MGM Mirage in Abu Dhabi resort project

Casino operator MGM Mirage Inc. said Wednesday it would help build a $3-billion nongambling hotel resort in Abu Dhabi with that government’s development firm, Mubadala Development Co. The property is expected to open in 2012.

The project, planned for 50 acres on a downtown waterfront site on Abu Dhabi Island, will consist of an MGM Grand hotel and two other MGM-branded luxury hotels with more than 1,200 rooms.

It will also feature an arena with up to 12,000 seats, retail shops and restaurants, waterfront residences and private yacht berths, said Gamal Aziz, president of the companies’ joint venture firm, MGM Mirage Hospitality.

The arena will probably host regional performers along with Western acts that often appear at MGM Mirage’s casino properties in Las Vegas such as headline pop stars and Cirque du Soleil, Aziz said.

“When I left Abu Dhabi, they had Justin Timberlake playing at one of the properties there,” he said. “They sold 15,000 tickets in less than an hour, so it’s a similar dynamic to what we have in the MGM Grand.”

MGM Mirage will develop and manage the project for a fee while Mubadala will own it.