It's hard to underestimate the importance of CityCenter for Las Vegas. Succeed or fail, it will most likely set the tone for what will happen on The Strip for the next decade or so. It's impossible to predict at this point what the future will hold from a financial standpoint but from a design and execution standpoint, CityCenter is mostly a rousing a success.
CityCenter is not a hotel. Instead, it is a collection of hotels, entertainment venues, restaurants, shopping, and more spread out across 67 acres between the Monte Carlo and Bellagio. I'll have full reviews of each individual property over the next few weeks but this article focuses on the development as a whole.
The primary comment that I heard from visitors to CityCenter is that, from the outside at least, it "doesn't look like Vegas." Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to the beholder, I suppose, but the comment is true. The structures look decidedly more urban, like something you'd see in the heart of a major metropolis like New York or Los Angeles instead of crammed between a faux Italian lake and a recreation of the NYC skyline.
But taken on their own, without the contextual issues, the buildings are certainly dramatic. I was cool to their appearance upon first viewing - the heavy use of steel and glass gives the whole complex a stark feeling that doesn't feel very inviting. Sharp angles, density, and minimal landscaping (done for environmental concerns) certainly don't convey a feeling of warmth.
After awhile, however, it began to grow on me. Details emerge upon repeat viewing that softens the perceived hard edges. There are a lot of graceful curves and an overall sense of continuity that creates a sense of purpose when you view the entire thing as one big package.
And big it certainly is.
The centerpiece of the development is Aria, a 4,004 room hotel casino that is unlike any I've ever seen. The interior spaces are simply stunning, with a soaring lobby filled with lots of natural light, sculpture (art and architecture), and plants greeting guests. The casino stretches off in a semi-circle and if you can ignore the slot machines and table games for a minute, you can really start to appreciate the design details.
It's dark in there - darker than just about any other casino on The Strip - but there are shafts of natural light that peek in here and there and provide interesting offsets to the heavy use of wood, metal, stone, glass, and fabric around the room. It's as if the whole thing is one big art installation, with sinewy colored glass structures, fabric covered walls, copper and wood clad support columns, and more everywhere you look. To say it is the most visually dramatic casino in town is an understatement.
There are more than a dozen restaurants, nightclubs and bars, shopping outlets, a massive convention center, a pool and spa, and a theater showing the newest Cirque du Soleil production, Viva Elvis, featuring music from Elvis Presley.
The second major property at CityCenter is the Mandarin Oriental, the first Vegas branch of the high-end Asian hotelier. This chain is known for their luxury offerings and this hotel is no exception.
Although you enter, naturally, on the ground floor, all you get there is a small lobby and an elevator which whisks you to the 23rd floor where the fun really begins. Their so-called Sky Lobby has floor to ceiling windows that offer the most dramatic views of any hotel lobby in town. A small lounge area and an adjacent bar offer more breathtaking views and their dark walls and low-key Asian inspired décor really set the tone for the entire property.
There are just over 600 units in the building, with a few hundred being residential condos and the rest hotel rooms. A pool and spa on the 7th and 8th floors also offer up some pretty nice vistas and the hotel also has its own high-end French restaurant and a more casual bistro.
The third property at CityCenter is Vdara, a condo-hotel located at the back of the development off of Harmon Avenue. The 1,500 units in this building are all available to be purchased by either people who want to live there or who want to put them into a rental pool that will allow them to earn income every time someone stays there.
The building itself is much more low-key than Aria and Mandarin, which is probably good for a residential property but in many ways makes the whole thing feel underwhelming by comparison. A relatively austere lobby is offset by a few impressive art pieces and other than a single restaurant, a bar, and a spa and pool, there really isn't a lot to do here.
The rooms, all done in varying shades of dark brown, grey, black, and white continue the simple theme but they are nice accommodations with a small kitchenette and dining table, a studio type living/sleeping area, and a generously sized bathroom.
The Crystals is the retail venue and, for many Vegas visitors, will be the focal point upon arrival. Located at the front of the property along The Strip, the building juts up in conflicting angles of glass and steel that are meant to evoke the shape of the building's namesake.
Inside you'll find a variety of retailers and restaurants, almost all exclusively high-end including Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, and a host of others that the average Vegas tourist will only be able to window shop at. The interior space is interesting from a design perspective, continuing the angles and shapes both in walls and wooden structures that are overwhelmed a bit by the massive white spaces of the high ceilings.
Two more properties - the all residential Veer Towers and the Harmon Hotel property - will open in 2010.
The entire development is pedestrian friendly but you'll need to have a good pair of walking shoes because it is a hike from just about anywhere to where you want to go. There is a tram that serves CityCenter and neighboring hotels but you'll still be doing some walking to get from the stations to the main events.
For the record, the tram runs from the end of the Street of Dreams shopping gallery at Monte Carlo to the far end of the Bellagio Spa Tower building with a stop at The Crystals in between. There are also walkways from Monte Carlo to Aria and from Bellagio to Vdara.
My overall impression of CityCenter is a positive one but with a few qualifications. I was certainly impressed by the design and architecture efforts but these days the make or break point for any Vegas property is the cost of services. It's too early to get a clear idea of the long term but I'm concerned that the prices will be too high across the board.
There is a lot more to talk about with CityCenter from the fine art program to the sustainability efforts in design and operation and the water features that may not be giving the Bellagio Fountains any concern but are still interesting on their own. In the coming weeks I'll have additional articles on those and more plus, as mentioned, full reviews of each of the individual properties that are now open.
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