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Jim Murren, MGM Mirage chairman and CEO, applauds employees as they enter Vdara during its opening Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. The 57-story, 1,495-suite luxury property is the first to open in MGM Mirage’s $8.5 billion CityCenter project.
Published Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 | 10:44 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 | 9:06 a.m.
Vdara: Views from the Inside (12-1-09)
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MGM Mirage and Dubai World executives unveiled the first phase of the CityCenter project on Dec. 1, 2009. We take you on a tour of Vdara's new Silk Road restaurant, its 18,000-square-foot spa, and some of its 1,495 rooms.
Sun Coverage
MGM Mirage and Dubai World executives on Tuesday marked the unveiling of the first phase of their CityCenter project — Vdara — giving invited guests and media a glimpse inside the first completed property at the urban metropolis.
The non-gaming, 1,495-room hotel marks the first of CityCenter’s openings, with Crystals and Mandarin Oriental opening their doors later this week.
Bobby Baldwin, CityCenter's president and chief executive officer, said CityCenter would perform well despite the downturn in the economy.
“Jim (Murren, MGM Mirage's chief executive officer) and I know there has been much speculation as to the timing of Vdara, Aria and all of CityCenter for that matter,” Baldwin said during a morning news conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony. “When we lit the fuse for CityCenter in 2004, almost five years ago, no one could predict the current economic environment. Mr. Murren and I are convinced that CityCenter will stand the test of time."
Murren acknowledged shareholders, board members and Perini Building Co. representatives in the crowd, thanking them for their commitment to the project.
“We didn’t think that we need to build just another resort,” Murren said. “What we thought we could do instead was create an environment … something that people had never seen before. We didn’t want to create something better than what exists today; we wanted to create something different.”
Employees in freshly pressed uniforms held doors open to the new property, greeting invited guests with culinary samplings and drinks from Vdara’s restaurant, Silk Road.
“Our employees are so enthusiastic and so excited. Everyone is just really happy to have people in the property for the first time,” Vdara General Manager Angela Lester said.
Employees, such as Delores Witherspoon, reflected Lester’s sentiments. Witherspoon, a newly employed security officer at Vdara, said starting at the hotel is like driving a new car for the first time.
Witherspoon, who was unemployed before starting at Vdara, said the lapse in work was a blessing because of the time she got to spend with her ailing grandmother.
“Even though I lost my grandmother, I feel like I gained a family here,” Witherspoon said. “If I am ever having a bad day, I feel like I can come to work to be cheered up.”
Vdara partnered with Vanity Fair for its private grand opening celebration Tuesday night with appearances by actor Orlando Bloom, actress Rosario Dawson and photographer and environmentalist Sebastian Copeland.
Vdara will welcome its first public guests Wednesday evening.
“When we first built Vdara, we weren’t sure how the response would be from the public since it’s a non-gaming, non-smoking hotel,” Lester said “People love the fact that it’s connected to Bellagio and on the north side of Aria so we kind of have the best of both worlds.”
The hotel’s suites come in one- or two-bedroom variations, ranging from 500 square feet to 2,000 square feet, each featuring gourmet kitchens and washer and dryer units.
The suites are more like a loft apartment than a hotel room. Pots and pans sit on stoves in a gourmet kitchen filled with stainless steel appliances with kitchen tables set to the side. Panoramic views of the Strip are seen from the hotel’s 250 corner suites.
Rooms are designed in dark browns and greens, a further representation of CityCenter’s “green” commitment, MGM Mirage spokesman Scott Ghertner said.
Silk Road will be Vdara’s only full service restaurant, serving Mediterranean cuisine around the clock. Other amenities at Vdara include an 18,000-square-foot spa and salon, and 110,000-square feet of meeting space.
Like most of CityCenter, Vdara will house art integrated throughout the hotel, including works from Nancy Rubins, Frank Stella and Peter Wegner.
Following Vdara’s opening will be the unveiling of the high-end retail and entertainment district Crystals on Thursday, then the opening of Mandarin Oriental will be Friday.
CityCenter’s crowning jewel and only gaming property — the 4,004-room Aria resort — will round out the month with a Dec. 16 opening. Residential occupancies at Veer Towers will begin January 2010 while the Harmon will open in late 2010.
Murren, who was behind almost every detail at CityCenter, said he finds the complex difficult to put into words -- even as often as he is asked.
"I'm often asked to explain what CityCenter is," Murren said Tuesday, "but some moments are so great that they need to be experienced, not explained."
Vdara Hotel & Spa is an internationally inspired all-suite hotel and spa designed for those who love the excitement of Las Vegas but prefer to enjoy it in an exclusive, non-gaming, smoke-free setting.
The holistic spa, luxurious pool and intimate meeting space combined with a sophisticated vibe at Bar Vdara and a casual eatery and marketplace at Market Café create a warm and inviting environment within this AAA Four Diamond hotel.
Located between ARIA Resort & Casino and Bellagio, Vdara offers access to all of the entertainment, gaming, shopping, dining and nightlife at CityCenter and in Las Vegas, while also providing a retreat from it all.
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As part of the opening ceremonies, they should have a free showing of either "The Towering Inferno" or "2012". In "2012" you can clearly see the Wynn and Encore being destroyed. That's ironic since the only casinos that are still doing reasonably well are the Wynn properties.
"Following Vdara's opening will be the unveiling of the high-end retail and entertainment district, Crystals, on Thursday"
Just what LV needs,more hi-end shopping. Rob more people from other hi-end places.
more front page coverage
how much is MGM paying las vegas sun for this coverage which seems more important than murders, finances, crashes, etc etc
see who controls this town!!!! and what good has MGM done? nothing during recession..
@ATVDAD1-
Who services your mullett while you're downtown?
Let me guess, you'll be curbside for the NASCAR parade to the awards dinner at Wynn, but won't go inside. No twinkies.
Explore a casino? Seriously? I'll bet you're one of those people who are constantly shocked that Jason doens't die in "Friday the 13" films, Matlock always wins in court and solves the case, and James Bond saves England/the World and gets the girl. "Oh look, babe, a blackjack game! Oh my gosh, they have slots! Wow, craps!" Breathless intrigue and suspense at every turn- Bad carpet! Mirrors! Neon! A buffet! If it wasn't for the gambling, you'd swear this was Bakersfield!
Oh my god! I just had the single greatest vision for Las Vegas ever! How about a mobile home-themed resort? Billy Ray Cyrus and Britany Spears could split the riser in the Keystone Keg lounge, Cirque could do a monster truck/ tractor pull based show starring a Transformer, and the high-end restaurant could celebrate the culinary achievements of Swanson! The suites'd be double-wides! It'd be hella' cool!
...seems to me we should all be VERY glad CC is opening. It's good for our local economy, as many jobs have been provided. Also, and I hope this comes to pass, it is expected that it will end up increasing the visitorship to LV by 7-8%. Horray for MGM-Mirage !!!
For those of you who continue to bash Las Vegas, the town in which you live, check the outgoing flight schedules at McCarren. I'm sure there's a plane that will take you outa here today. If not, try UHaul. I'm sure they have a truck to meet your needs.
How long will it be before the whole project goes into foreclosure? How much will the association fees be increased for the few owners that close their purchase? I would be afraid to buy one of these condos even at under $100k, the owners association fees will have to cover all the operating expenses of the building, how much will they be $5k a month? Who are the fools that would buy into such a deal?
Hey fvbump
Buy my house at what I owe and I will be out of here this afternoon.
Orlando Bloom and Rosario Dawson?
Is that the best they could get?
Following Vdara's opening will be the unveiling of the high-end retail and entertainment district, Crystals
Doesn't anyone shop in their own cities anymore? I'm sure those from NY, LA, Chicago and other sophisticated big cities could care less about shopping at high end shops in Vegas since they can do it at home. But I guess those high end shops thrill those from little towns that only have a Walmart and a Home Depot.
Oh wait - maybe the foreign tourists will shop there.....
After a month or two, I see alot more empty rooms!
I too think City Center is a joke, however I feel very strongly for the well being of all of the employees. For their sake, I hope it's a success.
Remember your president said that they should shot having conventions in Las Vegas, perhaps he and Harry should go!
It is nice that good clean money built this place.
You mean that there are murders, crime and crashes happening in LV? OH MY!
I go to LV from Oregon,,, for gaming, poolside fun,intertainment,get out of Eugene for a while ,,,,,,,but shoping in LV for me would be foolish high end stores or Wall-Mart,,,,,,,we have no sales tax in Oregon. I guess rich people visting Vegas ,don't pay much attention to such matters.
I wonder how much the rooms gonna get discounted durring the slow seasons at Vdara.
this is the Official...Titanic...of Las Vegas !!!
Green_Dragon_Regular - You hit that nail on the head! I like your idea for a mobile home themed park... lol... Seems that all the posters here HATE anything that is different or new age design/ concept/ etc. They also hate anyone who makes more money than them, hotel/ casinos that are in excess of 500 rooms, and pretty much every concept that has made LV into what it is today and what it will be tomorrow... pathetic...
My motto - Dont like the USA... Move to Canada - - - Dont like Las Vegas... Move to Phoenix
Vegas GM85 : So True! perhaps Murren should have gone back to New York if he didn't like it here. The problem is he was givin a blank check by Kirk K. to do as he pleased, and City Center is the result? I don't see much of a representation of Las Vegas in this colossal pile of steel, glass and concrete.
I'll never step foot in the place.
mrtmrvlr:
Those of us who will step foot in the place thank you for not ruining the experience with your trailer park mentality.
who's that girl on the left in the photo?
she looks hot.
anyway, this place WILL do well the first few weeks. if they have to ship people in from scottsdale to get "heads in beds" they'll do it so they can turn around have a press release of "90% occupancy" to make themselves look good.
then, once the newness has worn off, it will be a black hole in las vegas. the other hotels will have to drop their rates so low to compete against it, that they won't be making any money.
You just gotta love the haters... Las Vegas the Entertainment Capital of the World (We take potshots at EVERYTHING, even ourselves) You can clearly see the open hostility from the longtimers, they are the ones crying about the highcost of traveling to Las Vegas, staying in Las Vegas, and visiting Las Vegas and all it has to offer. They love staying and baking their bones in the fossils yet to be imploded. They love slurping up the $5.99 buffets and love watching those free lounge entertainers, oh yeah and dropping $35 in slot machines so they can get free drinks.
The truth is the real Las Vegas passed you by 20 years ago, welcome to obsolescence, you dinosaurs and the lodgings whose arteries you clog aren't long for this world nor will you or your business be missed for a second. 15 years ago UNLV (arguably the number one school for hotel administration and operations! Cornell loves to argue the point but their 300+ hotel rooms in Ithaca pale in comparison.) did a little study about what travelers to Las Vegas spend their time doing here. Now along with the longtimers you see the naysaying newbies to the Las Vegas area, these are the clowns from California escaping their failed attempts at Utopian Socialism infecting Vegas with their failed attitudes and social philosphy. The Newbs and the Longs have such an archaic idea of what Las Vegas is and should be.
The research shows a whopping 12% of all the 36 million tourists that travel to Las Vegas actually set foot on the gaming floor and gamble. Go ahead and let that soak in clowns. 88% or 31.7 million of those visitors are doing something, anything OTHER THEN gambling. That means the highend shopping the highend dinning and the highend entertainment. So to all the haters out there crying about the highcost of coming to Las Vegas and the impending failure of City Center....don't bother. Keep your asses in the lazy-boy and run up to the Wal-mart when the chips run out we don't need you or your welfare/retirement checks in Vegas. To the Newbs STFU until you understand the ins and outs of an area before commenting on its impending doom.
I wish this property and its employees well. :)
I have no Idea what everyone does in this town for work,but they always find these employees to interview,and they all claim that the heavens have opened up,so to speak.These employees are all door attendants,coat room clerk,wine cellar inventory clerk,front desk,bag check in clerk,and so on.These positions are all 9-12.00 maximum.Im glad for the people that have obtained work,but even on the high end of the wage HOW does anyone survive on 340.00 a week
Dont bash me because I could care less what you think,Im just asking a question. 1360.00 a month,and casino,s employees act like that is the motherload,seriously,How does one own a vehichle,insurance,food,1-2 small cc,s,and even if renting a small 800.00 apartment,and heaven forbid you have a computer.Without ever spending 1 dime on yourself you have exceeded your monthly earnings already.
rent-----800.00
utilities-----200.00
food-----200.00
vehicle w gas,insurance-----300.00
1 credit card-----50.00
cell phone-----50.00
For the absolute bare essentials,you would need to make about 15.00 an hour,,and even then never be able to save,or ever see a movie,fast food,cd/dvd,etc.I really feel sorry for these people if they were single.
I know everyone will say that you need to work no matter what the position is,but man to have to strive to be an 10.00 an hour casino worker really quite sad.
peace be with all
"dont be so afraid of failure that it saboutages your own success"
don't casino workers make more like $25-$40/hr?
damn my health insurance is $1,279/month, guess my dream of being a dealer at Aria is dead. :(
If you can't think of anything intelligent to say attack, right newman2? Like your two cents is going to make any difference. lol Let the dominoes fall where they may.. I'm just not going to stand under them.
Ummmm folks, don't insult the people from other states visiting. Until we find another way to diversify the economy here, let's keep it friendly. Although I seriously doubt the insults would deter them!!!
ATVDAD1, enjoy yourself in Vegas and spend some money (I am not ashamed to wish visitors luck that VOLUNTARILY choose to visit).
Thank you for giving me another reason not to visit Vegas for CES 2010. I used to stay Down Town, then moved to the South end of the Strip, now with this monstrosity, and the hassles it will bring, I think I will just stay home this time.
Look kids.......Big Ben, Parliament !
Oops, wrong national lampoon.
Mr. Papageorgio..... same table and drink sir ?
Oops, wrong hotel.
If I were the CEO of this project, I would have renamed it "Kirk's Town" or kept "The Boardwalk" name.
bldblu: Dude, I don't know where you work, but I can assume it's NOT in a hote. Espically ANY of the hotels on the strip because if you think we make only $9-12 an hour at those positions you are sadly mestaken. Even OFF strip property's make more than that.
mrtmtlvr;
You're right. We should all just sit back whilst you and your ilk whine and complain about everything that has "changed" Vegas...Newsflash - there are still plenty of dumps with cheap boofeys and the same 70's trailer park decor that you so adore for you to stay in. Just don't trip over yourself bending over to pick up that lucky penny on Fremont Street. So, if you are only going to bash City Center, beat it. Your voice obviously meant nothing to those who have the money.
Thousands of people now have jobs, good for them. Nobody is forced to go there if they dont want to.. if downtown is your thing (well said Green). They didn't spend your money building it. It's a down economy and someone will buy your house for what it's worth, which is different from what you paid - your in the same financial quagmire as MGM except they put some of their eggs in the City Center basket, you put all of your's into your house. Pay off your loan and you can keep evey penny from the sale. Vegas isn't for eveyone.. you dont like it, there's the door.. that'll just get me a better deal when I buy your house.
Castnavara : It's people like YOU and your lousy attitude towards the folks who built this city, that are going to destroy it. Las Vegas needs EVERYONE across the entire social spectrum to be sucessful. Don't fool yourself in a fools paradise.
Hey all. Today (December 2) on Face to Face with Jon Ralston, we are talking with Harrah's Entertainment executive and former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones about the impact of CityCenter and much more. That's at 5:30pm, 6:30pm, 8:00pm and 9:00pm on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable Channel 19.
newman2, CC's executives beat themselves when the partnered with Dubai. I go to Wynn, the M and Venetian regularly, but those places aren't 1/2 owned by terrorist supporters from the middle east. Also, I don't want to be there when construction issues finally catch up with the place. You can go ahead.. by all means.. I'll support the REAL people who built this town like Wynn or the Marnell's.
mrtmtrvlr - It is your absolute blind hatred of all that is different and new that continues to awe and amuse those that support the growth of this city.
Wynn? You mean the guy who is in bed with the Chinese communists regarding his ventures in the Far East? Yes, way to pick your heros.
This could have been the first no smoking casino. It would have been an interesting experiment seeing only 20% of americans now smoke.
newman2
you still don't have anything intelligent to say.
Forty seven comments, really? And most of them predictably negative and self-loathing. As a native Las Vegan, I have some reason to be nostalgic for "classic" Las Vegas, but to anyone who actually understands the nature of this city, there is no such place! Las Vegas is - and always has been - about change and the future.
Nor should this be about Downtown vs The Strip. They are two different places, governed by two different entities, faced with vastly different logistical realities. Downtown's future looks nothing like the Strip's - a good thing for both places.
In ten years, history will view CityCenter the same way we looked at the Mirage in 1999: As the single most influential project in recent Las Vegas history, as the one that changed the face of the Strip for the better. Meanwhile, Downtown will have evolved into something much more interesting than it has been in the past 20 years. The change is already underway.
There are planes leaving Las Vegas every 60 seconds. If you hate it so much, be on one! The one thing I am most nostalgic about in regards to "old Vegas" is that we had a manageable population that, for the most part, wanted to be here, and didn't spend every waking minute trying to change Las Vegas into some twisted version of the place they abandoned to move here.
It should be noted that Sheldon over at Las Vegas Sands has taken every oppurtunity he has had to stiff contractors that build his resorts. Attempted to influence elections in countries on the other side of the planet with his loot, as well playing the political circuit in Washington. He is a scorpion. A profitable one, who cares about nothing more than ego and money. Simple as that.
Also, the M is half-owned by those terrorist buddies MGM Mirage. So, next time you drop a dime in that place, remember that a nickel of that is going to the very company you just labeled. Just FYI.
James_P_Reza: You are one smart dude! Best post I've read in a long long time.
Yes, Reza, you are really one smart dude. How are those book sales coming along?
Las Vegas lives on disposable income. People have less disposable income. Las Vegas depends on cheap air travel. With the price of oil high and going higher, those days are gone. Las Vegas lives on people obsessed with gambling. Almost every state either has gambling or will add it in the future. The outlook for the economy here is bleak.
As for CityCenter, it makes as much sense as building another car dealership when auto sales are declining. And if CityCenter needs a cash infusion at some point, best not go to Dubai to get it.
I agree about James_P_Reza. Great post!
Castnavera
For your information, MOST of the people that post here LIVE IN VEGAS and have seen it all before. So don't assume they are all visitors because they are NOT. So go back to sleep and dream you dreams of that wonderful place Vegas USED to be.
rent-----800.00
utilities-----200.00
food-----200.00
vehicle w gas,insurance-----300.00
1 credit card-----50.00
cell phone-----50.00
I paid $895 for rent fora 2 bedroom; 1 bedrooms go for about $675-775 in a nice safe neighborhood.
Cable, including internet and telephone: $170
Car Insurance; $1100 a year (and I am an over 50 driver with a clean driving record. Got to pay for those who don't have insurance and there are plenty in Vegas).
Gas: About $15 a week
Groceries: Depends. Usually $75 since I eat healthy and that is expensive at times.
Since unemployed, my unemployment barely covered those expenses (it comes out to about $10.50 an hour WITHOUT taxes being taken out) and that does not include monthly meds, any type of miscellaneous expenditures and my Cobra premium which is going up to $495 a month January 1.
ALL of the above is one of the reasons I moved back home to Illinois. Vegas has no jobs and if I stayed - I'd be living near Washington and Main St in a tent.
PS However, in all honestly - I miss that damn old City!!! I miss the sun. I miss seeing the Strip, miss visiting my old haunts. And come January and my first experience with a Midwest winter since 2001 - I'm going to miss it even more!!!!
environprotector - The awesome thing about LV is there is no "representation" of Las Vegas... Its always evolving... Its people like Murren whos ideas define what tomorrow's Vegas will be/ feel/ look like... Personally I love the CC project... I do think it was a little to expensive but...
Reza, the Las Vegas shill, is back in his finest sunshine-and-lollipops form. Be warned, however, that he makes his meager living from writing half-baked cheerleading articles about how wonderful everything is in Las Vegas. I'd love to take a bet against your 10-year prediction for CityCemetary. I WILL WIN.
bldblu: Dude, I don't know where you work, but I can assume it's NOT in a hote. Espically ANY of the hotels on the strip because if you think we make only $9-12 an hour at those positions you are sadly mestaken. Even OFF strip property's make more than that.
I don't know if you are talking about casino positions, but my former neighbor works as a dealer at Rampart for almost 10 years now. His hourly wage is just a little over $7 an hour. He depends on tips to subsidize that crappy hourly wage. Before the economy tanked, he was bringing home upwards of $150-200 a night in tips. Now he is lucky if he brings home $50. So we don't know where YOU work, but obviously it's not at one of the local casinos.
As someone from the east coast who goes to Vegas every year and drops a decent amount of change in support of the local economy, I am fascinated to hear the generally negative tone in these comments. Some friends of mine and I are planning to go back out to Vegas in June 2010 to stay at Bellagio (our usual haunt), but with all the excitement and buzz around City Center, we have planned an additional trip in late January, this time staying at the Wynn. We will gamble, eat some good meals, take in a show or two and take advantage of various hotel amenities, tipping every service person along the way. Were it not for City Center and all the innovation, newness and excitement it brings to the table, we wouldn't be taking this additional trip to Vegas and dropping our cash. While our bankroll may not be large enough to move the needle, several thousand of us coming out for the purpose of seeing City Center will help the local economy significantly. It's an incredible feat, and we can't wait to see it.
I really like living in Las Vegas! There is always something fun to do or see here. We have many good restaurants, top entertainment and sporting events. No city is perfect. Tourist cities such as LV are susceptible to economic conditions and hopefully this downturn won't last too much longer. LV is an "escapism" place and we should embrace that fact. I don't think MGM would "gamble" $8.5 BILLION on a project they didn't think had a reasonable chance to succeed.
True i hate the strip but i wanna seeit
I haven't worked on a book about Las Vegas in years, but it's hard to box with shadows (just as it's hard to place a bet with a cutesy avatar), so why bother.
It's all opinion anyway; some opinions are bound to be more insightful than others. The negativity likely comes from those who moved here chasing the dream during the boom, but don't have the fortitude for the bust.
It always amazes me that these "discussions" turn into petty finger pointing that range from the pompous to the ridiculous and that they always end with the same line "if you don't like it - get out". There is a systemic negativity among Las Vegans in general it seems that gushes forth in these posts. On top of that no one ever wants to hear a constructive criticism and so when things fail due to lack of interest the same old excuses are made "people her just don't get it" or "it's the economy".
Here are a few plain facts to consider without emotion getting in the way: MGM Mirage stock closed down, yes down, two percent today, the day after the unveiling of the first phase of what some of you are touting as the most amazing work of architecture ever conceived in the mind of man. Now that's not really a good sign considering the majority of the invited guests last night were vested shareholders in one fashion or another. Vdara has one restaurant, one spa, no shopping, no gaming and no smoking. It seems perfectly reasonable to me that people should look on that business model, in this the most unique of cities, with skepticism.
Whether you like it not the comments above most likely reflect the opinions of past, present or potential patrons and should be reflected upon. This project must succeed (if only for the sake of those who lost their lives due to shoddy oversight by the County and the contractors working it) or the economic repercussions on this city will be staggering. And if any logical criticism of the project or the company or the way its management has handled things makes you simply want to vomit out "buy a plane ticket and get out" then the future of Las Vegas is bleak. Las Vegas ranks at the top of many of the country's "worsts" list. Perhaps it's because the people who are unhappy about that and tried to raise a debate or do something about it were told to get of Dodge -- and then did.
sportyetpratical - I like what your saying BUT the majority of the comments are not "constructive criticism" but rather "hate letters" so it seems... In which case "dont like it - get out" statement would make perfect sense... Wouldn't you agree?
And to add to my last post - I believe the "good" that will come from the CC project will absolutely outweigh the "bad"... 100% sure of that... CC may layoff a few people down the line but it will still have put 10k people into jobs (some unemployed folks and some from other joints which will then create job vacancies at those properties)... It is also creating a bit of mystery to our out of town patrons forcing them to book a ticket and stimulate the LV economy that way (flight, hotel, food, shop, taxi, etc.)... ALSO most of those people coming into to LV to check out CC may not be able to afford to stay at CC or may not want to spend what their asking (thats ok!) they will then be spreading their $$ around town all because of the curiosity around CC
i guess i'm mildly interested in taking a look at it, but i really don't foresee citycenter as being any better than any of the other big hotel/casinos down there, just more like the new place. it will get it's share of an oversupplied market, but long term i don't think it's going to do that much better than anywhere else. condos sales at citycenter? there are so many vacant highrise units in that strip area, it could be pretty tough.
VegasGM85 : As usual you are critical of the negativity brought forth on this discussion room. You are entitled to have your opinion as are the naysayers, HOWEVER.. these comments are not "hate letters" they are other people's opinions about the excess and waste of an eight billion dollar property opening up as if there is no recession going on out there, or the assumption that this place is gonna save Vegas.. all crap! This place represents everything that went wrong out here, and stands as a monument to the pre bubble burst greed and recklessness that put the country as a whole in the ditch right now.. Keep your feet on the ground partner, and have a little compassion for those of us who love Las Vegas as much as anyone else, however have a thing or two to say about those who are destroying it.
environprotector - Tell me how 10k plus construction jobs created, another 10k permanent jobs created, and the mystery of CC that will have people all over the world flying in to LV to see it... How is that "all crap" for this economy? Explain please...
Also note I do not think "they" are destroying Vegas... I simply think they are reinventing the next phase of LV... Same example as the negativity that Wynn got when he built the Mirage (1st mega-resort)... Now look... Not saying it will be the same outcome just be hopeful that wheels are still in motion here...
Why is everybody so negative on here? If you knew a thing or two you would know that up untill the 23rd of december, i beleive, they were offering 125.00 a night rooms.
Vegas GM85 :
10K plus construction jobs completed (no new construction jobs expected for years to come)
10K "permanent" jobs remains to be seen. (but good for those who got one)How much "mystery"is to be found in a office building type development that exists in just about every city in the world. (don't see too many flying in from all over the world to see what they already have at home)
What I'm saying here VegasGM85 is that it should have been a fun themed resort like Mandalay Bay, taking advantage of our warm weather for wave pools, lazy rivers, Tennis courts and golf courses, aquariums, the stuff that people don't see at home. These are the things that made Vegas so unique. Creative marketing by the CEO's (watch the commercial for the Atlantis Resort some time) that type of marketing makes you really want to go and see it. This place is antiseptic and looks like the Jacob Javits Center in NYC..
environprotector - how "unique" would it be, MB has the aquarium, Wynns got the golf course (not to mention there in every city), wave pools at MB and every water park worldwide, etc... Im not knocking your opinions, My opinion is that CC is indeed unique (for LV)... most "office buildings" are not 8+ billion dollars in an area that otherwise wouldn't have this type of construction... Thats what makes it sooo unique for LV and why its going to bring people in... 10k jobs are posted online as we speak and there will always, and I mean always be construction jobs in LV maybe not as large as CC but weather another casino shuts down - there will be a demolition team, other casinos (because of CC) will need to remodel and revamp their offerings - that will bring more construction jobs back... CC is a wonderful thing - especially on an economic standpoint...
As for the Javits center (which I go to annually in Nov for the IHMRS show) - in its day was the landmark of that neighborhood in NY, it changed everything there... Maybe CC will have to the same effect (weather large or small) - Time will tell...
I see it this way - Let the CEO's build the big, ugly, etc... It doesn't matter because it will bring in jobs left and right... As long as it will not "turn off" patrons flying into LV... If CC was truly not meant to be in LV, it will be sold off or closed in time... We shall see =)
VegasGM85 : Let me for a moment present this viewpoint. I believe the thing that was the winning formula for Las Vegas was the themed resort. We both know all of the different themed resorts that were built. Now think about Disneyland for a moment. Las Vegas became the adult Disneyland, absolutely intoxicating place to visit where you could walk the strip and visit all of these different places and see things you don't see anywhere! Why has this concept been abandoned? it was a clear winning combination with all people from one end of the social spectrum to the other. Why suddenly was it decided that Vegas needs to abandon that formula and start building these blue glass window towers much like that horrid renovation Howard Hughes did to the Desert Inn back in '69 which made it look like an Insurance office building, or medical center. I liken this recent turn in development of condos and non gaming places as a complete loss of this previous successful identity which made this place like NO other place on the planet! True the bad economy is a wild card, however just take a look at Steve Wynn's place, it screams resort from top to bottom, and keeps the promise throughout the property. City Center just makes NO sense in all of this. It's the kind of place that makes me think I need to bring along a business suit and a resume. Why would anyone want to sit in one of these suites and look out the window only to see other windows and towers? it's not relaxing that's for sure. This place would make for a wonderful corporate business office center for government, or corporate headquarters. A luxury resort hotel?, just doesn't translate that way..
The glass and steel buildings in the back of Las Vegas Blvd aren't
necessarily ugly but aren't attractive either. It reminds me of Dallas, TX.
Respectfully distant, bland and boring. But the utter nonsense on
Las Vegas Blvd. is appalling. To take up that much distance on Las
Vegas Blvd with the ugliest frontage imaginable is a crime. Whomever
allowed them to destroy that much of Las Vegas Blvd with what looks like
a cross between a stealth fighter aircraft and the home of Superman's
father, Marlon Brando, on Krypton (check images at link from Superman movie
http://www.ghphotography.org/superman2.h...) should be fired.
If you walk from the Venetian down to the Encore on Las Vegas Blvd at night
you get a sense of enchanting elegance. Subdued yet refined. But when
you walk in front of the City Center, you get this overpowering urge
to check and make sure your wallet is still there. It's almost as if
you feel the eyes on your wallet from this corporate monstrousities'
surveillance cameras.
In my opinion, I think what people don't understand is that City Center
was specifically built for international millionaires. The MGM Mirage
I think said years ago that the Condos were built for foreign multi-millionaires.
As an example, the target market members MGM Mirage would be going after are
those who want to have a place in a number of high end cities. So a
person MGM Mirage is catering to is a person who has a Condo in the
South of France in Monte Carlo, a Condo in London, Paris, Brussels
Tel Aviv, Dubai, NYC, San Francisco, etc... These multi-millionaries
would also want to have a Condo on the strip to visit maybe 2-4 weeks a year.
It may be no coincidence that Dubai was going after the same market with this kind of
high end building in their own country. Meaning Dubai is a 50 percent
partner in the City Center project and was following the same strategy
in Dubai. So for someone to say that it is overpriced and they weren't
going to go there and gamble, eat or shop, really doesn't matter. It
wasn't built for you. You are not their target market.
In my opinion, the only thing they want from Las Vegas locals is a subservient
and docile population.
They seemed to calculate that when the United States started allowing
corporations to export jobs and the backbone of our economy to foreign
governments and the corresponding trillions of dollars of wealth being
transferred, that this would create multi-millionaires in India, China,
Japan, Oil producing nations, South America, Mexico, etc... And that
these new multi-millionaires would want to spend those dollars on
United States real estate. Rather than manufacturing goods and services
for them to buy with their trillions of dollars from us, we are going to be
carrying their luggage, serving them meals, and driving them around town in
limousines. In my opinion, the Encore is specifically designed to apeal to
Chinese millionaries. I think a large investor with Wynn was an Asian
billionaire. The decor is red which I think means happiness or good luck
in Asia. Believe me if the MGM Grand tore down the Lion's mouth which
was the old entrance because Asians considered it bad luck, I don't
think it's a big stretch to suggest their wishes would affect an entire
casino's decor.
I never really understood the distinction between old las vegas and the new las vegas.
The old Mob (union financing) and then the new corporate (Wall Street financing)
takeover. But then I thought about the owners. In the old days, the Mob bosses
took their cut or points. That's all they ask for. They really didn't seem to
care or study about making more than that (I guess they weren't greedy).
But in the new Las Vegas everything became a profit center. The corporate
business school way is to charge what the market will bear. If someone is
willing to pay $10.00 for a bottle of beer, then you charge $10.00. If someone is
willing to pay $25.00 for a hamburger in a 24 hour cafe, you charge $25.00. If someone is going
to pay $7.00 for a pack of cigarettes, you charge $7.00. It is just a matter
of time, when the casinos on the strip turn the parking garages and the bathrooms
into profit centers and start charging for their use. And they will charge what
the market will bear, no more, no less.
Remember, it's just business. Nothing personal. Seems some things never change.
I was out at McCarran last night and talked to several people who were on their way to stay at Vdara.
They were all quite excited. Hope springs eternal.
markp does make a good point about the sickening amount of free advertising citycenter gets.
then, brian greenspun turns around and says "times are tough...we have to lay off people".
jerk.
environprotector - I see what your saying and agree with most of it... My only reply to you response would be - think of CC as a "city themed" resort? Sounds funny but more so then the other "blue window towers", CC had a plan to make an urban metropolis within LV... I certainly think its ascetically appealing! 100%
Obviously the CEOs are making their decisions based on trends and facts not just the desire to rid the city of "themed" joints... If they worked the way they wanted them to then we wouldn't be designing & building anything else... There will always be the joints that attract & scream "rich people" and those that scream & attract "middle class" or whatever segment you want to call it... The "rich joints" just seem to be a little more competitive in my eyes and also get all the attention because their more elaborate and picturesque... Just like every property everywhere, the strong will survive and the weak will either adapt or be pushed out - the basis of LV strip economy.
stevem should change his screen name to mrnegative.
With a few exceptions (you know who you are...hi), this is one of the largest collections of dumb posts I recall seeing on a message board in a long time. Bashing yes, and I've seen plenty of bashers in my time, but this is bashing done dumb. Think I'll skip the board and stick to the articles from now on! I won't be missed anyways...Lol!
CC will probably do well and the deadheads will move onto the next topic. Bet this board has a high % of Glen Beck fanship!
cribster64 : makes for entertaining reading though, LOL!
Correction, U-Haul doesnt rent to sociopaths, it's in their mission statement.. anyone crazy enough to want to leave this town, needs to find other arrangements. Just cause we're sinking, doesn't mean we will drown. We just go under water, let's collectively hold our breath, and just like the south, and Germany? we will rise again
I wonder if Mr Murren will be clapping for you when you are laid off ,holding the door and walking out of the back of the buiding? I think not.
vargas37 - Even if people are laid off - there will have still been 7,500+/- jobs created! Why doesn't anyone get that?! Its like playing a game... I win 5 times and you win once, everyone talks about the one time you won... I dont get it...
The picture of the canoes and/or kayaks strung together is art? Reminds me of a great line from Larry David... "If I can do it, can it be art?"
Also, how much did MGM pay for that stupid looking "piece of art"????
The entire idea of the CC is questionable. The Westin (formerly Maxim) is also more a hotel with a little casino than a casino with a hotel. And they're not getting the kind of customers needed to make it very profitable. I wonder how they will reach the nut at this property advertized, although I like the uniforms of these pretty ladies working at the hotel.
Good luck anyway.
***For those in favor of CC please read on
There are about 88 comments.
If you face the fact that your pride is hurt and you suggest others to get on a plane and leave then you should do the following:
Go buy a suite at CC and post your claim that as a supporter of Las Vegas, you bought a suite and we are invited to verify your purchase. If you can't buy a suite, well that makes you a phony.
If you support the figures and analytical probabilities that CC will succeed, please get back on the little yellow bus and ask the driver to take you home. The driver should take away your internet access and let you suck on your thumb as you always have.
***Opposing comments
I am sure that there were posting which were removed for many reasons.
I hope mine is not one of them.
I think it would bring a lot more importance to this discussion if users would bring forth relevant facts.
My understanding is that 6 construction workers died at this site.
There is no mention of them because negative publicity does not promote good business.
My 2 cents is that while the melting pot's ultimate goal is financial stability for everyone, the same focus and attention should be kept as a top priority to the responsibilities of everyone involved in this goal whether it is a visitor, city employee, local newspaper or native.
Speak the truth and it will set you free.
I was thinking the same thing about the 'canoe' thing . WTF ?