Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 | 6 a.m.

Barbara Davis

Barbara Davis knows how to get the details right. And after 30 years of doing it, she is now on the biggest stage of her career at MGM Mirage’s CityCenter.

As the vice president of hotel services at CityCenter’s Aria Resort and Casino, Davis oversees selection and care for employee uniforms (some 200,000 pieces of clothing), linens, as well as housekeeping and call center staff. In total, 1,800 employees fall under her watch.

Since mid-2009, Davis worked with New York-based designer Jhane Barnes to find the perfect employee uniforms and other design touches for the Aria. The process involved traveling to New York, hammering out details and then overseeing the actual delivery of the materials, an exhausting undertaking in itself.

“We want to pick items comfortable for us [with regards to design taste] as well as the employee,” she said.

Davis followed in her father’s footsteps into the gaming industry. He was the one-time head of housekeeping at the former MGM Grand, now Bally’s.

“I love the people; I love the work; I love the environment,” she added.

In 2010, the gaming industry and Aria guests won’t be watching her, per se, but they’ll have an eye on Davis’ work, as she sets out to maintain the perfection she set in place on opening day at the Aria.

“The biggest goal is getting us as productive as we need to be at the guest level, while servicing and maintaining the building,” she said. “Now, the learning process begins.”

By Brian Sodoma, Contributing writer