MGM Mirage to open Aria, CityCenter flagship casino-hotel tonight

16.12.2009, Aria, the us$ 8.5 billion Las Vegas Strip development built by MGM Mirage that is the flagship of CityCenter, is scheduled to open Wednesday night, but visitors are already flocking to the new property and its glittering towers.

The CityCenter complex began its debut early this month with two "boutique" hotels: a 47- story Mandarin Oriental and the 1,500-room, non-smoking Vdara. The Crystals mall of shops and restaurants also has been open for a couple of weeks. "I think it's wonderful," Monique Gin, a visitor from San Francisco, said of the multi-angled Crystals. "It's like walking through a modern art museum."

Aria has 4,004 hotel rooms, a large casino floor and surfaces covered with natural stone, wood and metal. Aria and the surrounding complex of high-rises - the brainchild of MGM Chief Executive Jim Murren - is quite different than the typical themed Las Vegas of glitz, faux pyramids, volcanoes and gondola rides.

"It's just not my cup of tea," Chris Thompson said of the design of CityCenter's shopping area. They usually stay at Paris Las Vegas, run by Harrah's Entertainment Inc, but were staying at Wynn Resorts Ltd's namesake property, because "it was such a good deal you couldn't afford not to come."

Struggling to attract business during the recession, Las Vegas casino operators have lowered hotel room prices and offered discounted package deals to consumers. "We'll have no problem filling up the hotel," Murren told CNBC on Tuesday. "We can make money even at very low hotel rates."

But the specter of a price war caused by CityCenter's more than 6,000 new hotel rooms has some Wall Street analysts worried. "New properties had been viewed as more of an opportunity to expand the customer base of Las Vegas," said Majestic Research analyst Matt Jacob. "But unfortunately we are still seeing declines in the markets ahead of CityCenter opening."

Aria will house 10 bars and nightclubs, 16 restaurants and a new Cirque du Soleil show, called "Viva Elvis," featuring interpretations of the King's life and music - from gospel-tinged numbers to Elvis as a superhero acrobat.

Yogonet.com / Reuters

Über Aria Resort & Casino:

Das Aria Resort & Casino ist ein Luxus-Hotel der MGM Resorts mit Spielbank in Las Vegas. Aria wurde am 16. Dezember 2009 eröffnet und ist ein Teil des Citycenter- Komplex.

Mit 4004 Zimmern inkl. 568 Suiten gehört es zu den grössten Hotels der Welt. Es bildet das prägende Element des CityCenter und steht neben den Hotels Vdara und Monte Carlo.

Designed by the world-renowned firm Pelli Clarke Pelli

150,000 square feet of gaming 300,000 square feet of meeting and pre-function space

ARIA has received LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council

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