Can visitors access the dome at the top of the Bellagio towers?

We were enjoying the fountains at Bellagio on our trip last weekend, like we have at least 50 times over the past 20 years. But for some reason, this time we got to looking at and thinking about the dome at the top of the hotel tower. Is it open to the public? It must have a spectacular 360-degree view of all of Las Vegas.

Yes, the view must be amazing from the top of the Bellagio Tower, which is 36 stories tall. Unfortunately, it's not open to the public. Neither is the cupola at the top of the Bellagio sign.

We checked with PR and our contact had never even been up there herself. She told us that the only people who do go up to the dome, also known as the rotunda and cupola, are from maintenance, who clean it once in a while.

We do know of a reporter who managed to talk his way into the rotunda way back in 2003 (when our PR contact was nine years old). Michael Venables, a contributor to Forbes.com, took a photo through one of the dome's windows of the under-construction High Roller observation wheel, whose rim had just been completed, on August 23, 2013.

So someone other than maintenance has been up there, but not for the last six years, at least to our knowledge.

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Bruce McLaren Jun-23-2019

BrunoT

Something seems off a bit. The High Roller didn't open to the public until March 2014 if memory serves me right

gaattc2001 Jun-23-2019

March 31, 2014 according to Wicki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Roller_(Ferris_wheel)
Don't you just love Google?

KRock S Jun-23-2019

It's who you know

My guess is the dome is full of empty beer cans and used condoms, and that there are people out there who reminisce about when they partied with that maintenance guy who worked at Bellagio . . .

Deke Castleman Jun-23-2019

Right

The writer of this answer tells me that the Forbes story actually appeared on August 21, 2013, just after the rim of the High Roller was completed when the last of its 28 rim sections was put into place and Michael Venables took his photo.  

Here's the link to that story in Forbes:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelvenables/2013/08/21/las-vegas-is-building-worlds-largest-observation-wheel-on-the-strip/#7cc1d93e43d9

If you look, you'll see that the date of the story at the top in very fine print is August 21, 2013, but in bigger print just above the the lead it says, "Update from September 11, 2003." Our guy mixed up the two dates and he apologizes for the (honest) mistake. And I apologize for not catching it.

Randall Ward Jun-23-2019

cupola

so it's not open to the public but I bet it's open to select VIPs, and I guarantee mgmt.  I do like the previous answer with the maintenance man (or woman) partying up there.

Bruce McLaren Jun-23-2019

Thanks for all you at LVA do for us

Deke, Thanks for accepting my comment in the spirit intended. Just trying to be helpful, not critical. Didn't want to detract from the main point of the question and answer. You folks at LVA work very hard and do a GREAT job educating us about all things Vegas. Thanks

Deke Castleman Jun-23-2019

You're welcome, Bruce, and thank you

First, thanks for pointing out the error. It was an obvious one that we just missed. Second, there are various ways of bringing attention to mistakes and yours made it easy to rectify. Third, you're very welcome for all we do. People like you are a major part of the reason we do it.

Question of the Day - 23 June 2019

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