They also have a harshly worded response to those critical of the Star Wars Kid on YouTube.
The powers that be at MGM aren’t going to take anonymous bitching on the internet sitting down. It’s the internet! When something so rare and precious as a complaint on the internet happens, well, CEO Jim Murren is going to take swift action.
Among the remedies to keep the tide of angry, keyboard pounding masses at bay, are retrained staff, new shrubs, plans for a farmers’ market and better signs. Murren also noted that “CityCenter has improved wireless service to eliminate ‘dead zones.’ ” See? Minor, spotty, problems, totally fixed. It wasn’t like they built the place without a working AT&T antenna. Click for more words and pictures »
Gov. Jim Gibbons is going to step in on the dispute between MGM Mirage and Perini Building Co. over $492 million in construction debt. Well, that certainly seems like a reasonable course of ac– wait, Perini is the company that Lorena Bobbit’d the Harmon Tower? They’re lucky MGM doesn’t pay them in 1987 Bob Ojeda cards. Click for more words and pictures »
TV, desk, bar. Only the most important parts of the room. And yes, we had it tuned to the heavy metal station.
It’s been maybe 25 years since you used to be able to drive around and still see motels that would advertise that their rooms came with color TV (some even with HBO). True, there’s a pretty good chance that color TV had a remote that was bolted to the nightstand, but what kind of savage goes on vacation to watch a black and white set? Dammit, there are A-Team episodes to be seen. You could stay home and see Car 54 reruns.
In the 25 years before that, we assume motels advertising any television at all was still kind of a deal. So maybe we’re a little too giddy over the fact that the curtains in Aria’s rooms open when you walk in. Color us easily impressed by technology if you have to.
Aria’s devotion to tech doesn’t end there: The Control 4 panel on the nightstand is a touchscreen that allows you to manipulate the curtains and lighting, plus engage in services, set your alarm, etc. What really tickled our nerd-fancy though was an interface panel mounted near the desk that allows you to plug in USB devices, VGA/s-video/composite/HDMI cables or dock your iPod to run through the television. It’s a nice feature to have even if it means they’ll never sell another in-room movie to tech-savvy travelers again. We weren’t prepared for how interactive the rooms could be and sadly left our iPod cable at home, but on the bar, you can score a travel charger/USB cable/ethernet cable for a reasonable $20. Which is only slightly more than a bag of M&Ms. Click for more words and pictures »
Because Public Faux-Urban Bar doesn’t have the same ring. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)
“Pub” is already short for “public house,” so it’s kind of weird that Todd English turned the shortened version into an acronym for no discernible reason. But his P.U.B. — Public Urban Bar — is now open opposite his other restaurant, Beso, at Crystals.
Among the amenities is a raw bar stocked with seafood. The three-time Beard winner also offers a carvery and 30 beers on tap. We’re just not sure if the guys working those taps are publicans, or public urban bar-icans.
Aria got its first rush of the public last night as people swarmed to get in the doors at 11 p.m. Nothing left to do now but sit back and wait to see if CityCenter can save Vegas.
With the economic weight of the world (well, city, anyway) on its shoulders, Aria saw George Maloof rolling deep through the lobby, David Brenner hanging out by the cage, Rex Lee and Eva Longoria Parker (before retiring to her own restaurant, Beso, at Crystals) wandering around.
And away we go. MGM Mirage Chairman and CEO, Jim Murren, CityCenter head Bobby Baldwin, Mayor Oscar Goodman and other executives, dignitaries, VIPs, bigshots, luminaries and quite possibly even the Duke of Freedonia were on hand for this morning’s Aria press conference.
The two days of media tours wrapped up this afternoon, and now all that stands in the way of the newest girl on the block coming out to society is tonight’s gala. Finally, at 11 p.m., the public gets to go in. After fireworks, of course. Because everything is better with fireworks. Which explains why we keep all those M-80s under our bed.
The question is: Why aren’t there MORE giant video screens running Elvis clips? (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)
Viva Elvis held a press conference and did preview numbers for media yesterday at Aria’s Elvis Theter, with Naked Gun star Priscilla Presley on stage along with Cirque execs to talk about the production. A production, it should be noted, which features an Elvis on stilts in a jumpsuit that’s more Evel Knievel than Aloha From Hawaii and a pompadour that looks like it’s so narrowly defined it’s in an entirely new class of pom-hawk-adours. Oh, Cirque du Soleil fever dream, what would we ever do without you?
All things considered, our excitement is kind of neck-and-neck with the next Jersey Shore.
Here it is a little after 9 a.m. on Dec. 16, and it’s hard to tell what anticipation is harder to sit through. Nine more days until Christmas, 34 hours until the new Jersey Shore or about 14 to go until the big public opening of Aria.
It’s the main piece of the puzzle for CityCenter, and we’ll be there come 8 p.m. to lay out our thoughts on the place once it’s inhabited. Our first run through left us a little less enthused than some — we found it to be a bit too postmodern and a bit too cold for our taste. That, however, won’t stop the mob rushing the doors at 11 p.m. after the big fireworks launch.
Now, if you’re going to be among the crowd jamming the doors and you want your very own Aria first, be smart about it. Lots of people are going to try to get the first roll of the dice or the first hand of blackjack. Temper your goals a little bit. Anyone can be the first person to feed a $20 bill into one specific penny slot, but how many people can say they played the first hand of $100 casino war at a brand-new flagship property on the Strip? Make sure you take a picture and tell all your friends.
Housewife gets a club. (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna. Additional photos by Hew Burney | SpyOnVegas.com)
We don’t make the rules, we just follow ‘em. Everyone knows you can’t have a big opening without at least a little star power in your lineup, and Crystals was no exception last night, with Eva Longoria Parker making the rounds for her Latin steakhouse/nightclub Beso and Eve.
Holly Madison turned out for the proceedings, as did a slew of MGM executives and Beso chef Todd English. Downstairs, Beso takes the angular design of Crystals and internalizes it, with lacquered black surfaces shooting out at funky angles, leading up to floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Aria’s fountain. Crystal chandeliers take advantage of the high ceilings and offer a focal point.
Upstairs, the club continues its black-and-mirror motif with booths ringing the mid-sized space. The square bar is in the back of the club while the front is reserved for a round dance floor ringed at the top by double-sided video screens around an oversized disco ball. Over the bar, a white chandelier hangs.
Wait, restaurant downstairs, club upstairs? Dance floor with video feature? Bar with dominating chandelier? Predominantly black color scheme? If it’s all sounding familiar to you, it should. The net effect feels a lot like a Latina Lavo. The music selection mixed in Latin and reggaeton staples with your standard-issue club bumpers and we did catch a few people salsa-ing. Or merengue-ing. At least we think that’s what it was. To be fair, the only dance we can really identify on sight is the twist. It definitely wasn’t the twist. Although we can’t vouch for what would’ve happened if the DJ started spinning Chubby Checker. It could have been a damn twist-fest in there for all we know. Anyway.
What does stand out for Eve is the view.
That’s right — a view. In a club. Those floor-to-ceiling windows turn up again upstairs, affording VIP booths on the dance floor a look at Aria’s main entrance as the hotel itself looms over the club. With the way Aria is lit at night, it gives a warm, pleasant glow that bleeds into the club and offers a nice bit of contrast to the party lights and strobe. Visually, the effect is great. Practically, all that glass serves as a nightclub alarm clock — letting you know when you should think about packing it in when you see the sun start to climb.
Are there any girls in the world happier than ones who get to wear evening gowns and Tiffany? (Photos by Erik Kabik | Retna)
White, ice high ceilings, expensive stores: There’s something intimidating about Crystals at CityCenter. To be fair, that could just the price tags peeking out from their boutiques like Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef and Bvlgari. The one really warm spot is the staircase, lit up like a Tiffany lamp with a dark wood landing, that will take you from the ground floor up to the Aria area.
Still, this massive ode to high-end shopping is the second building to come on-line at CityCenter with the third, Mandarin Oriental getting its ribbon cut this morning. Congressman Dean Heller, Mandarin Group Chief Executive, Edouard Ettedgui, MGM honcho Jim Murren, property GM Rajesh Jhingon, chef Pierre Gagnaire, designer Adam Tihny and violin virtuoso Vanessa Mae and feng shui master David Cho will all be on hand. To us, of all the CityCenter buildings, the MO felt the most human — all easy elegance in blacks and golds. The hotel follows with a black-tie gala tonight.
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