It’s been about a month now since CityCenter, the latest and greatest Las Vegas project, opened it’s doors to the public. Heralded as the vision of future Las Vegas, has the resort lived up to it’s name? Sprawling across a massive 67 acres in the heart of the Las Vegas strip, the theme of CityCenter seems to be “sustainable luxury”.
The resort is built around CityCenter’s three hotels, Vdara, Aria, and Mandarin Oriental, each serving a different niche of people. Vdara and Mandarin Oriental join the likes of Trump International by leaving out the slot machines – that’s right, these two resorts feature casino-free accommodations, in case you get a bit of sensory overload from being in Vegas. The hotels are connected by beautiful walkways, ramps, and even it’s own three station monorail. You’ll appreciate the openness of the resort, and the abundance of natural light and air.
A big goal of the developers was to maintain the sustainability theme. You won’t get to see much of the green technology since most of it’s behind the scenes, but it’s definitely there. The company has achieved the highest level of green certification from the US Building Council: the gold LEED certification. This is NOT an easy task in a city like Las Vegas!
Vdara is the most accessible of the three hotels, with rooms starting at $129/night. Boasting 1500 rooms as well as the requisite pool and spa, the rooms are quite nice given the price level. Rooms feature flat screen TV, media center (a welcome addition, but bring your own cables!), laptop safes, and excellent wifi access. Business travelers will appreciate all the space, as well as the homey feeling to the rooms. As a bonus, the hotel is great for families too: the larger rooms feature family-friendly amenities like 4-person dining tables and in-unit washer/dryer.
Behind the Vdara is the Aria hotel, which is a resort in it’s own right. 300,000 square feet of meeting space, 2 hotel towers, nine bars, 17 restaurants, nearly 2000-seat theater, gift shop, spa, pool; this is no ordinary hotel! Definitely the “entertainment capital” of CityCenter, the decor is very modern; you’ll be hard pressed to identify a certain style since there were so many architects on the project! The rooms aren’t quite as nice or as spacious as the Vdara, but you’re staying here to party not sleep in your room all day or do work.
Finally, for the upscale traveler there is the Mandarin Oriental. Don’t let the horribly cliche name fool you: this is old school Las Vegas where the customer is always right! Service here is spectacular, with seemingly no demand considered unreasonable (well, maybe some). Rooms are luxurious, but comfortable; Asian theme throughout, obviously. The cost of pure luxury? Starts at $350/night, which doesn’t include the $30 valet charge or $100 spa charge. Don’t worry though, they only charge if you don’t get a spa treatment or massage treatment (which begins at $260 for 80 minutes). No doubt other casinos will have to step up their game to match the Mandarin Oriental.
A month later, the CityCenter has already impressed hundreds of thousands. While some areas still need to be worked out, it’s difficult to expect a new crew to be flawless so soon after opening. With time, the CityCenter will become one of the strip’s hottest destinations. This is the vision of new Las Vegas, a sprawling metropolis that has a commitment to sustainability, while never forgetting the city’s true roots.
