The Aria Hotel-Casino has opened its doors in Las Vegas, launching with a spectacular star-studded event that attracted 5,000 invited guests.
The impressive glass-sheathed building, which contains 4,004 hotel rooms, is the centre of Las Vegas’ 67-acre City Center complex, and its opening marked the finale of CityCenter’s two week inaugural celebrations.
The Aria Hotel-Casino was designed by legendary architect Cesar Pelli, who is best known for the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia. Attending the opening, Mr Pelli stated: “I couldn’t be happier today.
“This is the result of all our talents coming together to achieve a great goal.”
The China Post reports that the opening party lasted five hours, and saw guests milling through the hotel and casino as well as neighbouring restaurants and The Crystals, the 500,000 square foot retail centre, taking in the development’s unique architecture and elaborate water features.
The Aria casino is the only such establishment in the CityCenter complex, and measures 140,000 square feet. This follows the view of CEO Bobby Baldwin, who aimed for CityCenter to be “the next step in the evolution of Vegas,” changing the city’s global perception from being an adult Disneyland towards being a respected destination for luxury holidays and high quality hotels.
Other buildings featuring in the $8.5 billion CityCenter development include Vdara tower, a 57-storey hotel-condo, and the 47-storey Mandarin Oriental hotel, which is home to 225 private residences. Further hotels will be opened on the site in 2010, including two leaning towers of condos.
