Kirk Kerkorian: The Quiet Billionaire Who Built Vegas Three Times
Kirk Kerkorian built the biggest hotel in the world three separate times. Not the same hotel. Three different hotels, each one the largest on the planet when it opened. This is actually the most underrated story in Vegas history.
The deal
Okay I need to talk about Kirk Kerkorian because I don't think enough people actually understand how insane this story is.
He built the biggest hotel in the world. Then he built a bigger one. Then he built an even bigger one. Three times. The same guy. That's not a metaphor or an exaggeration. That is literally what happened.
Round 1: The First Time: The International, 1969
Kerkorian opened the International Hotel in Las Vegas in 1969. At 1,512 rooms, it was the largest hotel anywhere on the planet when it opened. He hired Barbra Streisand for the opening night.
A year later, Elvis Presley had a residency there. Not a two-night thing. Elvis performed 57 sold-out shows in 1969 alone. That's wild to think about. The venue Kerkorian built became the stage for one of the most famous residencies in entertainment history.
He sold the hotel in 1970. Because he had other plans.
Round 2: The Second Time: The MGM Grand, 1973
Stay with me here because this is the part that gets interesting.
After selling the International, Kerkorian bought MGM Studios. Not to make movies. Well, he made some movies. But what he actually wanted was the brand. The lion. The logo.
In 1973, he opened the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. 2,100 rooms. The largest hotel in the world again. Different hotel, same guy, same claim.
Then in 1980, a fire broke out at the MGM Grand. 87 people died. It's one of the deadliest hotel fires in US history and it permanently changed fire safety codes for hotels nationwide. Kerkorian sold the property shortly after. The hotel was later renamed Bally's, which is still there today.
Round 3: The Third Time: The New MGM Grand, 1993
This is the crazy part. After selling the property, after the fire, Kerkorian came back.
The new MGM Grand opened in 1993. 5,005 rooms. The largest hotel in the world. Again. The same man. The third time.
For context, 5,005 rooms in 1993 was absolutely nuts. That's a small city. The property cost $1.1 billion to build. Kerkorian was 76 years old when it opened.
Round 4: The Numbers Are Actually Staggering
Here's what I think people miss when they talk about Vegas history. Kerkorian was not a hotel guy by trade. He was an airline guy who flew transport planes over the Himalayas during World War II, then built Trans International Airlines, then sold it twice, then used that money to buy MGM, then used MGM's brand to build casinos.
He was self-taught. No college degree. Armenian immigrant family from Fresno. His net worth at the time of his death in 2015 was approximately $4 billion.
Round 5: The Legacy That People Actually Debate
Some people argue Kerkorian's real legacy isn't the hotels, it's the fact that he proved the mega-resort model worked. Before the MGM Grand in 1993, Las Vegas was still building mid-sized properties. After it, every major operator understood that bigger was better because the entertainment revenues subsidized the casino floor.
The Bellagio opened in 1998. Steve Wynn's properties followed the model Kerkorian established. MGM Resorts International, which exists today as one of the largest casino operators in the world, is built on foundations Kerkorian laid in three separate construction projects across 24 years.
One guy. Three times. Quietly one of the most consequential builders in American entertainment history.
