Mandalay Bay's Eco-Friendly Hotel in Las Vegas

Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino ("Mandalay Bay"), a 43-story luxury integrated resort on the Las Vegas Strip, is one of MGM Resorts' flagship properties. Also, Mandalay Bay is a premier venue for events and conventions in Las Vegas. With approximately 2.1 million square feet of convention space, an 11-acre beach, over 20 restaurants, iconic shows such as the House of Blues, and the home of America’s largest contiguous rooftop solar array. Mandalay Bay is simply one of the best.

Mandalay Bay Status as an Eco-Friendly Hotel & Environmental Programs

At MGM Resorts, we recognize that properties of Mandalay Bay’s scale require significant resources and could have an enormous environmental impact. To meet this challenge, environmental stewardship is at the core of how Mandalay Bay operates. Corporate sustainability managers and operational teams collaborate to craft bespoke initiatives at Mandalay Bay to help manage its environmental footprint. Specifically, detailed programs related to Climate Change, Energy, Water, and Materials & Waste have been designed to mitigate its negative impact. Being managed by MGM Resorts, Mandalay Bay also benefits from extensive companywide sustainability programming. The MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array and the well-known oyster recovery program are two examples.

Reducing Climate Change With America’s Largest Rooftop Solar Panels


Mandalay Bay is one of the most extensive meeting facilities on The Las Vegas Strip and in the United States. With approximately 4,700 rooms (including Four Seasons and W Las Vegas hotels) and millions of square feet of convention space, energy requirements are immense. Recognizing the link between energy use and climate change, we took bold actions to lower the carbon footprint of Mandalay Bay. We installed America's largest contiguous rooftop solar panels, which sits atop the convention center. Our 26-acre, 8.3MW solar array atop The Mandalay Bay Convention Center represents our bold commitment to sustainability as an eco friendly hotel and transitioning our operations to a low carbon economy. Beyond what’s happening at Mandalay Bay, we also benefit from MGM Resorts’ continued work on sourcing more renewable energy. The 100MW Mega Solar Panel just north of the Las Vegas Strip can produce 90% of the daytime power needs of MGM Resorts’ entire Las Vegas portfolio and has contributed to the decarbonization of Mandalay Bay. For our event clients, hosting an event or convention at Mandalay Bay will help make your event more sustainable. This is how we act as climate leadership at MGM Resorts. 

Energy Conservation Programs at Mandalay Bay

Managing energy is a huge focus at Mandalay Bay, and we have seen progress in energy savings. Between 2012 and 2017, energy efficiency investments reduced electricity per square foot by 3.5%, a saving equivalent to the average annual consumption of nearly 600 U.S. homes. We accomplished this through continuous work to make Mandalay Bay function more efficiently as a sustainable hotel. For example, more than 250,000 incandescent light bulbs throughout our resort have been changed to LED alternatives. This change resulted in significant energy savings for Mandalay Bay. We also approach energy conservation organically. We encourage energy-efficient behavior in our operational teams, including housekeeping. For example, Guest Room Attendants are trained to close the drapes and set the thermostat to 72 degrees before leaving the room. This decreases energy use and helps keep the room cool. Capital investments and more sustainable operations have been critical in driving energy conservation at Mandalay Bay. Beyond Mandalay Bay, energy management at MGM Resorts is a core focus.

Water Conservation at Mandalay Bay

Being in the desert destination of Las Vegas, water conservation is a focus at Mandalay Bay. In Sothern Nevada, our water infrastructure is innovative. Nearly every gallon of water used inside Mandalay Bay - from spas and kitchens to guest rooms and restrooms – is treated and returned to the source. Rather than consuming water inside Mandalay Bay, we borrow and return it. Nevertheless, we do not use this as an excuse to use water irresponsibly. Like energy, we innovate to ensure we reduce water consumption to an absolute minimum. Our initiatives at Mandalay Bay include water-saving toilets, drought-tolerant and native landscaping, and a Linen Reuse program. Our Linen Reuse program has reduced our annual water usage by more than 100 million gallons – enough to fill Shark Reef Aquarium almost 63 times. Bold actions on water conservation at MGM Resorts are reflected across our portfolio of integrated resorts and entertainment venues.

Materials & Waste Management at Mandalay Bay

The scale of Mandalay Bay requires large volumes of materials – from food and beverage to building materials for renovations. With significant resources, comes large volumes of waste. At Mandalay Bay, and all MGM Resorts properties, an extensive material diversion program is a primary focus. We capture and divert over 30 materials from landfills. This includes common materials such as glass, metal, plastics, and nontraditional items such as hangers, towels, and oysters. An onsite recycling manager oversees our recycling program, maximizing our diversion rate and progress on our Material & Waste goals at Mandalay Bay.

Hosting Sustainable Events at Mandalay Bay

A significant portion of our business at Mandalay Bay comes from our meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) clients. So we focus closely on the sustainability of the events happening at our resort. Our focus on events has led to noteworthy achievements in environmental sustainability, such as in 2019 when 83% of exhibit waste was recycled. Other best practices we undertake for sustainable events at Mandalay Bay include:

  • Deactivating HVAC in all unoccupied meeting rooms from 9 p.m. until 4:30 a.m.
  • Using Green Seal and ECOLOGO certified carpet-cleaning chemicals
  • Introducing highly sustainable linen-less tables composed of bamboo core
  • Completely upgrading the primary lighting in our convention center
  • And educating our clients on 60+ best sustainable event practices through our Sustainable Event Ideas deck

Sustainable Hotel Certifications

At Mandalay Bay, the way our property functions – both as a facility and as an operation – influences our environmental performance. So, we take incredible strides to make our building functions and operations more efficient and sustainable. One way we do this is by achieving and maintaining sustainable hotel certifications. As of 2020, Mandalay Bay has four Green Globes for Existing Buildings, five Green Keys, and five Green Keys for Meetings. Maintaining these standards from a building perspective requires us to continuously invest in energy and water building efficiencies. For example, across MGM Resorts and at Mandalay Bay, 1.5 million Light Emitting Diodes (LED) were installed, completing our projected replacement in one of America's largest lighting retrofit projects. To maintain certifications such as Green Key, we craft sustainability programs such as offering 100% recyclable amenities in both Mandalay Bay and W Las Vegas towers, as well as reducing water through our Linen Reuse program. A green certification, of which MGM Resorts has many, is one example of our effort to make our hotels eco-friendly.

Recognition

Our accolades include:

  • Home of America's largest contiguous rooftop solar array
  • Five Green Keys
  • Five Green Key Meetings
  • Four Green Globes for Existing Buildings 

More Eco-Friendly Initiatives at MGM Resorts International

MGM Resorts has developed a best-in-class environmental sustainability program to reduce the impact of our business activities on the planet. Here is a snapshot of some of our noteworthy companywide policies, programs, and initiatives:

  • Targets for greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, water consumption, and landfill diversion. Learn More
  • Significant investments in renewable energy, including a 110MW Mega Solar Array. Learn More
  • Innovative water recycling inside MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas. Learn More
  • A behind-the-scenes sorting and recycling operation to maximize landfill diversion. Learn More
  • A commitment to building all new developments to LEED Gold or similar standards. Learn More
  • Robust sustainability-related policies. Learn More