Luxe Life Blog

MGM CityCenter Part 1: Opening festivities begin in two weeks

Posted November 16, 2009 • 4:59 p.m.

CityCenter at night.

Photo: Kirvin Doak Communications

Today is Part 1 of our five-part series on MGM’s CityCenter, opening next month on the Strip.

It’s already being called “The Capital of the New World,” a mind-blowing collection of spectacular hotels and residences, sensational spas, astonishing dining and extraordinary shopping all brought to life by eight world-renowned architects. This is the world’s best. This is CityCenter, and as the largest private complex ever built in America, it opens on the Strip exactly two weeks from tomorrow. That’s just 356 hours to go if you’re counting down to the deadline!

One of the first visitors will probably be President Obama. CityCenter officials through Nevada’s members of Congress have invited him. They want Obama to see the largest jobs creation and the largest green effort ever undertaken anywhere in America.

Today and for the remaining four days of the week, we will bring you a close-up look at the attractions and highlights of the multibillion-dollar, 67-acre parcel located between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. Tomorrow, we have our exclusive interview with MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren, who envisioned this staggering new wonder of the world.

It is extraordinary that where once sat a dilapidated, rundown Boardwalk hotel and a collection of trashy, cheap souvenir shops -- all imploded and torn down -- is now the most stunning resort experience anywhere on Earth that simultaneously redefines and refines Las Vegas all in one place. I must point out that the environmentally conscious MGM officials recycled or reused more than 260,000 tons of construction waste, including 97 percent of the imploded Boardwalk. Reclaimed water from the Monte Carlo was used for dust control during construction, saving 2.4 million gallons of valuable drinking water.

Mark your calendars now for the most extraordinary month of celebrations in the history of Las Vegas: Dec. 1: the Vdara Hotel & Spa opens; Dec. 3: the Crystals retail entertainment plaza district opens; Dec. 4: the Mandarin Oriental hotel opens; Dec. 16: the Aria Resort & Casino opens; Dec. 31: Eva Longoria Parker has her official opening of Beso restaurant and Eve nightclub at the Crystals in Aria. Then in January, the 2,400 residences will start welcoming the first occupants. Next year, the final hotel, The Harmon, will be opened in the fall.

When I took my walking tour, I was knocked out by the majesty of the pleasure palace. It’s huge! In fact, 3,700 surveillance cameras are in place to watch over everything. CityCenter has its own ZIP code, its own fire and emergency services department, parking for at least 6,000 cars and 24,000 telephones across the property. It owns and operates its own 8.5-megawatt energy generation plant and its own electric sky-tram connecting CityCenter to the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. There are 12,000 permanent employees, with 4,280 in food and beverage alone, including 165 master cooks, 15 sommeliers, 255 bartenders, 60 bakers, 10 shabu shabu cooks and 160 massage therapists! There also will be 1,300 table game dealers, slot operators and guest service reps with floor supervisors in the casino alone.

Yet it’s more than just the world’s largest collection of resorts and regal residences. The creators, the imaginators, the architects and the builders have all created an environment for people to meet, relax and enjoy, complete with pedestrian corridors and walkways, dynamic public spaces and pocket parks. Unique treasured sculptures from MGM’s Fine Art Collection dot the landscape as if you’re walking through an indoor and outdoor gallery of world-renowned artists.

Upon opening, CityCenter will be one of the largest sustainable developments in existence, bringing a new level of environmental consciousness to the Strip with Gold and Silver award ratings from the U.S. Green Building Council. Even its fleet of 26 stretch Lincoln Town Car limousines is the first in the world to be powered by clean-burning compressed natural gas. Air conditioning vents come from beneath slot machines rather than wasting empty ceiling space.

“CityCenter bridges the vitality of Las Vegas with the experiences travelers seek when they visit great cities around the world, whether London, Hong Kong or San Francisco -- spectacular architecture, culturally significant art, great public spaces, sophisticated hotels, unique restaurants and incredible amenities,” said Bobby Baldwin, CityCenter president and CEO. “It is an evolutionary destination that aims to transform Las Vegas as a new symbol like the Guggenheim in Bilbao, the Pompidou Center in Paris or the Sony Center in Berlin.”

Today, we’ll run down the nightclub, pool and entertainment components of the resorts. Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll highlight the stores, restaurants, art collection and the out-of-this-world, 500,000-square-foot Crystals promenade, and Friday, we’ll look inside all three hotels: the Mandarin Oriental, Aria and Vdara.

ARIA

Aria, the 61-story, 4,004-room resort, will feature 10 chic bars and lounges, including Haze Nightclub by The Light Group, who operates Jet, the Bank, Stack, Fix, Yellowtail and Bare Ultra Pool at adjoining MGM casinos. Its executives say that Haze will be a colossal, cutting-edge space in which guests will be challenged to question their sense of perception and reality. It will feature large hanging props over an entryway to a grand staircase taking guests to the mezzanine level where they will enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the action below. The main dance floor will peer up at a wall of interactive projection screens 100 feet across on a performance structure where impromptu acts by world-renowned music stars take place.

Aria’s vast 215,000-square-foot pool deck is a tropical oasis with lush plantings of oversized palm, acacia, pine and bottle trees. This soft and sensual paradise features three primary pools, Liquid -- an adults-only pool -- hot tubs and more. Guests will bathe in the lap of luxury with spa services in poolside cabanas. Cooling massage treatments and a roaming massage staff will keep guests refreshed.

VDARA

Vdara’s luxurious Sky Pool and Lounge features cutting-edge design and phenomenal views of CityCenter, the Strip and the desert beyond. With that dynamic backdrop, it also will be available for private events .The Sky Pool & Lounge will feature lavish and luxurious retreat and spa cabanas with semi-secluded plunge pools, plus a high-energy bar and lounge open day and evening.

My friend executive chef Martin Heirling from Sensi in the Bellagio oversees the Vdara food and beverage program. That means providing everything from gourmet tapas at the pool and in the lobby bar, plus taste treats at divine dinners in his beyond compare Silk Road restaurant. Bar Vdara connects to an intimate outdoor space, creating the feeling of being in a secluded garden oasis where guests can lounge on spacious swings as the nearby reflecting pool creates a shimmering mirage.

MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Over at “the ultimate in good taste” standalone Mandarin Oriental, the magnificent pool features 20 intimate cabanas and a Pool Cafe. There are also two lap pools in the shape of long blades, symbolic of the Mandarin’s signature fan logo.

VIVA ELVIS

For entertainment, the focus will be on Viva Elvis from Cirque du Soleil in its extraordinary 1,840-seat theater. The permanent production, Cirque’s seventh on the Strip, will celebrate the timeless musical legacy of the King of Rock and Roll. Preview performances will start shortly before New Year’s Eve, and the premiere will be in mid-January.

Cirque founder Guy Laliberte commented: “We are working closely with our partners to ensure that the public will have an unforgettable encounter with the King of Rock and Roll. Elvis had a unique relationship with his adoring fans in Vegas, and a large part of our mission is to re-create the excitement and the spirit of joy he generated here. This new creative challenge is exactly what we strive at accomplishing in the development of our new productions. We are particularly honored to be entrusted with this assignment.”

Robert F.X. Sillerman, chairman of CKX, which owns Elvis Presley Enterprises and therefore Elvis’ image and music, commented: “ Elvis truly rose to iconic status in Las Vegas. Fans who saw him perform, as well as those who never had a chance to see him, will be able to experience Elvis in an entirely new and exciting way. This will be the first step in establishing a 21st century presence in Vegas for the King. We are delighted he is returning to Las Vegas.”

Here is the official YouTube video of interviews about the production with Cirque’s creative team. To capture the music and life of the King, they will fuse dance, acrobatics, live music and iconic tracks, technology, emotion and special effects to rev up the nostalgia of yesterday with the modernity of today as befits Elvis.

You will find the Elvis monkey logo -- remember he kept many of them before Michael Jackson followed suit -- decorating doorways and ironwork seen through walls of the Viva Elvis lounge opposite the new theater.

Everywhere you turn, CityCenter is one wow experience after another. It will be another decade before anybody ever attempts to try and raise this bet -- if then. The scope, the size, the architectural vision and the executive dream of CityCenter defy imagination. Yet the reality of it is now just 15 days away and will be talked about for years to come!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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