Good design occurs in retrospect. I’ll never forget the first time I walked through the area between the lobby of the MGM Grand and the elevator corridors. It was a typically busy Saturday night, but traffic moved swiftly and efficiently through the space. The acoustics changed. The sound of running water could be heard—not enough to disturb, but enough to notice and subconsciously admire. Lighting cast a perfect warm glow and folks just seemed to flow like blood through veins—moving in and moving out with effortless ease. Only now, having walked through the space dozens of times, it starts to occur to me why this works. It was done so well, people don’t even notice.

This flawless sculpting of space and manipulation of traffic is the work of MGM MIRAGE Design Group—a wholly owned subsidiary of MGM MIRAGE. MMDG is responsible for new projects and capital improvements within MGM MIRAGE properties, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, The Mirage, New York-New York, TI, and Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. The 75-plus person team operates like an independent design entity within MGM MIRAGE. “We’re currently working on the $375 million Bellagio Spa Tower,” says MMDG President William Smith. “We juggle about 120 projects at any given time, and we have the tools to do it right,” he continues.