist. Rogen began his career doing stand-up comedy during his teen years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998. While still living in his native Vancouver, he landed a small part in Freaks and...
) and Pete (Paul RuddPaul RuddPaul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
) see MystèreMystère (Cirque du Soleil)Mystère is a Cirque du Soleil show in permanent residence at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is one of seven resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, the others being O, Zumanity, Kà, Love, Criss Angel: Believe, and Viva Elvis...
™ by Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
® at Treasure Island during their road trip to Las Vegas. - In the video game Driver 2, Treasure Island can be seen in the Las Vegas level where it's been named "Pirates Island".
- In the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television show Las VegasLas Vegas (TV series)Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
, the ending of the season 2 premiere episode was filmed at the hotel. - Treasure Island is often seen during fly-over images of the Las Vegas StripLas Vegas StripThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in the mega-hit television drama series CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
. - Many shots in the television show Las VegasLas Vegas (TV series)Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and...
are filmed as though they are in Treasure Island.
Entertainment
The resort opened with the free "Buccaneer Bay" show in a large man-made lake fronting the resort along the Las Vegas StripLas Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. Presented several times nightly with a large cast of stunt performers, the show depicted the landing and subsequent sacking of a Caribbean village by pirates, serving to attract gamblers from the strip and into the casino after each show in the same fashion as its predecessor, the Wynn-conceived volcano fronting The Mirage
The Mirage
The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...
casino. Notable special effects included a full-scale, manned pirate ship that sailed nearly the full width of the property, a gas-fired "powder magazine" explosion, pyrotechnics, and the sinking to the bottom of the sailing ship "Brittania" along with its captain.
In 2003, "Buccaneer Bay" was replaced with "Sirens' Cove" and the new show, "The Sirens of TI
Sirens of TI
The Sirens of TI is a free nightly show provided by the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The show focuses around a group of sensual and tempting Sirens engaging with a band of renegade pirates.- Summary :...
" utilizing many of the technical elements of its predecessor. The live, free show was intended to appeal more to adults by including singing, dancing, audio-visual effects, bare-chested pirates and attractive women in the large outdoor show produced by Kenny Ortega
Kenny Ortega
Kenneth John "Kenny" Ortega is an American producer, director, and choreographer. He is known for directing the High School Musical trilogy and Michael Jackson's This Is It concert tour.-Life and career:...
.
TI is also home to Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
's Mystère
Mystère (Cirque du Soleil)
Mystère is a Cirque du Soleil show in permanent residence at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is one of seven resident Cirque du Soleil shows in Las Vegas, the others being O, Zumanity, Kà, Love, Criss Angel: Believe, and Viva Elvis...
, which revolutionized stage show
Stage Show
Stage Show was a popular music variety series on American television originally hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Produced by Jackie Gleason, the CBS-TV show included the first national television appearances by Elvis Presley.The series began as a...
s on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
and introduced the entertainment style of Franco Dragone
Franco Dragone
Franco Dragone is a Italian-Belgian theatre director. He is known for his work with Cirque du Soleil.-Early life:Dragone was born in Cairano, Italy, and moved to La Louvière, Belgium at age seven. In the 1970s, he studied theatre at the Belgian Royal Conservatory of Mons...
. The show opened in 1993 as the original Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
production in Las Vegas. Mystère has been voted nine times as the best production show in the city by the Las Vegas Review Journal reader's poll. With the sale of TI, it is the only hotel on the strip to host a Cirque du Soleil show that is not affiliated with MGM Resorts International.