The 2010 issue of Casino Design, a supplement to Global Gaming Business, is out now. It’s filled with tons of great articles with many perspectives on how and why casinos look the way they do. I’d like to point you towards the cover story, a massive look at how CityCenter developed, from drawing board to opening. If you open the digital edition, it starts on page 22:
At the November 9, 2004 press conference that unveiled the concept, then-CEO Terry Lanni said that the CityCenter master plan represented “a significant new direction for our city and our company,” adding that it came at a time when the city was taking “the initial steps to becoming a major urban center in the western United States.”
At that press conference, MGM Mirage unveiled a idea more than a commodity. Only a few things were certain: Project CityCenter would be built on land between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo which the company had recently consolidated with its acquisition of Mandalay Resort Group. It would feature a four-thousand room casino resort, three smaller boutique hotels, and 1,650 condominium residences that would give the area a 24-hour, “city-like” ambience. The centerpiece was to have been an open-air shopping district—definitely not a mall—whose streets allowed both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
One of the things I found most interested was the way the project seemed to evolve along with the market until late 2007, when it became almost a work of defiance against what was happening around it.
In his editorial introduction (page 4), Roger Gros summed up, better than I could have, what I think the current legacy of CityCenter is: “Good design thrives on pushing the envelope,” he writes. “MGM Resorts is to be admired for taking the steps to advance the casino design industry to new levels.” If no one tried new things, we’d still be rolling bones in caves, eating antelope tartare in the darkness. That doesn’t mean that CityCenter’s necessarily going to point the way to the next stage in casino design: ultimately, casino patrons will decide that, and, as Gros says, that will take some time.
Good magazine all the way through.
Defiance? Perhaps. Much real estate development is financed through bank loan commitments that involve the developer making an initial commitment followed by several bank payments. Changes in trends or the economy therefore insulate the developer. He can cling to a project since his money is already sunk into it.
Will CityCenter turn out to have been too much hype? Its a Casino Development Without A Theme. Specialty residences and specialty hotels and specialty restaurants are expected to carry this “neighborhood” in which High End gamblers will arrive but not leave.
You asked for feedback about the new webpage design so here is mine. The choice of fonts on the Gaming page and their colors look very clean, light and modern. The stripe does a lot to give the page an airy and minimalist feel that suits this era.
I don’t know why you don’t show links to the exhibits page though, but I guess there’s a reason. There’s a lot of good stuff in that section that people won’t find without links.
Anyway.
==============
This new casino magazine is beautiful. Their Internet gizmo doesn’t load too well on my computer though (a fault of MY computer, cuz it can hardly handle even basic PDFs, let alone whatever format this Casino display is in). It’s hard to magnify or scroll around for me. The article seemed good (what little I could read of it).
=========
As for City Center. I’ve grown resentful of the place. I feel the name is completely wrong and that (IMO) it seems almost like false-advertising for them to use that name.
It IS NOT a “City Center”. The place has no heart or soul to it at all. I can’t supply stats or facts to back that statement up, but it’s as true and correct of a statement as I can make.
They should have just named it MGM Center, Architectural Center, Casino Center, Condo Center, or chosen any name other than “City Center”.
A “City Center” implies a connection and symbiosis between people and the architectural-environment of their “municipality”.
I fully realize we are talking about a Casino District and NOT a “municipality”, which is exactly what my point is about.
A casino-property can’t be a “city center” unless it strives to stretch the boundaries of that definition.
I won’t waste my time or breath explaining the facts of the matter as to why I believe City Center is a complete failure, as far as its name (and its stated intentions).
I’ve said my piece already on that subject…while commenting in this blog.
I purposely read the book “City: Rediscovering Its Center” to find out what a city is and what it is required to offer it “citizens” and inhabitants. And in this case….the label of “citizens” will have to refer to the hotel guests (the temporary inhabitants) and the condo owners that live there.
Page after page of this book shows the required functions of a “city” towards its “inhabitants”.
Using this book as a guide….I can fully and honestly conclude that MGM’s City Center is a flop on all counts. I could list 100 ways it’s a flop…but I’m not gonna.
For a place to be a true “City”…its inhabitants have to love it. They have to “feel” a true connection to it. They have to enjoy its useful design. Their ‘city’ has to make its design functional to their daily lives.
City Center fails in major ways. Total failure. It has no soul at all and that lack is definitely felt in a way that can’t be measured (except, in this case, being as it IS a commercial enterprise…could be measured thru its profit sheet…which, once again probably supports my claim all the more).
At its opening…City Center had a good chance to give itself a soul. They had the opportunity to make the place a true part of our city…by inviting all local residents to come and enjoy the place and to joyfully spread the word about it to distant friends and relatives.
City Center had the opportunity to present a ton of special ‘city events’ to its paying inhabitants and to its surrounding residents. They lost that opportunity either thru inertia or (worse yet) thru an arrogant disdain of local residents.
Now, let’s get one thing straight. I completely understand the ‘profit function’ that such a facility is expected to achieve. I’m not saying that City Center should have invited ‘homeless people’ to sits on its few benches or anything like that.
I AM saying that they failed to provide “events” that are expected of any place that hopes to hold the status of being a “city”. In this case, a Simulated City.
City Center is a flopperoo…even under the gaming principles of functioning under the requirements of a Sim City Game.
Flop-er-roo.
There are no ‘city-ish events’ there whatsoever. Springs Preserve has a better understanding of the requirement for social events that City Center does. City Center is a giant flop in this aspect and in a multitude of others.
Their Pedestrian Design is mostly non-existent or just plain wrong.
As for their Transportation System (entry, parking, drive-ability, etc……well they failed there too).
I’ve already written about their failure to provide a busing service between their other hotels over to City Center and Crystals. As for their guests who have to walk nearly 1/4 mile to reach the Strip…CC failed there too.
The Sands (way back in the late 1950s) provided tram-shuttle-cars that moved their guests from the parking lot to the casino. A required and necessary thing…even back in those days when distances were much shorter. City Center provides nothing of that nature.
It’s just a huge place that obviously gave no thought to the Tiny Sims who inhabit it.
Last week I read a local newspaper article that said Baby Boomers are Las Vegas’ bread and butter (or something to that effect). The article then went on to try to state some logic as to why Boomers aren’t coming to Vegas as much. It said they’ve lost money in the economy and in their retirement fund and that they are now saving. And that’s why they aren’t coming here as much.
That sounds good on paper. And I suppose the (probably) Non-Boomer who wrote that article thinks he hit the nail on the head (as far as logic goes).
But that supposition is at least 50% wrong, if not more.
Baby Boomers grew tired of Vegas starting around 2003. I noticed it plenty, in my days of cab driving from 1999-2007.
Quite honestly…it wasn’t President Obama’s statement that drove the conventioneers away from Vegas. If people really want to find the truth about things they have to look deeper.
The Over-35 Crowd….thru the 50-65ish Boomers….started getting turned-off by the “bottle-service” and “techno-nightclub” aspect of Vegas around 2003. I heard those statements over 20 times a night.
Vegas once sought to be a family destination for parents and kids. (Floperoo Number one). Then they ditched that idea and thought the answer was to go after the Twenty-Something crowd almost exclusively.
That might be the profitable thing to do right now…if this town wants to simply and soley become a Food & Beverage Hot-spot and derive all its money from gourmet dining, swimming pools and shopping. And if they intend to go-that-route, hotels might have better luck by converting all their casino space towards those functions and eventually eliminate gaming entirely.
But along the way to profitability….Vegas completely over-looked its Boomer Tourists. Boomers know it and feel that fact down to their core.
Quite honestly…I have lots of Boomer friends back in my hometown who feel that Vegas is one of the “squarest” places to spend time in.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking they’ve become too old for Las Vegas. No way. They still have plenty of energy. And when the time comes for them to travel or take a vacation they forego Vegas completely and head to Hawaii, San Francisco, Florida, New Orleans and a bunch of other places they fell are “hipper” and “more fun”.
There’s little here for Boomers to do anymore. So they stopped coming. Plain and simple.
Most of my older friends now view Vegas as being a Young, Hollywood Celebrity Hot-Spot…too stupidly trend-driven and obnoxiously materialistic for them. Boomers (rich and middle-class) reject those concepts completely. They reject the BS,
in-your-face-Yuppisim that Vegas now offers.
I know it’s true because I try convincing my old, Boomer friends otherwise…telling them that there are plenty of things for them to do here. (I have to lie a lot in the process).
Nope. They won’t come here anymore. Vegas no longer fits the Boomer Mentality.
Whoever runs these casinos and hires the entertainment seems to think that Boomers want to see some of these old, 2nd rate 1960s performers entertain them. (I won’t name band names…but unless it’s a major headliner…like Dylan or Santana or someone…it just doesn’t interest them).
People that are pushing 60 don’t want to see entertainers of the same age as them. It’s freaking depressing. Forget it. They want to see young people performing…but not performing in lousy (IMO) productions like Viva Elvis.
Fremont Street and all those other places holding 70s Boogie Nights’ shows or a Herman’s Hermits’ Revival are missing the mark completely.
As for women. Women over 30 no longer feel this is a place for them. The whole “romance aspect” that Vegas used to provide is gone. Women over 30 no longer have any entertainment environments suitable for them. Few cool lounges either. Women over 30 and 40 totally realize that they casino environments have brushed them aside.
Ask them and they’ll admit it. They rarely suggest their husbands bring them to Vegas anymore. And it isn’t due to there being younger girls around. It’s simply due to the fact that the entertainment and club and lounge offerings aren’t suitable for them anymore.
And a 50 year old boss has no desire to book his employee convention here anymore…when he feels that the Vegas is now only meant for 23 year olds.
I’ve heard it all thousands of times while driving a cab. Boomers have no place to go in Vegas anymore and they don’t like it.
Which brings the subject back to City Center. CC has the potential to be the best ‘Boomer Place’ in all of Las Vegas. Its design could work perfectly…if given a going-over. City Center could become a Boomer Hot Spot. But that Murren fellow doesn’t have a clue about how to make that happen.
And I sure ain’t gonna offer him any free advice.
Maybe the new owners of the Cosmopolitan can bring some life over to City Center. They seem like they know what’s happening.
Murren (no offense intended) might know a lot about financial aspects, banking and what-not. But…in my opinion…doesn’t know much about the social nature of people (much less Boomers).
I’d hate to see City Center fail. But, (IMO) they already have…and I think it’s a crying shame.
IMO-IMO
PS. About the Gaming Webpage:
I just spotted the link that says ‘More Exhibits’.
Like SNL’s Roseanne Roseanadana used to say: “Whoops. Never mind”.
I now think your page design is right on target (for whatever that opinion is worth). It’s clean, modern and perfect.
Really a gorgeous-looking magazine. I wish I was able to read it.
Great article and great magazine.
I echo much of what WestVegas said. CC is not like a city at all. They really missed the mark. After reading your article, what happened to the lofts, brownstones, business district??? That is city-like but a giant casino and suburban style mall – while beautiful, isn’t what most people think of when it comes to city life. That’s not much of a draw since it’s not much different than anything else on the Strip.
I love CC’s art and overall, its architecture but it goofed when it came to its vibe. It’s hard to navigate if not impossible. Unlike a “city” it’s not a grid and it’s easy to get lost just trying to get from one hotel to another. Where’s the street performers or sidewalk cafes? Outdoor patios would be great. How about art festivals and outdoor concerts? CC could’ve been something special and good for the community. It’s too bad MGM lost its way.
Very good article about City Center Dr. Schwartz. Hopefully MGM Resorts International can sell a lot of City Center’s condominiums to increase revenue for the property. I like City Center’s design and look, actually I think City Center would look pretty cool somewhere in downtown Chicago (where I live).