to have a social, urban experience. It isn’t going to be wall-to-wall commercial space.” In its place will be displays (Murren is a big fan of public art) and live musical entertainment. Trees? Foliage? An urban experience? Is this Las
Vegas we’re talking about? Thrasher says it’s driven by “our desire to do something outside the box.” Rather than wait for customer demand, “we’re going to start our own trend,” taking initiatives like perforating the “inward, inside-the-building approach” that has been sacrosanct in Vegas for decades. Once you introduce trees and foliage to the Strip,
the elephant in the room is the question of how you will irrigate them. It sounds like MGM is still working out that and what the right ecological mix will be. While the source of the water remains to be announced, “We will be environmentally conscious of the way this is designed,” says Thresher. During Murren’s reign “sustainability” has become as much of a watchword as “diversity” was under predecessor J. Terrence Lanni. MGM is in the process of retrofitting existing
properties to make them more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient. Undrinkable well water fills the Bellagio lagoon and the casino-hotel saves over 21,000,000 gallons of H20 are saved annually through linen reuse, installation of new dishwashers and xeriscaping … and that’s just one resort! For those whom xeriscaping doesn’t ring a bell, company spokeswoman Yvette Monet describes it as “plants and trees that don’t need a lot of water. Mechanized drip systems are put in place with xeriscape and the drip system has detectors that only drip when the plant needs it.” And ‘linen reuse’ simply means that washcloths and towels won’t be replaced daily unless customers demand it. This is a trend which is spreading to hotel bedding … but not yet at MGM properties.
New faces for a new century Both Monte Carlo and New York-New York date from the early megaresort period, and their age sometimes manifests itself. NY-NY has many faux building facades along the Strip – but few actual entrances, especially from street level. As impressive as the mock-Roman grandiosity of Monte Carlo’s Strip portico is, it presents issues of its own, including a design that was irrevocably compromised by the imposition of Diablo’s Cantina. Both casinos “have unique and striking facades,” Thrasher diagnoses, “but they are not pedestrian-friendly, so we are going to change that,” and also make them “grand
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entrances to the park.” In Monte Carlo’s case, that means more trees,
as well as dining and retail that come right up the street. At New York-New York, the success of the al fresco dining at Nine Fine Irishmen has inspired the addition of more street-side eateries and eateries as part of the facelift, while Nine Fine Irishmen itself will be expanded. Oversized replicas of iconic Hershey’s candies will stud the façade, denoting Chocolate World (an “interactive, experiential destination,” per a press release). Diablo’s will remain it place at Monte Carlo, anchoring the Strip entrances along with other restaurants with mass-market appeal: Double Barrel, Sambalatte and 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria. Thrasher notes that these kinds of redesigns –
effectively turning the casinos inside out and creating more interaction with the Strip – are easier at Monte Carlo and New York-New York because they are built right up to the sidewalk. The MGM casinos that sit well off the Strip (like Thrasher’s own Circus Circus) would present a much greater challenge. Although park-design firms Cooper, Robertson
& Partners and !melk had been chosen before Thrasher was tasked with overseeing the park, they’ve worked with MGM previously. The space will have to double as a pathway to the planned arena. That means, on a good night, many of those 20,000 potential spectators will be accessing it via the park. “We designed our walking spaces with that in mind,” Thrasher remarks. “The egress of the arena, it’s a challenge for us to have them flow out in a safe and suitable way.” If that challenge doesn’t sound completely solved, it’s already been decided that the park won’t abut the arena. About two- thirds of the distance from the Strip, it gives way to an ‘entertainment zone’ of bars, restaurants and outdoor entertainment. Given that MGM already has the enormous MGM
Grand Arena and Mandalay Bay Event Center at its disposal, it might be cannibalizing its own business by building a third coliseum. Not so, says Thrasher. Quite the contrary. “In any given year, we turn away many events that we don’t have space for,” dozens of them. Not only can that business now be captured but the budding relationship with joint-venture partner and arena programmer AEG might further blossom into one wherein all three arenas are used in coordination for one another. “There are discussions,” the Circus Circus president says, but nothing firm. Besides, he’s got plenty to keep him busy. Being part of a team that’s trying to reinvent the Las Vegas Strip and what customers expect of it is no small task.
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