Luxe Life Blog
MGM CityCenter Part 2: CEO talks project, economy and tourism
Jim and Heather Murren at the Nevada Cancer Institute's Rock for the Cure gala at The Mirage on Nov. 12, 2009.
Photo: Raul Morales/Cashman Photography
Today is Part 2 of our five-part series on MGM’s CityCenter, opening next month on the Strip. The link to Part 1 is at the end of this story.
With a price tag inching toward a whopping $10 billion, it’s the biggest bet ever placed in Las Vegas for the biggest private building complex ever created in the United States. Its shopping promenade might well be, in fact, the largest in the world at 500,000 square feet. As I’ve reported earlier, it is so large and so open, you can easily fly a sightseeing tourist plane right through it!
MGM Mirage head honcho Jim Murren is confident that he’s dealt a winning hand. Jim told me in an exclusive interview: “I’m betting we’ll help Vegas bring in 2 million new people next year, and if three-quarters of them find their way to our new wonder of the world, then we will have succeeded.
“I’m incredibly proud of how we navigated ourselves through the recent economic storms. I am confident of CityCenter’s success and the gift it will be forever to this city. I believe in Las Vegas and its future. It’s a great bet, and the bet will pay off really big. This will be the symbol of the economic revival as we go on getting better.”
It’s taken five years of planning, millions of hours of labor and a blending of architecture and engineering never attempted in Las Vegas before. The massive 2.7 million square feet of exterior glass is just one example. It’s resulted in a breathtaking complex of four high-rise hotels with 6,000 accommodations, two leaning condo towers and the giant palace of shopping that’s 10 times more spectacular than Robert Schuller’s Hour of Power Crystal Cathedral.
Yesterday, Vegas DeLuxe featured Part 1 of our weeklong advance look at the staggering and sprawling 67-acre property. Tomorrow and Thursday, we’ll peek at the highlights of the Crystals, unveil the Fine Art Collection of masterpieces, tour the Aria, Vdara and Mandarin Oriental hotels and Friday meet the architects as they go even farther into the future with what’s still to come.
CityCenter in October 2009.
When CityCenter opens in 14 days, there’s absolutely no doubt that it be one of great wonders of the world. I talked with Jim about the dream and how he turned it into reality. He believes it will pull Las Vegas out of the economic downturn and raise us up to become once again the world’s best destination for resort living, with the world’s best dining, shopping and entertainment led by the King of Las Vegas himself Elvis Presley at the Aria’s Cirque du Soleil theater.
Here’s our conversation. I’ve omitted my questions so you hear everything with clarity from the top executive himself without interruption. Jim began: “People have told me we are the next wonder of the world. It was always a life goal of mine to visit every one of the wonders of the world. I just returned from seeing the pyramids of Egypt. Now I’m going to be right in the middle of the next one!
“Right from the beginning of thinking about CityCenter, before the first scribbles on paper, the idea was to do something very different but at the same time have a master plan that was based on our environment. Vegas had not embraced that before. So it was conceived as far more than a resort. We have avenues, boulevards, parks, public spaces -- a totally diverse experience for Vegas. We also knew we wanted to have it built all at once and not how Vegas has built in the past with different phases.
“I didn’t want just a mall with shops. I knew we wanted a unique shopping experience unlike anything else in the world. I wanted CityCenter not to just be for tourists and visitors but also for the 2 million people who live here. It’s a counterpoint to the suburbs. The most fun part was interviewing the architects, explaining our vision, and then we realized we could do much more, so they pushed us.
“So the truth is that it’s turned out far better than we first dreamed in 2004. It will inspire people who will want to come here from all over the world to see what we created, how we created and that we care.
CityCenter at night.
“We hoped for great architecture, but what we’ve got has taught us how to design for the environment of where we live. Even in the special planning of the materials we used, the environment came first! We have enhanced the Vegas skyline, and it’s more than just buildings. We never forgot we lived in the desert, and thus it’s an experience utilizing everything around us, from the soil of the Red Rock Mountains to recycled water on walls, in horticulture and everywhere you turn. We kept pushing for the parks to be even more inspiring. We wanted to know how to be clever in circulating people and traffic through a property, so it’s a joy to walk through and very easy to navigate.
“We didn’t know what art would be specifically critical to the aesthetic, but we knew we wanted art and that it would be shown and presented in a way for everybody to enjoy. The art we chose in committee gave us artists from around the world, some of whom had never been here. But they came with a sensitivity of where we live, and again they respected and reflected the environment: Big Edge, The River, Richard Long, the Red Rock Mountains, the mud walls at Veer. It is a unique collection. We’ll give tours to children from Las Vegas and the Clark County schools. We’ll have art seminars -- all a gift to the community. This will now be the first time in the history of Las Vegas that we have cultural options here.
“This time around, we turned our back on what are now the outdated traditions of Vegas. We looked forward and didn’t take anything from the past. We can’t force people to live and play anymore in windowless buildings. People today around the world are more aware, more demanding. So now that we are coming out of the recession, they are looking for value and never-before experiences.
“CityCenter is vastly different from the traditional models of Vegas. What we have here with CityCenter is a quantum leap forward for Vegas but at the same time never forgetting we are the world’s ultimate playground.
“I think CityCenter will play the most important role in the future of Vegas. Currently the average stay here is 2 1/3 nights. We will get that statistic to over three nights. Some 17 percent of our customers are from overseas, and CityCenter will grow that base. People all around the world will hear just how incredible it all is. They will be intrigued by something so different, so special that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world -- and just as they go to Paris or Rome or London for a week, now they will come here for a week or more. Our international guests will stay a good four to five days. We’re already seeing that now with our advance bookings. The preliminary excitement even before the doors open is increasing the length of their stay. That’s critical for our growth and getting Vegas back to where we were -- and even better than before the global economy got hit. Those visitors actually turn out to be our best marketers. They will be in awe, dazzled by what they see and experience here. They return to their homes overseas, and once they start talking about us as a destination like London or Paris or Hong Kong, more and more people will come for themselves.
“I’m happy to tell you that business is already coming back. Our convention business already booked for April onward is better than last year. We’ve already seen a 10 percent increase in vehicles coming here from nearby key drive markets. I see what’s already on the books and can reveal that CityCenter will be home to the best conferences in the world because of what we offer -- some who will be also here for the first time.
“It was time and necessary for Vegas to change. The city has reinvented itself many times over. Corporately, we’ve reinvented ourselves, too. For instance, The Mirage is better now than ever before in its 20-year history. So we’ve proved we can reinvent and nurture our older properties, and they will always remain relevant. But the global economic downturn showed that Vegas needed the biggest shot in the arm, and that’s what CityCenter provides.
“I predict that visitation this coming year coming will top 38 million from the current 35 million-plus. We slipped down, too, in the terrible, two-year-downward financial spiral. Our 2010 numbers now are all better than 2009. CityCenter will make a meaningful contribution as we start coming back. We’ve already seen the uptick in the third quarter.
Tony LaRussa, Tim McGarry and Jim Murren.
“I’m incredibly proud of how we navigate ourselves through the economic storms and still got to employ 12,000 people. I am incredibly confident of its success and the gift it will be forever to this city. I believe in Las Vegas. This company couldn’t have imagined this five years ago. It’s a great bet, and the bet will pay off really big. I agree CityCenter is like the phoenix rising from the ashes as the symbol of our economic revival, and we will go on getting better.”
Having explored the splendor of CityCenter already, I can vouch for every statement Jim Murren made. It is beyond stunning and spectacular. It is far more than just amazing and breathtaking. It is a modern miracle. He dreamed the ultimate extravagance in the world’s best and made the dream come true!
Tomorrow, we look inside the astonishing retail palace Crystals, all the incredible restaurants on the property and the extraordinary art collection. Click HERE for Part 1 of our five-part series posted yesterday.
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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