Tag Archives: Mandarin Oriental

November 29, 2009 · 2:05 PM

Huge CityCenter Project Prepares for Las Vegas Public Unveiling this Week

The cost: $8.5 billion.  The decision: Let it ride- open the doors to the public!  

The much anticipated CityCenter project in Las Vegas- the largest construction project in the U.S. this year – is taking its opening public curtain calls this week.  

Updated Public Opening Schedule: 

Dec. 1 – Vdara Hotel & Spa opens

Dec. 3 – High-end retail shops, entertainment venues open, featuring Crystal

Dec. 4 – Mandarin Oriental luxury hotel opens

Dec. 16 – The project’s centerpiece, Aria Resort & Casino opens 

Since March, Las Vegas Backstage Access has written extensively on the project, covering it from all angles.  Please check out our articles on March 4 & 25; July 13, 16 & 28; Sept. 3, 17 & 25; Oct. 13 & 18; and Nov. 9, 14, 18 & 19.

C’mon over to Las Vegas and check it out!

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November 18, 2009 · 11:03 AM

Only One Gambling Site in Las Vegas’ New $8.5 Billion CityCenter

AriaIs gambling in Las Vegas becoming passé with the advent of new venues? 

Gaming regulators in Las Vegas last Friday granted preliminary licensing approval for the only casino component inside the $8.5 billion CityCenter project and suggested the revenue mix might be sharply different from the traditional gaming-driven environment that has existed since Las Vegas’ creation. 

During a hearing that lasted more than two hours, the Nevada Gaming Control Board was told not to expect additional gaming inside the multiple hotel, high-rise residential and entertainment complex. 

Aria, pictured, CityCenter’s 4,004-room centerpiece, was designed as the project’s only casino. Vdara and Mandarin Oriental are nongaming hotels, and Veer Tower is strictly residential. 

Executives from MGM Mirage and Dubai World, its 50-50 partner in the development, explained the CityCenter concept, using a promotional sales video and previewing Aria’s first television advertisement in what will be a $20 million marketing campaign. 

Gaming is not the focal point of the 67-acre project. The casino at Aria, roughly the size of Bellagio, will have only 145 table games and 1,940 slot machines, half of which will be linked to a server-based gaming platform. 

Aria President Bill McBeath said the casino’s revenue projections are modeled with Bellagio, but the CityCenter casino has fewer slot machines. He said Aria is designed to have private gambling salons like other MGM Mirage high-end casinos, but the rooms will not be used immediately. 

“There will be cross-marketing between the properties,” McBeath said. Aria will host MGM Mirage’s private Chinese New Year party for high-end customers at the MGM Grand, Bellagio and other company resorts. 

McBeath said Aria’s slot machines are projected to produce roughly $320 win per unit per day. 

During MGM Mirage’s quarterly earning conference call with analysts, City Center Chief Executive Officer Bobby Baldwin said Aria would produce $1.2 billion in revenue in 2010. 

“The (revenue) projections are optimistic,” Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander said. “But they seem reasonable.” 

The three-member control board then recommended unanimous approval for Aria. The Nevada Gaming Commission will consider the recommendation this week.

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October 18, 2009 · 4:45 AM

CityCenter in Las Vegas to Cut Condo Prices by 30 Percent

Developers of the $8.5 billion CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip plan a 30 percent price cut on condos there that people have already agreed to buy, just help close the deals during the recession. 

Company officials announced that CityCenter, co-owned by MGM Mirage and Dubai World, will begin closing on the nearly 2,400 units that have been built in two boutique hotels and two residential towers in January at the reduced prices. More than half of the units are under contract. The price cut roughly parallels the decline in Nevada’s real estate market since the units first went on sale in January 2007. 

The price reductions apply to the 227 units at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, the 670 units at the Veer Towers and the nearly 1,500 condo units at the 57-story Vdara Condo Hotel. 

A typical one-bedroom unit of about 800 square feet at the Vdara is now selling for about $674,000, according to an analysis by Bill Lerner of Union Gaming Group. 

Other parts of the 67-acre project include a 4,000-room casino-resort, convention space, hotels and a retail mall. The project is to start opening in December. 

Several casino industry analysts said MGM Mirage and Dubai World, the development arm of the government of Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates, had to make such a move to close real estate sales in a down market that has been particularly tough in Las Vegas. 

Lerner said in late August that the 30 percent price reductions would bring the Vdara’s prices in line with those at the Trump International Hotel down the street and the nearby Palms Place condo-hotel located 1.5 miles west of the Strip. 

Lerner said MGM Mirage might begin pushing those who have committed to buying units at Vdara toward Veer instead. 

CityCenter was originally supposed to have 200 more condo and condo-hotel units atop the Harmon, but that plan was scrapped when developers delayed the opening of the 400-room hotel portion to 2010.

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September 25, 2009 · 9:15 AM

CityCenter Gets Ready to Blossom in Las Vegas – Opening Schedule

In just three short months, the world will be introduced to CityCenter in Las Vegas. An extraordinary urban resort destination brought to life by eight world-renowned architects, CityCenter will debut a new era of resort experiences with an ambition to refine and redefine Las Vegas. 

Conceived to bring a true center to The Strip, CityCenter will be much more than a collection of resorts and residences; it will rather be a true community – a welcoming environment for people to gather, relax and enjoy. Great pedestrian corridors, dynamic public spaces, authentic richness and diversity of experiences will voke the energy of the world’s most exciting places. 

CityCenter’s public Fine Art Collection will enliven the street and engage passersby. As if in a trolling gallery, guests will happen upon works by world-renowned artists such as Maya Lin or Nancy Rubins as they wander through CityCenter’s walkways, hotels and residences. 

Upon opening, CityCenter will be one of the largest sustainable developments in existence, bringing a new level of environmental consciousness to the world-famous Strip. The U.S. Green Building Council already has awarded Gold LEED(R) certification to ARIA’s hotel tower, convention center and theater; as well as Vdara Hotel. CityCenter’s remaining venues are poised to receive a combination of Silver and Gold LEED(R) ratings.

(Prior to this, Las Vegas Backstage Access has written many articles on specific venues.  Please use the search feature to find under, “CityCenter.”) 

CITYCENTER’S GRAND OPENING SCHEDULE: 

    —  Vdara Hotel – December 1, 2009

    —  Crystals retail and entertainment district – December 3, 2009

    —  Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas – December 4, 2009

    —  ARIA Resort & Casino – December 16, 2009

    —  The Harmon – Late 2010 

Residential occupancies slated to begin mid-January 2010.

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September 3, 2009 · 10:45 AM

Mandarin Oriental Annouces Pierre Gagnaire’s Twist Restaurant in Las Vegas’ CityCenter

Mandarin Oriental, prominently situated at the entrance of CityCenter in Las Vegas, will introduce the award-winning cuisine of three-star Michelin Chef Pierre Gagnaire at the luxury hotel’s signature restaurant, Twist by Pierre Gagnaire.

Opening in December 2009, Twist will be Gagnaire’s first restaurant in the United States. The innovative menu will infuse the simplicity of classic French cuisine with a modern spin, relying on a pairing of flavors and textures for which Gagnaire is known.

In a distinguished career that spans more than 35 years, Gagnaire has gained the highest acclaim for his restaurants in Paris, London, Tokyo, Seoul, Dubai and his namesake restaurant, “Pierre” at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. 

Gagnaire is well-known for being at the forefront of the fusion movement. Beginning his career in St. Etienne, Gaganaire won three Michelin Stars and tore at the conventions of classic French cooking by introducing radical juxtapositions of tastes and textures. His influence on cooking has been recognized worldwide. 

Las Vegas Backstage Access will provide you a spot or feature article and/or professional photography for this or any of the many new venues opening in CityCenter this December for your publication.  If interested, please provide comment to this article or newsletter/contact tab and we will get back to you.

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July 16, 2009 · 1:48 PM

Mandarin Oriental Provides Las Vegas Step Down to Haute Luxury at CityCenter

The check-in lobby for the Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter in Las Vegas will actually be on the building’s 23rd floor, causing guests to go down to their rooms at the boutique nongaming hotel that offers customers a panoramic view of the Strip and the rest of the $8.5 billion CityCenter through floor-to-ceiling windows inside the property’s Sky Lobby. MandarinOriental

After years of planning, Hong Kong-based Mandarin Oriental is removing the wrapping from the company’s first luxury resort in Las Vegas. The company operates 41 hotels in 25 countries. In the United States, Mandarin Oriental has hotels in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami and San Francisco.

The 47-story Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas has 392 rooms and suites, ranging in size from 600 square feet to 3,000 square feet. The building also has 227 residences, which will be accessed by a separate entrance and elevator from the hotel side. 

Hotel rooms will offer numerous technological enhancements including keyless door locks and automated control panels that allow guests to manage the lighting, room temperature and entertainment systems. Mandarin Oriental will have a 27,000-square-foot spa and fitness center and several restaurants and bars. 

The Sky Lobby serves as a sort of buffer zone. The floors beneath the lobby are for hotel guests and the 24 floors above house the residential units. The 23rd floor is also home to The Mandarin Bar, the Tea Lounge, and the property’s signature restaurant, the first U.S. offering from celebrity chef Pierre Gagnaire.

One thing Mandarin Oriental lacks is a casino. 

Gaming at CityCenter will be exclusive to Aria, the centerpiece 4,004-room hotel-casino operated by MGM Mirage. That shouldn’t concern Mandarin Oriental’s guests, said Jhingon, who spent five years as the general manager of the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore. 

“We’re in walking distance to all the activities at CityCenter,” he said. “Our guests come here for our personalized service and experience.” 

The Mandarin Oriental is scheduled to open Dec. 4.. The property will begin accepting hotel room reservations on Aug. 17. Room rates have yet to be established, but Jhingon said the luxury property will set prices at levels that will be considered reasonable in a market that has seen hotel room prices decline to their lowest levels in over two decades because of the sour economy. 

“I believe it’s the perfect time for us to open,” Jhingon said. “We’re a boutique hotel by Las Vegas standards and we’re very visible. I believe we will be a choice for a lot of people from Day One.”

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January 30, 2009 · 6:04 AM

Resorts Continue to Build in Las Vegas

Despite our economy, there still is much casino and hotel room construction going on in Las Vegas. In fact, nearly 13,000 hotel rooms remain under construction in 2009.

The $2.9 billion Fontainebleau mega-resort is planned to open late this year.  It features 3,815 rooms and suites; 27 restaurants and bars; a 7-acre pool deck with four pools; a 350,000-square-foot shopping area called the Runway; and a spa with 55 treatment rooms.  That’s a mouthful.

The Silverton Casino Lodge is undergoing a $130-million expansion including adding pools, a high-limit gaming salon and 800 slot machines.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino expects to add 950 guest rooms and expand the pool, while adding more meeting space.

The $1-billion M Resort is heading toward a March 1 opening of its 390 guest rooms and a 100,000-square-foot pool that gives the feel of being in a canyon.

Finally, construction continues on Las Vegas’ 900-lb gorilla, CityCenter, an $8.6-billion development slotted to open in late 2009.  Hotels in the project include the 4,000-room, 61-story Aria Resort & Casino; a 400-room Mandarin Oriental, the first in Las Vegas; and Vdara, an all-suite condo/hotel project with more than 1,500 units. Structural issues have delayed the opening of CityCenter’s Harmon Hotel.

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