ARIA Resort & Casino.

Aria is made of two glass and steel high rise towers affixed at the center. It did open up on December 16, 2009 and is a venture between MGM Resorts International and Infinity World Development. At 4,000,000 sq ft in area, and 600 ft in height, it is the biggest and the highest structure located at the City Center. The resort’s two towers house a five diamond hotel with more than 4,000 rooms and suites, 10 bars and nightclubs, and a gaming area with more than 150,000 sq ft of space. It also has a 215,000 sq ft swimming pool space with an 80,000 sq ft salon spa, a 300,000 sq ft center for conventions as well as an 1,800 seat theater.

The best and most unique aspect of Aria is its use of ultra modern technology with in the design of the hotel. Especially for the conservation of energy consumption. It is the biggest resort in the world to win the great LEED Gold certificate. Because of the smart rooms which automatically adjust curtains, offs lights and electronics when not in use, and regulates the temp when guests enter or depart from a room.

The  design of Aria was created by Pelli Clarke Pelli, and work began in early 2006 on a piece of land located between Bellagio and Monte Carlo. That site was occupied at one time by the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, retail outlets, and a sprawling parking area,  all of which were shut down around April 2006. After the excavation, Aria’s foundation cement was poured. Vertical progress began to take shape around September 2007, at which point workers were able to build upwards with a rate of speed of one floor every seven days.

With construction still ongoing in 2007, Infinity World Development Dubai paid about $2.7 billion to purchase a 50% ownership in the City Center project. From that time onward, Aria  resort was jointly owned by MGM Resorts International and Infinity World Development of Dubai. With the recession and its effects, litigation did threaten to end construction at one point in early 2009, but an additional financial plan was made, and construction did continue on it’s new schedule. The resort opened up for business December, 2009.

Only one casino is located within the City Center complex, and it is located at the Aria. Its 150,000 sq ft of game space has the slots, poker, table games, and a race and sports booking operation. The machines are controlled, watched, and monitored at the data center and are adjusted to play the most requested games based on data collected about the performance and selections being made at all machines. Lemongrass, a first class Thai food joint, was the very first to be opened on the Las Vegas Strip, and is one of many fine eateries located within the casino area. The Aria is well known for it’s dinning experiences, and is a great place to play the slots after a good meal.

Don’t forget to check out the high tech there. It’s the way of the future for Vegas.