If you’ve been to Las Vegas recently, CityCenter is pretty hard to miss. Sprouting up out of a chunk of land between Monte Carlo and Bellagio, the soaring, modernist glass towers seem to dwarf everything around it, making what had been among the largest hotels in the world look like Monopoly tokens.
It’s an audacious concept, becoming a city within a city, a mini-Strip within The Strip if you will. As the largest privately funded construction project in history, it represents a $9 billion (at least) gamble that could literally change the way Las Vegas does business.
Set to open in stages later this year, CityCenter is not one big hotel but rather a series of hotels, condominiums, shopping, entertainment, and gambling experiences all connected both visually and in some instances physically. It’s dramatically angular glass and steel look may not be to everyone’s taste, but it certainly makes a statement.
And while throwing $9 billion at a chunk of the Nevada desert to build a massive hotel and casino complex may not be the greenest thing one could do, the entire project is taking environmental concerns to a level never before seen in the construction of a Las Vegas project. 80% of the old Boardwalk Hotel that was imploded to make way for CityCenter has been recycled and 95% of the construction waste – stuff that normally would’ve gone into landfills – has also been recycled.
Once the hotel is complete, it will be powered by its own 8.5 megawatt natural gas co-generation plant that will reduce both energy demands on the overall power grid and emissions.
Even their limos will be powered by natural gas (the first such fleet in the world) and their casino will be cooled from specially designed air conditioning units in the bases of the slot machines instead of wasting cool air from the ceiling.
What follows is a preview of what to expect and when:
Vdara – Opens December 1.
This condominium-hotel will be the first of CityCenter’s properties to open when it begins to welcome guests on December 1, 2009. With nearly 1,500 units each with their own kitchens, owners of the properties will be able to put them in a rental pool that will allow people like you and me to stay there as if it was a hotel room. The property will have a rooftop pool, a spa, and fitness center plus a restaurant, lobby bar, and gourmet grocery. It has no casino but is connected to Bellagio by a walkway and Aria’s casino (see below) is right next door.
Mandarin Oriental – Opens December 3.
Of the 627 units in this building, 400 of them will be hotel rooms while the other 227 are condo units. Scheduled to open December 3, 2009, one of the most unique features about this property is its “Sky Lobby,” which welcomes guests on the 23rd floor of the building. The hotel will have a pools, spa, fitness center, restaurants, and lounges but no casino.
The Crystals – Opens December 3.
The 500,000 square-foot mall is the first thing most visitors see when arriving at CityCenter. Located at the center of the complex right along The Strip, the jutting angles of the building are meant to evoke its namesake. Inside you’ll find a slew of high-end stores and boutiques – everything from Louis Vuitton to Tiffany and Co. with an Apple store thrown in for good measure. Several restaurants and bars will be added to the mix including eateries from Wolfgang Puck and Todd English, plus a restaurant from “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria Parker.
Aria – Opens December 16.
The centerpiece of the CityCenter development is a 4,004 room hotel that will feature twin curving 61-story towers and a 150,000 square-foot casino (the second largest on The Strip behind MGM Grand). The hotel will have its own suite of restaurants (including ones from acclaimed chefs Julian Serrano and Michael Mina) and nightclubs, a 70,000 square-foot spa, a pool, and a 2,000 seat showroom that will play host to an Elvis-themed Cirque du Soleil show. Aria is scheduled to open December 16, 2009 although some of the restaurants and show will not open until early 2010.
Veer – Opening TBD.
The twin Veer towers are perhaps the most dramatic element of the CityCenter complex. Each of the 37-story buildings is designed to appear as if it is leaning to the side by about 5 degrees, sort of an on-purpose Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each will contain more than 300 condominium units and they will have their own rooftop pools, spa, fitness center, and other amenities.
Harmon – Opening TBD.
Originally designed as both a hotel and condominium complex, the Harmon was changed earlier this year in the middle of construction to be a much shorter, much smaller hotel only property. When it is complete sometime in 2010, it will feature 400 rooms and its own pool, spa, restaurants, and more.
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