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Jim Murren, the CEO of MGM Mirage and a transplanted New Yorker, stands in front of the Aria at CityCenter, a project he conceived based on what he thought Las Vegas lacked: a world-class urban gathering place for the city’s residents. “We were missing so many important quality of life building blocks — what I would consider to be not extras but essentials, culturally and medically. The diversity that I grew up with in New York isn’t here.”
Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Jim Murren: CEO, MGM Mirage
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Jim Murren, CEO of MGM Mirage, reflects on the beginning of CityCenter and what it will bring to Las Vegas.
A reflecting pool surrounded by trees is one of the features of a pocket park between Aria, CityCenter's only gaming hotel, and the Crystals retail and dining area.
Sun Coverage
Visitors to CityCenter, the Strip’s newest spectacle, will be driven to look up at the glistening glass and steel. It is an inexorable pull, to cock your head backward and take in the sweep of six high-rise towers — including two that lean — that create an urban scene unlike any other.
The man who conceived of this place, however, would like to draw your attention to a small park bench.
It is found near the center of the 67-acre site, alongside Aria, the flagship high-rise filled with 4,004 guest rooms above a sprawling casino, convention center, the Strip’s newest showroom and, to greet visitors, a boisterous demonstration of water cannons.
Tucked between the 61-story Aria and the fanciful, futuristic retail promenade known as Crystals, Murren will show you the park bench, under the shade of a Zen-like cluster of trees. This little pocket park, he says, may be the most precious real estate in all of City Center.
Sitting here, you can contemplate Henry Moore’s “Mother and Child,” a massive marble sculpture, or gaze through the glass and into the lobby of Aria and, hanging above the front desk, see Maya Lin’s “Silver River,” a 3,700-pound, 87-foot rendition of the Colorado River’s winding, graceful journey through the Southwest.
“If you sit here and look at the sculpture and up at the Aria tower and see how it shimmers in the sunlight, you will think you’ve been transported to a different place,” Murren says. “It’s like nothing I have seen before.”
To grasp the importance of this pocket park — and to understand why MGM Mirage decided to risk the company’s future by building one the world’s most expensive resort complexes — one must understand Jim Murren, the company’s chief executive.
CEO’S background
Before he took the helm of MGM Mirage, and before he was a financial analyst on Wall Street, Murren, 48, was an artist who dreamed of becoming an architect.
As a child growing up in Fairfield, Conn., Murren took frequent trips with his mother to New York City. There, the wonders of suburban life were overtaken by the drama of the big city as he walked through Manhattan’s many colorful neighborhoods and museums.
Inspired by his mother, who painted watercolors as a hobby, Murren took classes in oil painting. His rural landscapes and seascapes were good enough to earn him shows at his high school, the local library and other public spaces.
Murren nurtured his interest in art at Trinity College, a small, private liberal arts college in Hartford, taking his first art history course freshman year and spending a semester of his junior year in Rome studying Renaissance and Baroque art. Trinity operates a campus in a converted convent on Aventine Hill, a cultural landmark that overlooks the ancient city. In this impossibly romantic setting, Murren developed a fluency in Italian, “fell deeply in love with the aesthetic of art” and poured himself into painting city scenes.
This seemingly right-brained existence was counterbalanced by an equal interest in left-brained activities. Murren excelled at math, enjoying the analysis involved in picking apart and solving equations that would make many creative people run in the opposite direction.
In addition to art history, Murren accumulated several classes in urban studies — a field that often leads to work in government planning and architecture. During college, he interned with a nonprofit housing developer in Hartford.
Murren decided to become an architect — a career that seemed to balance intuitive and creative thinking with numbers-based analysis.
And then, during a post-college tour of Europe, Murren quickly ran out of money, sleeping in train stations and on beaches. Shaken by his brief, penniless existence, Murren ditched architecture, which would have required more education without any guarantee of a good-sized paycheck at the end of it all.
Like many people with a knack for numbers, Murren joined the ranks of the dark-suited men on Wall Street he had admired as a boy walking through Manhattan.
“I wanted to make money — lots of money,” he said.
Wall Street appealed to his competitive side — the side that played football and baseball in school. Art took a back seat.
In 1984, Murren jumped at the chance to earn $18,000 a year — good money for an art history and urban studies major learning the investment banking business — as a research assistant for a stock analyst.
Works install "Reclining Connected Forms" by artist Henry Moore in a pocket park during a tour of MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. Properties in the $8.5 billion project will open next month.
During off hours, Murren studied to become a Chartered Financial Analyst, a professional designation given to people who pass three sets of examinations. He became expert at analyzing companies’ balance sheets, rating their stocks and evaluating their overall financial health.
He rose steadily up the corporate ladder, eventually reaching the top of his profession at Deutsche Bank, an investment bank that had developed a specialty in the casino industry. In Murren, who was covering MGM Mirage’s predecessor company and other gaming giants, then-CEO Terry Lanni spotted a young man who wasn’t afraid of asking pointed questions of management and who quickly grasped the potential of high-end resorts in Las Vegas.
Rise at MGM Mirage
Lanni hired Murren as chief financial officer in 1998, the year Bellagio opened, triggering the Strip’s largest and most ambitious growth spurt, which included Mandalay Bay, Venetian, Wynn Las Vegas, Palazzo and Encore.
In Las Vegas, Murren found a community with a good standard of living, great weather and a business-friendly culture rich with entrepreneurs. He would no longer be one analyst among many but a top executive with a major company still in its early growth stage. Still, it was a difficult adjustment for the New Yorker and lover of high culture.
Murren’s wife, Heather, also a high-powered Wall Street analyst, had never even been to Las Vegas.
“She’s very much of a risk-taker. I was more reticent in coming. I had a good gig ... we had a nice house in Connecticut, a nice apartment in New York and solid careers.”
Early into his move, Murren acknowledged a “gnawing sadness” about the relative lack of culture and community icons in Las Vegas.
“We were missing so many important quality of life building blocks — what I would consider to be not extras but essentials, culturally and medically. The diversity that I grew up with in New York isn’t here.”
One of those things, Murren thought, was a world-class urban gathering place. Downtown didn’t fit the bill, nor did anything on the Strip, which was a place where local residents typically went only with out-of-town guests or on special occasions.
“There was no impetus or inspiration to jump in the car and go see, what, another hotel? Another casino was not going to do it for people,” he said.
His artistic sensibilities were rekindled during his travels abroad. Unlike his New York-centric life on Wall Street, Murren’s new job as CFO took him to major cities, including possible sites for casinos and resort hotels such as Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Beijing. New York was largely a city of older buildings, but many foreign cities were experiencing a wave of construction highlighted by striking modern architecture. As CFO, Murren’s job wasn’t to come up with ideas for new resorts, but rather to manage the company’s money. But his right brain, long dormant, chafed.
“I started getting very frustrated with sitting through meetings to talk about yet another hotel idea. It was more of the same, with a different theme, different position, different partner. Everything we were looking at before I thought was just a worthless enterprise.”
Murren found an early sounding board in Kirk Kerkorian, MGM Mirage’s majority shareholder and a man who thought big. Kerkorian built the world’s largest hotel twice, with the International hotel, now called the Las Vegas Hilton, in 1971 and MGM Grand in 1993. In Murren, Kerkorian found a man who wasn’t just another number cruncher who followed direction from others but an executive with ideas of his own.
“He kept challenging me, without saying what it is I should think of, to think beyond what I could see,” Murren said. “I admired him so much that I thought a lot about ... what I could contribute to the company.”
The Vdara Hotel and Spa is shown during a tour of MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.
That was before 9/11, which devastated tourism in Las Vegas and left people such as the Murrens, with their ties to New York, emotionally stricken.
Rather than burying himself in the financial section of The New York Times, Murren felt drawn to the architecture page and the process of developing a memorial at ground zero.
When the economy healed, MGM Mirage had ascended to a powerful position after the company’s 2000 acquisition of Steve Wynn’s Mirage Resorts — a deal triggered by Kerkorian and designed by Murren.
By 2003, with the company in good financial shape and its casinos generating record earnings, Murren began to draw.
Mortgaging land
What he drew was based on a new way of thinking about the casino and resort industries on Wall Street. Bankers had crafted a new investment called commercial mortgage-backed securities as a financing tool for companies with lots of usable land. Instead of issuing stocks and bonds to fuel growth, companies could issue mortgages against land they owned, package the loans and sell them to investors.
Such loans became the jet fuel that launched a wave of casino acquisitions by private equity firms that saw a seemingly low-risk, reasonably priced way to finance such deals.
Like banks before them, private equity companies — firms that snapped up companies during the recession by borrowing heavily on the cheap — had shunned casinos as high-risk investments subject to heavy regulation.
Eventually, casinos became Wall Street darlings for their high profits, large and steady revenue streams — all the better for paying down massive debts quickly — and potential for growth.
Real estate, especially along the three-mile concentration of resorts on Las Vegas Boulevard, skyrocketed in value as investor interest grew. Murren’s slow-burning idea that the company should build an urban, high-density resort destination happened to coincide with the exponential growth in real estate values. Land that had once been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars as, say, surface parking for casino workers was now worth tens of millions per acre as an investment tool that could enable a company to build a profitable luxury resort on that parking lot.
Readying the pitch
By early 2004, Murren had combed through art and architecture books to flesh out some simple architectural drawings, which included towers not just for hotel rooms but for condominium units and office space. In the meantime, he would engineer his next major deal — acquiring Mandalay Resort Group, a competitor with several large hotels, including Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur. The combined company would dominate the Strip with 10 major resorts and, more important for the company’s future, give MGM Mirage control over dozens more acres of undeveloped land that was now more valuable.
A worker uses a pedestrian bridge from the Crystals retail mall during a tour of MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. Properties in the $8.5 billion project will open next month.
Unknown to Mandalay Resort Group at the time of the deal was a second, equally important reason to buy the company. Mandalay owned land behind the Monte Carlo, which it owned with MGM Mirage. Acquiring Mandalay would give MGM full control of the Monte Carlo and the acreage behind it, which would enable MGM Mirage to build CityCenter at the large scale Murren envisioned.
In early 2004, about the time Murren was negotiating to buy Mandalay, he took a grease board drawing of his plan for the site of what was then the Boardwalk casino. Using a computer program of the kind used by architects, he created more detailed plans with some help from Bill Smith, an architect and president of MGM Mirage Design Group, the company’s resort development subsidiary. During a lunch break in a company board meeting to discuss other issues, Murren stood the drawing on an easel and began discussing his idea with board members.
“I told them how Las Vegas was designed, every resort, to fight one another, not only thematically but from an egress perspective. How yesterday’s thinking told you, ‘Let’s put a moving sidewalk only into a building and ... force you to go through a casino.’ And how, if we created something with expert urban planners and put world-class architects into the mix, we’re going to stretch the boundaries of our knowledge and create something that would be a gift, a resource to the community that we could make a lot of money on.”
The board members — except for Kerkorian, who was sold on the idea early on — were intrigued but skeptical of the plan, which called for building many towers at once and creating a campuslike environment where pedestrians could amble from one building to another.
“The financial (executive) would have said that’s a gigantic waste of money, that we should carve this up into smaller pieces and build very cost-effective buildings, including a Y-shaped tower up next to the street,” Murren said. Some casino operators also blanched at the plan, which called for a casino located far back from the sidewalk and set apart from most of CityCenter’s other features.
But Murren never doubted the success of CityCenter. It was right for the company, right for Las Vegas. “I know this like I know I’m left handed,” he would say.
In March 2004, Murren convinced the board that the stars had aligned for MGM Mirage to up the ante for what could be accomplished on Las Vegas Boulevard — a place that, after all, had inspired such outlandish yet immensely profitable creations as a reconstructed Venice and a South Pacific-themed resort in the middle of the desert. No place but Las Vegas, with its nearby airport, tourist volume, widespread popularity and a tax and regulatory climate that encouraged growth, could support such an attention-grabbing project, he said.
This plan was inspired not by Murren the CFO but by Murren the dormant urban planner.
Making it real
While Murren was raising billions of dollars on Wall Street to acquire Mandalay, he was assembling a team of executives to oversee CityCenter, including Bobby Baldwin, who had opened several resorts for Steve Wynn, including the Mirage and Bellagio.
A worker heads down a road leading to one of the Veer Towers during a tour of MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009.
This team began hiring firms to compete in a design challenge for CityCenter. MGM Mirage decided on EE&K Architects, a company with offices a few blocks from the Union Square apartment in Manhattan where Murren had once lived and the firm that had created the master plan for New York’s Battery Park City.
EE&K built on Murren’s ideas, moving the casino-hotel back from the street and creating a wide boulevard up to the building and a rerouted Harmon Avenue with a traffic circle and large, second entrance behind the property. Retail stores would front Las Vegas Boulevard in a low-slung building with multiple entrances that would be less imposing for passers-by. Buildings would be different shapes and sizes, each an attraction unto itself and, taken together, a modern landscape of epic proportions.
With Murren’s input, Baldwin and other key executives narrowed a list of about 100 architects to a few dozen, including a few marquee names. Those chosen to work on CityCenter would be world-class creators of iconic structures known to draw crowds of spectators. They would be known for their public spaces such as museums and theaters but capable of building profitable structures for entertainment purposes. They would be chosen for their ability to collaborate on a scale that had never been attempted in the field of architecture, where buildings were typically designed as stand-alone structures.
Some have called CityCenter a themed version of New York as envisioned by a Manhattan transplant — different in design but not in concept from the faux Venice of the Venetian or a modern take on the faux skyline of New York-New York.
Yet Murren’s primary inspiration for CityCenter is a great distance from New York, in places such as Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi that have created modern skylines from scratch with the help of big-budget architecture firms. CityCenter, Murren says, incorporates many styles of architecture, though lay persons may view them all the same way — as simply modern, with angled lines and sleek curves.
The Harmon Tower is shown at MGM Mirage's CityCenter project Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. Properties in the $8.5 billion project will open next month.
And indeed, when Murren rhapsodizes about CityCenter, he doesn’t always sound like the tough CEO he is.
He talks of how pedestrians will walk in and between the buildings and contemplate large paintings and sculptures by master artists, many of them commissioned for CityCenter. People who have never pulled a slot machine handle or played a hand of blackjack will walk through CityCenter and, just maybe, they will be inspired to create art, design buildings or simply do something different with their lives, he said.
This is his right brain speaking, not the kind of marketing spiel one would expect from a sharply-dressed CEO. Is this merely a different approach to marketing? Does the secret to mining deeper profits in Las Vegas lie in the contemplation of great art?
It’s a bit of both for Murren, who can just as easily recall the awe he felt as a child seeing his first dinosaur at New York’s Natural History Museum as he can recall marathon sessions with investment bankers in February to negotiate his company — heavily leveraged with debt and pummeled by the recession — back from the brink of bankruptcy.
“This is the best possible sandbox to play in,” he said. “There is no place in the world where we could have done this.”
I hate to say it, but people come here to eat, drink, and gamble. Why try to change what Vegas is? Suddenly people are going to come to Vegas to admire obscure art pieces?
is this an attempt to put some shine on a **** especially as Dubai might want to have a fire sale to rescue the country, city center is likely to either be sold off or ....... fill in the blank but it is not looking good since Dubai has started to go down the Iceland road... Their credit rating is going to be altered for the worse and their debt will become more expensive..
Unfortunately Mr. Murren does not understand that Vegas never was conceived to be New York City. Las Vegas had a unique identity all it's own, and that was Vegas! I feel that he has just merely turned it into another coop city that one finds along the banks of the East River in NYC. We NEVER wanted Vegas to be like New York City. But that's what you get when you bring displaced New Yorker Wall St analysts to Vegas in positions of power along the strip. He did a good con job on the aging Kirk K. Perhaps now people will realize the supreme con job Wall St. has done to Las Vegas, and how they ruined us along with the rest of the American economy. Thumbs down to you sir...
ny telling vegas what to do, another example of last 20 years of ceo's only caring about rich and lazy crowd, how's that doing for you vegas. while small casino's in other states are patrionizing to regular people, vegas is stuck with overpriced everything. stay offstrip, orleans, gold coast, south point, more fun.
Vegas ain't New York City! And it's a place in the middle of the desert where there's no unlimited access to resources just like water etc. Everything needs to be brought to Vegas. Building such towers as if you were in New York city.....is INSANITY PURE !!!! EVEN A LIFE ON THE STRIP IS CRAZY. And I doubt that there are so many people just buying their condo for fun just to use it 2x/year and have it sit empty for the remaining 11 months of the year.
CRAZY!!!
I believe we can all admire the ambitious nature of "Murren's" project and wish him and MGM nothing but success, however on the flip side, will he also accept responsibility if the project is unable to yield a ROI for its shareholders because of it's more than doubled project budget (based on original publicly stated budget)? In addition to redefining the very definition of "over budget", not to mention "behind schedule", last quarter the company was forced to write-down approximately $1.16 billion of its CityCenter investment, before even opening its doors. In MGM's own words, "Based on our analysis, we determined that the carrying value of our investment exceeded its fair value and therefore an impairment was indicated. We intend to and believe we can retain our investment in CityCenter; however, due to the extent of the shortfall and our assessment of the uncertainty of fully recovering our investment, we determined that the impairment was "other-than-temporary" and recorded an impairment charge""
CityCenter's actual cost is somewhere between $10-$11 billion (before "wishful" condo sales proceeds). After lenders woke-up to the continued budget escalations realizing that a return on this project was highly unlikely, they required additional equity from MGM, who then was forced to contribute more cash and sell 50% of the project to Dubai World. Lucky for MGM, Dubai World was on a drunken spending spree and bought the sales pitch. However, even with Dubai's equity contribution, it is "highly unlikely" that MGM will ever see a dime of return on this investment, but to Murren's credit the buildings and art are stunningly beautiful. Fingers crossed, that it spectacularly successful.
His Godship needs new clothes, new glasses and a few clues:
1) Vegas is NOT New York.
2) Vegas is NOT Santa Barbara
3) CityCenter does not appeal to Bacara clientele
4) Nevada's unemployment rate is 13% +/-
5) Nevada has no Governor
6) Nevada has no plan for future sustainable economic growth
7) Nevada has no work force to support high-tech industries for future sustainable economic growth
8) Nevada's public ed system has one of the lowest ratings in the nation
9) Nevada has the highest home repo rate in the nation
Shhhhh - don't wake, his Godship. He might be terrified of reality.
mamabear : These things don't concern him, after all he lives in the "unincorporated" Clark County.
And, the most expensive advertising campaign cannot save this mess. The only thing. . . that might save CityCenter is sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.
Oh, wait. . .that didn't work either. . .
What all these executives should have done was too take a long hard look at what people come to Vegas for. rest and relaxation, gambling, dancing, eating, and sitting around a pool sipping exotic drinks. Mandalay Bay is the perfect example of what a resort should be. City Center stresses me out..
I can hardly wait for the City Center to open because I have visions of great traffic jams that make rush hour in LA or New York look like a day on a lonely road in Death Valley.
This will be the greatest boondoggle and disaster ever prepetrated on Las Vegas. 5 o'clock traffic on the I-15 will be undescribable, traffic on the strip will go absolutely no where and the strip will become a permanent parking lot.
The politicians and the big money movers behind this nightmare idea will rue the day they ever decided to build it. We have driven many tourists away from Vegas with price gouging and lack of treatment like the old days. Now the traffic problems will be the next factor added to those that are destroying this town, little by little, slowly and surely as the sun rises and sets.
God Help anyone needing Firemen, Police or an ambulance anywhere near the New City Center...God Help Them because nobody else will be able to do it.
That's right. This CEO will then leave the company, after receiving a parachute bonus of 75+ million, or even more. A ridiculous system. The stock holderes should vote against this likelihood before it becomes reality. Pay this "New York City" boy only that bonus if CityCemetary will not become a complete disaster.
how far would this project have gotten if the county commissioners hadnt altered the route of harmon ave for you guessed it,steve wynn
I really think Jim Murren's heart was in the right place with City Center. Despite what all the critics are saying, it IS exactly what Las Vegas needs. Until very recently Las Vegas has lacked an urban center, an artistic edge, and forward-thinking design. But now with City Center, we finally have something to call our own... Not just another carbon copy of yet another world landmark, but a stunning collection of postmodern architecture that we can really call our own.
It just seems like this was cursed with bad timing and bad financing. MGM Mirage has relied on Dubai World to help complete this project, but now Dubai is collapsing on its own debt load. MGM Mirage has also taken on more debt than it could handle in trying to monopolize almost all the west side of The Strip. In many ways, the tale of City Center so far is a reflection of the George W. Bush era of unbridled corporate greed let loose to cannabalize our economy.
I guess in many ways, City Center is a reflection of Jim Murren himself. We see his beautiful artistic side with the whimsical design of the buildings, the public art adorned all over, and the "green" defining this entire project. However we also see Murren's darker corporate side with the construction death scandals, the now hot mess with the Dubai World financing, and the constant reminder that the era of "New Vegas", started 20 years ago when Steve Wynn opened The Mirage and brought the "Wall Street Raiders" to conquer Las Vegas, has come to a brutal end here as we contemplate how to move forward in a "New New Vegas" with a more sustainable, both environmentally sustainable AND economically sustainable, future.
I still hope for success with City Center. We need some success in Las Vegas for a change. I guess I'm now also hoping that this become a wake-up call to all of us that Las Vegas needs to change. "Old Vegas" left the building long ago and "New Vegas" didn't quite work out as planned, fueled as it was by unsustainable real estate speculation and "construction begetting construction". We need a "New New Vegas" and a future of more sustainable development. I hope the good and the bad of City Center helps us move forward this way.
Mr Murren:
As a teacher, I honor you for your dedication to the arts and education! The city boy in you cherishes the expression of human creativity amidst the contradictions of mandated steel, glass, and concrete.
But as a native Southern Californian and a lover of the desert, I abhor the intrusion of city insanity on our sacred sands and in our windswept vistas.
As a gambler, I wish the Hell you'd donated your Dream City of Art to the University of Nevada, and used those precious 67 acres for some beautifuly themed and fun-oriented casinos like the old Boardwalk.
one word says it all ....Hubris
Murren isn't going to read any of these posts, he knows he's up the creek without a paddle. To be quite frank, I am amazed that he even agreed to these press appearances , furthering and solidifying his stamp on this disaster. Too bad there isn't a way to pick this whole thing up and move it to New York City, perhaps the World Trade Center sight? They could use a new City Center.
I can't believe all the negativity. I'm really looking forward to City Center. I've seen a list of the restaurants and shopping that it has to offer and it looks like there will be a great selection. That's one place this Vegas resident will be happy to spend money at.
blake-
Agreed. As I said above, City Center really is what Vegas needs. I can't wait to check out Crystals and try out the slots at Aria! It's such a funky design, and hopefully it will be the start of more LEED certified green buildings on The Strip.
Sure, there are many reminders of the recent negative news with City Center... But it also provides some hope for the future with more jobs and more visitors.
Reading this article and knowing why I go to Las Vegas makes me want to short MGM stock first thing tomorrow morning. CC and MGM are doomed!!
So far the physical reality of City Center rattles my sensibilities.
I understand this may be because my boyhood recollections of The Strip are huge tumbleweeds making their way down Las Vegas Boulevard and in and around low rise western style resorts and a few modern era styles like the Desert Inn and The Sands.
I will visit in the next six months after the early frenzy likely dies down and reassess how I feel about this massive development then.
OK, Blake
We hear you. But do you hear Vsestini? As a metropoitan business and art center, CC should not have been driven in like a tent stake on a linear accessed gambling strip. What is the Great M-urban Planner's altruist logic in doing this?
Tvegas, a scholar of Greak wisdom, no doubt, you have it right--hubris.
Another outsider trying to revolutionize the gaming industry.People come here to get away from what MGM built.It would have been A hit in New York.Bobby Baldwin should have known better.The only person City Center will help is Steve Wynn.He will get all the good and none of the bad.
P.S.
Firemen and paramedics, fire up your helicopters and Batman cables. That's what you'll need to get in there. I feel for you.
I watched an ambulance detour off Las Vegas Boulevard, going around an entire block just to get one block ahead of the traffic jam.
"...before he was a financial analyst on Wall Street, Murren, 48, was an artist who dreamed of becoming an architect."
More proof that nothing good ever comes from failed artisits. It should come to nobody's surprise that he's a failed architect too. The Harmon will doccument that.
"I wanted to make money -- lots of money," he said." Personally I'm sure he's doing just fine. It's Kerkorian who stands to lose it all.
Great article. Murren comes off as a short term, short sighted bean counter. Like all stock traders, he's a big risk taker when it comes to gambling with other people's money. When push came to shove in his own life, he grasped for the safety of a Wall Street paycheck instead of following his dreams.
Soon he'll be able to add failed businessman to artist and architect.
.
I had the opportunity very recently to see the Petronas towers in KL. I took a visit up to the bridge connecting this masterpiece and was amazed by the view. I also visited Singapore and Abu Dhabi around the F1 grand prix dates, and also saw the designs and architecture of their buildings. These are the best I've seen yet. MGM has indeed done a great thing in investing a large sum of money and time to complete this gigantic project. It still strikes as a suprise to see this in Las Vegas, but my opinion is that it will do superb. I believe the city center will hit Vegas by storm.
Most of these posts sound just like many people 20 years ago talking about Steve Wynn when he opened the Mirage. Most said he would fail. The brought in twice what he needed to operate the Mirage and paid off the junk bonds early. Employed 1000's of people, built more hotels.
Mr. Wynn has outlasted most his critics of that time and City Center will do the same.
It will be here helping take care of Vegas long after most of the posters here are gone.
Why do I have the feeling that most negative comments here come from people who have only seen this from the street rather than experience it? How can they be so sure of their opinion before this is even open? Maybe they are right, but to be fair I cannot express an opinion until I have spent a couple of days exploring City Center - which I look forward to!
buzzbomb : I'm sure that you will have quite an enjoyable experience exploring City Center, but that is probably all you will do. You will not spend the big bucks that they want you to drop in the tight Server Based systems slots, or the overpriced shopping, and I doubt you will even consider paying over two hundred dollars for a room, not including the resort fee, room tax etc. Not to mention dropping at least one hundred dollars for lunch. Get it? there are not enough rich people in this valley or willing to drive from California to sustain this place. Sorry , it's just the cold hard truth.
Mr. Murren is a very late comer to Las Vegas, and it's interesting to think that the scope and nature of this project has sprung primarily from one man's past and life experience.
As said before, I am reserving my opinions until I can walk around and get a clear feel for it.
I hope it works, but financially I have definite concerns how it can bring in a return for a long time.
People can come and look, but how much money are they willing or able to spend at this time?
It was great timing that Project Viva never broke ground.
That could have been a huge disaster in the making.
It truly amazes me that people want to see City Center fail. They apparently forget that the strip is the engine that runs not only Clark County, but the state. We need this to succeed for the sake of all of us that live here. We need to support these projects to get the people to come here not tell people it is a bad place to visit. I encourage everyone I know to visit Las Vegas and play up things like City Center. If you are so disappointed in living here, why are you still here? Its a big country, so move where you think things are better. I know a lot of people that are employed because of MGM and City Center. I want them to continue to work. I hope Echelon is the next big proposed project that will be restarted soon by Boyd. Lets promote Vegas not destroy it.
three words...
ego run amuck!!!
environprotector; while not typical, myself and millions of others have managed our finances wisely and still have the means to spend freely on a quality experience. By quality I mean something truly memorable unlike cliche theme casinos, with circus acts, plastic statuary and buffets. It appears that City Center has attempted to break the over-used mold for a strip casino and go to the next level. If they have done it well, there will be a customer base. As I stated before I will judge for myself.
I'm from New York, and while CityCenter may be a nice project, I really don't see where it's a "true urban center" and not just another Strip attraction. It seems to me that a "true urban center" would have to evolve organically from a community's social surroundings and culture and not be masterminded and manufactured by a select few individuals with big bucks. Anyone who thinks that CityCenter is a "true urban center" is either very naive or very delusional.
i say give the VISION a chance.
supernova.
As we all know Elvis will be the MAIN attraction
at the ARIA.
Take a picture with him as you check in.
And DON'T forget to get his autograph.
Timing is everything.In Las Vegas in our best years it may have been ok.The U.S.is changing.Casinos never depended on luck,the players did.Now MGM is going to need A lot of luck for A long time.I hope they make it for our economy's well being.If I had to bet, I would bet against them.Now they're the ones gambling and they're laying 9 billion to one.What are the true odds Bobby?
I have to agree with one of the comments above with regards to CityCenter being a "true urban center". True urban centers grow up over time and are the work of many different people, time periods, ethnic backgrounds and ways of life. A true urban center is a place where people from all walks of life conglomerate to live, work and spend their leisure time. The post office, the butcher shop, the bank, the second-hand book seller, the coffee shop, the art gallery and so on make up a true urban center. CityCenter is massive, cold and screams expensive. I'm glad there were a few people above who are happy to see this thing open but it still is what it is. The average person isn't going to be frequenting this place. There's only one casino and the rest of it mainly unoccupied, overpriced residences and restaurants that will cost you a car payment or two to eat in. How does that equate to a boon for our city? How does that make it a "true urban center"? The downtown "revitalization" fell flat. Does everyone remember the fabulous "Arts District" that was going to be the new Soho? Most the the "galleries" that were there have closed up shop and outside of those first Friday nights the area is a ghost town. New York City is over 300 years old. It wasn't built overnight by a guy who decided that being rich was more importantant than being an "artist". I'm tired of Vegas executives telling me what I like. The vast number of negative comments above signal one thing - these executives need to come down out of their ivory towers (and over-inflated egos) and start listening to the folks on the street. We'll all go look at it, that's for sure. But then again we'll all slow down to look at an accident too but we wouldn't want to be a part of it.
Is this the renaissance of Las Vegas??? Say its not so...Vegas is Vegas...How about giving the players a decent gamble..Remember That?..Vegas was built on that premise...Good Food...Good Rooms..Good Gamble... And to think I know that without the benefit of a college degree
I would like to see City Center do well, but I don't think it can reverse the slide this town is in. I hope somebody has a viable plan to make Vegas fun again.
Let's say no one this year got a raise who is employed with MGM-Mirage because of financial difficulties. Accept for Mr. Murren he got a nice $500,000 raise and a $4,000,000 bonus for the year. My raise came to about $1800 for the year. Thanks for the 8 billion dollar eye sore and no raise, and if that's the case should all raises be withheld from ALL MGM-Mirage employees. Ya a little mud in the eye, Thanks Jimmy.
Bodytalk555 : The thing that has to happen in a somewhat perfect circumstance, would be a meeting between all of the Hotel/Casino owners/CEO's to discuss what can be done overall to improve tourism. The problem we have here is that the commission allowed MGM and Harrahs to own most of the town, pinning all of their hopes and dreams on these two giant gaming companies, thus financially rising or falling enslavement to their spreadsheets. They have ( in my opinion) violated all of the antitrust/monopoly rules in any capitalist society, rules that were set up to avoid this very thing from happening. No competition means no incentive to be better than the guy next door, equals flat ,dull boring, no value for the players.
artswanson,
Heather Murren indeed lives in Las Vegas; She is cofounder, chairwoman and CEO of the Nevada Cancer Institute.
When you read the line of the story, "Murren's wife, Heather, also a high-powered Wall Street analyst, had never even been to Las Vegas," that was in reference to the point in time that Jim Murren was joining MGM Mirage.
Former Vegas 76:
Excellent post, on the mark.
Insightful,... articulate,well spoken how often do people in leadership positions speak so candidily about themselves their company and its vision for the future? A unique snapshot self critique, and personal commentary on the influences people styles and quatitative functions that are inherent only to city center.It takes courage to stand up and speak about ideals, vision and personal motivations when you know it leaves you vulnerable to attack by less expansive thinking individulals.Judging by the content of many of the responses I wager I have not missed the mark.There has been much debate about what "Vegas" is past and present when here we are presented with a cross sectional of what it is becoming. A glimpse into the future development.No longer just a Mecca in the desert for all maner "recreational pleasures" and discretioary spending we fortunate to bear witness to the birth of new ideas and experiences to add to the list.Vegas has never been a cultural hub(no offense Rippley's and Libarace museums) but it always has managed to reinvent its self just when you thought you could neatly define "Vegas". Yet always it has managed to evade the one area that was most in need.A culturaly diverse iconoclastic representation symbolic of the evolution. Where we have been what we are becoming where we are destined to lead.City Center.Most of the negative comments are based on fear.Fear and self doubt knowing they too will have to raise the level of expectations across the board. From higher levels of geust services and interaction to higher levels of design and enviromentaly sustanible practices. Fourth generation mixed use building in an area of development where curently third generation is the architectual standard.I look to the future with much delight.
I am a 73 year old, native born Las Vegan and I remember this town as a young kid, teenager, and and adult. All of my life here I have seen it changing gradually at first, then rapidly and now it is changing like an exploding bomb. Some changes have been good, but for the most part the changes have been, in my mind negatives that have taken away what was the 'real Las Vegas' of days of old.
This is not that Las Vegas old timers remember; many comments have appeared in the media yearning for the old days of casinos and resorts that welcomed and cherished their customers. Roads were not crowded and people in the casinos were polite and helpful; in contrast we have greed and money hungry mongers who have thrived and enriched themselves recently by gauging and clipping the customers for all they are worth.
This City Center will be a disaster because it will increase the crowded conditions that already exist on the strip. Imagine another 1,000 to 4,000 cars trying to get into and out of that area during rush hour. Pray tell, how will an ambulance, fire truck, police vehcicle or bomb squad truck get anywhere on the strip. As it now stands the famous srip is a at best a 3-5 mph parking lot day or night.
Las Vegas may now look like New York but once the water shortage factors really take hold it will become the largest and most deserted famous community in the universe. Hopefully, I will not live to see it in the final days of its demise but there will come a time in the next decade or two when large caravans of people will be exiting Las Vegas like the 'Okies' of the dust bowl days left their homes. Las Vegas will be the most famous entertainment capitol ghost town in the world.
I accuse the greedy money mongers and local politicians who never really knew the real Las Vegas for this impending disaster. It is their fault and no one elses.... God Help this community, because no one else can.
Las Vegas already has a city center; it was established in 1905. Unfortunately Downtown, in over 100 years of history, never made a connection of Hotel/Casinos towards the now famous Las Vegas Strip. Oscar Goodman & friends listen up, make a connection down LV Blvd and people will run up & down the entire 8 miles. Mandalay Bay to Fremont St place various Hotel/Casinos with low minimum games, quality food, numberous entertainment. It doesn't have to all be Hotel Casinos, build a coupld Town Centers/City Centers/Art Districts/etc. Just connect these two places and both places will take care of themselves.
Cinomongrl:
I must lack the proper "quatitative functions" because your post, while full of lots of lofty sounding words, makes absolutely no sense at all to me. You see, I the read the same as article as you, but, silly me, it just seemed like a schlockly PR piece, a big puffy dose "journalism" love.
Although, I can't tell you how many times my Uncle Jimbo has said that what Las Vegas lacks is "a culturaly diverse iconoclastic representation symbolic of the evolution."
He says that all the time.
I am a Casino worker and I really get sick of hearing all the negative talk about this incredible project. We should be proud that Las Vegas was the place chosen to build this marvel of a Hotel. I know I speak for all casino workers, especially dealers, when I say take your $5 blackjack, chain smokin, whiny losing, no tipping, can I get a comp attitude downtown where you belong with the lowlifes!!! We want the clientele that can support this kind of lifestyle and still tip generously filling up our hotels and casinos. Job Well done MGM!!!
I agree if some of these particular decision makers had really been around in the old days their perspective could be different.
Steve Wynn was around as a kid and I believe he appreciates the bigger picture.
Las Vegas really was the best in the old days.
I wish the project well.
I do think it's ironic that the Sun would print this love letter to Murren/MGM after winning a journalism prize for... hmm, what was that prize for... never mind. Bold "urban center" visions, peppered with a heartrending 9/11 reference, now that's really a good story.
Denver 21 wrote: "We want the clientele that can support this kind of lifestyle and still tip generously filling up our hotels and casinos."
Good luck finding them. All your customers have lost somewhere between 50-100% of their home values, investments, jobs etc. Yep, not too many idle rich left to support the dozen or so high end joints in town now struggling to survive.
Denver 21 wrote: "I know I speak for all casino workers, especially dealers, when I say take your $5 blackjack, chain smokin, whiny losing, no tipping, can I get a comp attitude downtown where you belong with the lowlifes!!!"
You don't speak for all casino workers.. managment maybe. Get used to the $5 players. Most serious players left the scene when the odds changed and the "automatic 15 everytime" shuffling machines came out. You're whining because you pull cards out of a machine that spits them at you. And you want a tip with that attitude? Maybe you should consider a different occupation.. you'll probably have to anyway when your check starts bouncing.
cinomongrl & denver 21 : Your brainwashed completely disconnected comments are absolutely ridiculous statements trying to defend what has happened here in Vegas. Again I must consider the fact that you both are too young to remember the beauty of the moment and absolute intoxicating draw Las Vegas used to be. If you are a casino worker consider yourself lucky to still have a job denver21, it's those five dollar blackjack players that built this town for you to work in. Show some respect. Cinomongrl , your rosy compliments to Murren lead me to think your just smitten, and think he's rich and cute, good luck. Facts are facts and the fact is that City Center is the WORST thing that ever happened here, and time will show that it was a colossal mistake.
LOL at "urban center".... it's a casino surrounded by high end hotel rooms and multi-million dollar condo's (most of which are empty). And an urban center is a place that residents of the community actually go to. Locals don't go to the Strip. They didn't in the old days and they avoid it even more now that MGM and Harrah's have taken over everything. Are locals all of a sudden going to flock to City Center to experience luxury shopping and $100 a plate dinners from celebrity chefs? This guy truly lives in a fantasy world.
All this "Vegas isn't New York" stuff misses the point. It's true, but CityCenter isn't going to turn the Strip into Manhattan. It's about "urban planning," and in that regard Vegas has failed miserably in all regards, from being aware of our resources and it's limitations to designing communities that are enjoyable for all types of residents and not one who fits some business team's profile.
Most Vegas communities (Summerlin, GVR, etc) are practically unwalkable. Regardless of temperatures, cyclists will have trouble getting place to place because the distances between destinations are MASSIVE. Developers of master-planned communities and McMansions have been handed the keys to do as they please by a government that just doesn't care, or is scared to be pro-active and rock anyone's boat.
70% of Las Vegas, and over 90% of what's been built in the last 20 years, is a suburban hell designed for residents who each have a car an drive to where-ever they're going. Throw in a ton of pools and golf courses that don't help us in our environment (ever notice there's a lack of public pools? Ever wonder why Wet 'n' Wild closed? People adding personal pools willy nilly when we should probably be more community-oriented with pools in our area).
Las Vegas is a planning commission disaster, and it's mostly the fault of the best city/county fathers that developers' money can buy.
Is CityCenter some kind of conservationist paradise? No, but it probably is more sustainable than your cul-de-sac.
The Statue of Liberty has a line about
send your huddled masses.
I don't think the ARIA wants to
see any of them.
I think most of the negativity towards this project is well founded and deserved, as it stands as a shining example of absolute recklessness and lack of vision of what Las Vegas is all about. This is a resort city which emphasizes gambling, vice, relaxation, and ESCAPE from everything City Center represents.
It's all a big desert morass, and what difference does it make to the owners and shot callers?
They get driven to the Executive Jet Terminal and within 90 minutes are sitting on the beach in front of their Orange County Coastal mansions.
Really It looks like no problem from that angle.
This is the best possible sandbox to play in," he said. "There is no place in the world where we could have done this." [The LV Sun quoting Murren.]
Mr. Murren, we have to hand it to you for courageously exposing your inner child to a critical world. Yes, you certainly have a great "sandbox now," much bigger than the one you imagined in your boyhood.
But you failed to invite the kids on the block into the making of your dream, the kids who gambled in your casinos and made your sandbox possible. You thought to yourself what you are doing is right for you, and therefore right for the rest of the kids. You knew you could "play the box" as you liked because you had the land, the power, and consent of the gaming authorities, and democracy, the vote of the people, unfortunately, does not apply in the world of big boy sand play. The rule is "he who has the biggest toys, wins the game." I hope you win. Your loss will be ours a thousand fold.
That was my concern.
That Mr. Murren's past experience has come into being in the present in the form of this alleged "urban center" and now the people of Las Vegas have to live with it good or bad.
It's a bold stroke and here's hoping it's a good bet.
vegaslee,
"Most of these posts sound just like many people 20 years ago talking about Steve Wynn when he opened the Mirage"
This is perhaps the most idiotic statement i have ever read in the last 5 years anyways
The economy,and what vegas is facing now is not even close to 20 yrs ago
It is ugly, inconvenient, and it will flop. People don't like glass walled prisons any more. That's why the Trump vision hit a dead end.
Will the Mexican day workers be allowed to pass out the cards with pictures of prostitutes on them in the City Center?
Portrait of a Casino Mogul as a Young Man
By LV Sun
So I was sitting on a humble park bench, deep in thought. As I gazed pensively at the Zen-like cluster of freshly planted trees (yes! Zen-like) I began heart wrenchingly to ponder the right brain left brain conundrum. On the one hand there is truth, beauty, and the idealism of youth. But on the other hand--can I still make zillions of dollars on this deal? And what kind of country has this become anyway? For some reason people just don't worship us financial wizards like they used to.
The End
I wonder how long I'll be able to sit on that bench before security tells me to move along.
It's pretty much unthinkable to provide a seat in Clark County where it's free.
Dec. will be a great month. We get to watch Dubai go bankrupt because of its $80 billion in debts and City Center flop because everybody HATES it. I think I'll get out my special edition DVD of "The Towering Inferno". Murren is a LOT like the William Holden character in the movie.
Las Vegas isn`t like 20 years ago ! I`m from Austria and visit Vegas regularly ! time has changed ! casinos are everywhere now in the US !economy is down, but standing still and waiting , would be wrong ! CC is going forward, trying to jump to the next level ! bad time of course, but give them some credit, will you ?
a success from CC, is a success for Las Vegas in general too ! I wish CC all the best and I`ll be there personally in 3 months anyway !
hey denver21, your rich and lazy crowd has ruined vegas, hope you have to share tokes with janitors that do heckova lot more work than you do.
atdleft - You must be one Murren's mouthpieces at MGM. But, the pretty words and pr is just another flavor of lipstick on a pig!
NOTE TO dodgerchuch: You are right on target with your comment about the county commissioners. But, the ones who were paid off to push for this boondoggle, were either imprisoned, indicted or are nowhere to be found. Take a look at who the council persons were in the approximately time frame of 2004 to 2006? Where are they now?
True I have no yardstick okra and that was a typo In my excitement about what city center represents to me. the future of evolution both in architectual terms form and function.You see I was in love with the architectual model design and Leed specs long before I knew anything about the people or even the name of the CEO enviroprotector. Because I too love Las vegas I wish that I could have seen it in the past so I have no preconceptions about what it is but I am a witness to what it is becoming.Not since the opening of the Bellagio has there such an air of sophistication and beauty it is the new standard of excellence in hospitality. Suprised that that you don't know more about that.Let me tell you it will create several industries by proxy with its envoiromentaly sustanible standards.Broadening the economic base. A level of highly trained tech savy staff for one mamma bear comment.Were it as simplistic as being smitten the effect would have disipated long ago. No it is more than that it is the understanding that this is an unprecidented achievement. Do not be afraid of the future.
mamabear-
You must not be paying attention. I'm beholden to no one, so I don't mind calling 'em as I see 'em. And as someone who recently moved here from Southern California, I'm shocked by all the constant negativity. I now expect doom and gloom whenever I visit California, as malaise has just taken over the entire state.
But Nevada? Here? As I said earlier (but you clearly missed), City Center has plenty of its own flaws. But then again, so does this entire town! Again, City Center and its shaky finances is just a reflection of greater Vegas.
Still, I think this project has great design and I look forward to seeing it in person when I come home later this week.
vegaslee-
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Some of these same folks might have been around 20 years ago talking about how Steve Wynn was going to fail badly with The Mirage. Some folks are just afraid of change, but hopefully Las Vegas in general won't be afraid to make the needed changes to grow and prosper in the 21st century.
cinimongrl-
But that's the problem right now, a number of people are afraid of the future. I think that may be what's motivating all the City Center bashing the most, people afraid of their own financial futures and that of this state.
If anything, this should be a rude awakening to everyone here that Nevada needs to diversify... Once and for all! Improve the education system, invest in the state's infrastructure, and bring in the high-tech, high-paying jobs that will make Nevada's economy more stable.
And in the mean time, appreciate that City Center will at least provide a few thousand more jobs when we badly need them. Appreciate that City Center will forever redefine The Strip (just like The Mirage did 20 years ago, then The Bellagio 10 years ago, then Wynn Las Vegas 5 years ago) by adding some much needed urban sophistication to what's clearly become a major urban area.
I'm from New York, and while CityCenter may be a nice project, I really don't see where it's a "true urban center" and not just another Strip attraction. It seems to me that a "true urban center" would have to evolve organically from a community's social surroundings and culture and not be masterminded and manufactured by a select few individuals with big bucks. Anyone who thinks that CityCenter is a "true urban center" is either very naive or very delusional.
Desert-girl
I totally agree with you. Being from Chicago, there was no where NEAR the culture or the sense of community in Vegas that is in that City. Sure, they try but that is not why people go to Vegas. They go there to gamble, spend money, whore around (not that this stuff doesn't happen in NY or Chicago!!). They live vicariously thru the fake attractions at NY NY or the fake Canals at the Venetian. But that IS Vegas!! You cannot expect it to have the same caliber of culture as there is back east. I never appreciated what Chicago had until I left that City and moved to Vegas. Now I can't wait to actually go visit the Art Institute again, or to the Museums. Chicago USED to have professional sports teams - but I don't know what happened to them!!! Guess they're still on those extended vacations they've been on for the last several of years!
But Las Vegas and Nevada do try so you have to hand it to them for that.
(PS THere are a lot of "fantasy" attractions in Chicago but it isn't all out there right on Michigan Ave like it is on the Strip!! LOLOLOL It's all discreetly "hidden"!)
City Center is and will continue to be misfit of LV. This monstrosity now hides the beauty and elegance of The Bellagio. With all of the financial problems that they have had with the project, where they have built it and thinking that others want a taste of NY here......it only tells me how arrogant and truly out of touch these MGM "masters of the universe" truly are.
What a disaster.
Sorry, Mr. Murren, but all of your architectial knowledge does not compare to the magnificant National Museum of the American Indian in D. C. JohnPaul Jones is not trying to be a Dr. No Goldfinger character but a person who use material that is one with nature and houses more than how many slots?
adtleft, I'm with you in rooting for CC's success. Not only is a lot riding on this project for Vegas' near-term recovery from the recession, but imo there's a lot to admire about it's concept.
My goodness adtleft with the exception of you and one or two others, including GamingExec although imo he/she misses the point some, most of the posts here characterize a pathetic, cynical attitude towards what was intended to be a ground-breaking good-for-Vegas concept from day one. Meanwhile none of them comment on what would work better. 12,000 jobs! Talk about biting the hands that feed us! If CC succeeds it's good for Vegas. Economics 101!
These always contrarian posters should stick to their Glen Beck (or other) suck-it-all-in-feel-good about criticizing everything and offering no solutions in return. Typical. Luckily there ARE those in the world who care about solving our problems.
Murren = New York
Wynn = New York
Adelson = Massachusetts
Loveman = Massachusetts
There you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen. The Yankees and the Red Sox. What's the over/under they'll be laying you off sooner than later? No more honesty or fidelity, just a large dose of East Coast greed. May they all rot in Hell.
Having frequently visited Las Vegas for the last 20 years and seeing the changes I have to agree with those that feel CityCenter is a Cold Imposing Monstrosity that overwhelms the Strip. This project was not needed and is the prime example of out of control development and Wall Street Greed run amok.
My wife and I so agree with you guys about the elegant Bellagio being slighted.
The Bellagio is a gift of elegance and beauty to the world. The fountain, the ever-changing garden, the fringe-lined lamps over the gaming tables, the open piano-lounge--pure classic elegance that draws people from all over the world, over and over again.
Why? Why on earth did MGMM slight her Grand Lady by erecting nightmarish steel skyscrapers that stand too close to show respect?
I couldn't say it any better cribster64.
Hi...wow...u guys are not even giving it a chance....welll i will be working at the aria hotel an i hope it works for all of us...if not i'll move elsewhere...its that simple....no negative comments will upset...everybody has a right to their opinion....good luck to us...
Most are saying it won't work or isn't what Vegas needs. History shows those are the exact sentiments behind projects that indeed prove to be quite the contrary. Vegas has always has something to offer everybody and let's face it, the days of Sinatra and Dino are over. Time to move on.
Binion's is closing it's Hotel Tower and laying off 100 employees on 12/14 because of the economic downturn here. If they cannot handle this economy I don't think upscale City Center can. The strip casinos are dying on the vine. Who is going to stay, live, gamble and eat at city center? People come here from New York to get away from New York, DUH!
With only one casino,where do they expect a lot of the revenue to come from ? Over priced restaurants and over priced clubs ? Over priced Louis Vitton stores? Funny,everytime I went tru the Canal Shops,these super fancy stores were almsot always empty . I remember seeing a Louis trunk for $35,000.00 . Who buys this stuff? How many people come to Vegas and drop $200-300 for a couple on dinner. Who buys these $500 bottles of Grey Goose ? Nobody I know . To me,Vegas was and should be gambling . The gambling mad the cheap food and cheap rooms possible. But,like everyone else has stated,Vegas and AC do not have the market cornered on gambling,anymore.
I used to go to LV every year,but stopped after my last visit in '06. I really have no desire to go back. The traffic,the dirt-bag mexican snapper guys on the strip,the crowds,piss poor service and generally being treated like nobody gives a crap about you unless you are a high roller.
This entire story is all BS. This is LANNI'S project, not Murren's. Remember, this was half done when Lanni stepped down, so it was conceived and designed by Lanni, not Murren!!
The only thing Murren can claim are the cost overruns, the accidents and the near financial train wreck with Dubai World!
I hate to see all the negative comments, but I am a tourist who comes to Las Vegas 3 times a year, with thousands of dollars to spend every time. I am so excited for this new property! As a New Yorker I don't think that City Center gives that urban feel to the strip as many have said. It does, however, create a new spot in the skyline, which is lovely. I can't wait to check in to Aria!
I can't help but smile at the rush of people looking to say bad things. The same thing happened 20 years ago to Steve Wynn and The Mirage and it's still going strong all these years later - to say nothing of the amazing changes it ushered in all along the Strip. Best of all, of course, is the fact that none of these people could have seen the inside of this incredible development. I, for one, am grateful for the fact that Murren has a vision of something more than just the next theme and has devoted himself tirelessly to see it through. Wish I could say the same for most of these commentators.
Dubai...and City Center...what a bad mix.If City Center thought they had problems before....get ready...the other shoe is about to drop.
kc212203 : Hey there ! just hang on a minute there ! Take my advice before you throw those thousands away into the bottomless pit at City Center, you might want to contribute that money to one of our food banks here in the Valley for FULL tax write off!
Dave202: I completely agree. I worked in the Design Department for MGM MIRAGE up until the massive layoffs occured. I am pretty surprised to learn that the President of the Bellagio aka Jim Murren had any large role in this project.
This article makes it seem he conceived the entire 67 acres from start to finish.
Unbelievable and silly.
It's funny how anything different or new in this town get's slammed. City Center is going to be a fantastic addition to the city & create lots of jobs. If you look around - no one else is doing that right now. If there is anything that will move Vegas to the next level it will be City Center just like Mirage, Bellagio & Wynn have done in the past. I moved here in 1980 to help open the Fashion Show Mall and heard it then, too. "People don't come here to shop!" I also opened the MGM Grand in 1993 and have worked for MGM MIRAGE for over 16 yrs. I don't hold a high position in the company and to think that any of us here haven't sacrified duing this downturn is just not true. Las Vegas needs a shot in the arm and as an employee of the company and a Las Vegan -- I'm behind anything or anyone who commits to our city and our future. k
First, best of luck to City Center. It looks spectacular in photos and hopefully it can weather the recession and emerge as one of LV's premier destinations. I look forward to at least walking through it on my next visit in a few months.
That said, calling it a "true urban center" is silly. This is an ersatz city center in the same way Venetian is an ersatz Venice, only on a more sophisticated level. When you sit in that pocket park, you're not looking up at office skyscrapers built by the captains of industry, you're looking up at resort hotels and vacation condos. This is a Disney World city center.
We've been told that the era of LV theme hotels is over, but City Center is, in fact, the biggest and most ambitious theme hotel of them all.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. I truly wish them the best.
I've never been against the changes that have occurred on the Strip in the last twenty years. For the most part the new properties are great with Bellagio and Mirage being favorites of mine that I have stayed with frequently but I still feel that CityCenter is too big and architecturally is not a good fit for the Strip. I'll check it out on my next visit but have no plans to ever stay there.
Will people stop comparing CityCenter to the Mirage. When the Mirage was built there hadn't been a major new property built on the Strip in 10 - 15 years. People thought Wynn was crazy since he was trying something new in scale and scope in a very convervative marketplace. People think Murren is crazy since he was creating EXACTLY what was already in the marketplace(condo-megahotel-boutiquehotel-spa-highend dining-luxury shopping etc) and the only thing new and exciting about it is the packaging. I think peoples negative reactions to CityCenter are due to it being more of the same package but with a wrapper on it that isn't very pleasing to some.
I never thought Wynn was crazy to build The Mirage. I stayed there shortly after it opened and thought it was the most exciting property on the Strip at the time and a most welcome change. I believe change is good but this overblown monstrosity just proves that bigger is not always better.
Why would I go to Las Vegas to stay at a hotel complex that looks like downtown Houston? I want to stay at the place with volcano or the statues that shoot water from their nipples.
But,IMO,The Mirage still looks better (20 years on) than CC does.
The Mirage took out the moving walk way. Now you
have to walk in.
It's along walk to get into the New Aria.
Stop by the Jockey Club for a breather
if you can find it or see it.
So, let me understand this - people who run the Las Vegas hotels should just keep doing things the way they always have, or better yet, do nothing. Wow, there's a winning strategy.
I work for City Center and have lived here my entire life. The ability for this town to build something unique and new has always been an attraction for this city's visitors who come from all parts of the world. We have eveything from the old down-town casinos that you can still feel like you were in the 70's with (i think) 99cent shrimp cocktails (shrimp right?), to the resorts built in the 90's that were themed and allowed us all to feel like we were in an entirely different place, to the new trendy upscale resorts like Wynn and the new CityCenter. so in short, we are very lucky to have something new to show our visitors. Another item I want to call out is the fact that our industry received no bail out funds, no assistance during this economic nightmare. This town will flourish again and CityCenter will be the gem on the strip and I'm glad to be a part of it....
Jim Murren & City Center will survive, need all they do is use MAC D. MC DONALD'S ideas\concepts/projects/etc; whereas, thus includes aiv\of Celebrity-Fest & Celebrities on Parade/etc, Celebrity Slots, Air-A-Tech/etc, etc and so on. Vegas needs spectacular ideas for City Center, and they are coming soon; if Mac D. has anything to add, besides CasinoHops & 'ICE' Conventions. These projects are available, however, will Jim Murren step-up the venue too\to show the World that Vegas is Vegas, and "When it Happens in Vegas, Where Were You? Vegas Daze Are Here Again"; meaning "Dazzlingly."
My Hero