CityCenter giblets

While I’m gathering my thoughts — and notes — from yesterday’s Orgy o’CityCenter (and trying to maintain a Cone of Deafness, as far as other commentators), here are a few stray tidbits:

Even MGM Mirage CEO Jim Murren can’t hide his shock at Priscilla Presley‘s “freshly enbalmed” look.

• So much for Aria maintaining a higher price point than Bellagio. An e-mail just fell across the S&G transom, offering Aria rooms for $159 (two-night minimum) plus a $75 credit toward meals or Viva Elvis tickets.

• The much-ballyhooed “air curtains” are only on some table games (specifically blackjack) and good luck trying to get a demonstration of how they function. But, with secondhand smoke forcing its way into the Strip’s consciousness, I expect to see the more well-heeled casinos quickly retrofit their floors with comparable technology. It’s a small investment to make when weighed against the cost of a class-action lawsuit or so.

• Despite all the lead-up time (and advance hype), CityCenter seemed unprepared for the sheer number of people it attracted … and that was before the general public was admitted. Mind you, if the place doesn’t initially perform well, Kirk Kerkorian will find himself in a position to buy half of it back from Dubai World at a comparative pittance. After all, Dubai World is already under pressure to sell assets, CityCenter being near the top of the list.

• I can’t imagine anyone buying a standard room at Vdara as a condominium. The stunning Panoramic Suites, however, are quite a different matter.

• It must difficult enough to be Jim Murren, your every move second-guessed, without Fox 5 anchors referring to you as “President and CEO” of CityCenter. In one slip of the tongue, Murren is demoted and actual CC prexy Bobby Baldwin is relegated to non-personhood.

• Will roving casual gamblers make the long hike uphill from Las Vegas Boulevard to Aria? I’ve wondered about this ever since I saw the first published renderings of CC and am still not convinced. Given how we love our trolleys and moving walkways in Vegas, I won’t be a bit surprised if some form of Strip-to-Aria shuttle is devised.

• Vehicular traffic westbound along Harmon Ave. still can’t drive straight into CC but must needs execute an elaborate detour. (My advice: Park at Bellagio and walk to Vdara or take the tram to Crystals.) This is a major pain in the tuchus, as anyone who’s ever spent quality time stymied in Strip traffic can tell you. Until it’s remedied, it’s a disincentive that CC could do very well without.

• What were the best things that should have been said last night at Aria? Andrew Kiraly has the quotes that ought to have been uttered … my favorite being #7.

• One sympathizes with economists’ plight after you’ve tried to reconcile seemingly contradictory data yourself. It’s a frustrating and humbling exercise that begs all manner of questions, like: If room rates on the Strip flatten (instead of continuing to fall) post-CityCenter, does that constitute “growth”? It’d be better than the last quarter but worse than two years ago.

Assembled economists, however, do not share my relative optimism — with one guarded exception. Ironic, isn’t it, how Vegas’ modest recovery is built upon the (accurate) premise of bargains galore … which is 180 degrees from the mindset that gave us CityCenter, Encore, Red Rock Resort and their unfinished brethren (Fontainebleau, Echelon, Cosmopolitan, etc.)

And is a continued plunge in ADRs at Harrah’s Entertainment‘s Strip properties an extension of current doldrums or a deliberate attempt to undercut the competition? Given Harrah’s financial plight, it seems like a frying pan-or-fire dilemma.

Can you say, “Fixations”? I thought you could. By the time Viva Elvis eventually opens (second item) we’ll have been “spoilered” to death with endless — but possibly misleading — sneak peeks. At least Cirque du Soleil is charging viewers a price-in-progress (25% off) to go with its latest work-in-progress.

Great news, bloggers! We’ve all moved up one notch in the esteem of MGM Mirage. Or, as company spokesman Alan Feldman puts it in re Donald Trump, “I can hardly imagine anyone’s opinion that matters less than his.” As for The Donald’s assertion that Trump International was finished on budget, there’s about as much truth in that as in any other claim Trump makes regarding his properties.

No scalped-ticket buyers were busted on Garth Brooks‘ opening night, sayeth Wynn Resorts. “Victory is mine!” Yeah, because if Friday night was like Saturday, nobody’s ID was being checked against the names printed on their tickets. In the end, Steve Wynn‘s anti-scalper crusade may boil down to a lot of hot air and not much else.

The new Manilow? A visitor to the Las Vegas Hilton reports that the casino — which now lacks a star attraction and does not cater to an especially young crowd — is “playing a disproportionate amount of Britney Spears.” Is this quasi-subliminal preparation for a big headliner announcement to come … or wishful thinking by Muzak programmers at Colony Capital?

Remember how I said that Jon Ralston was needed by Greenspun Media more than the reverse? His Face to Face program is making the move to an NBC affiliate and going statewide for good measure. Sherman Frederick will doubtless find something petty to say about this but S&G will restrict itself to: Congratulations!