LAS VEGAS — Casino executives opened the newest and most expensive joint on the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday night — a 4,000-room resort at the heart of the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex.
The 61-story Aria Resort & Casino was publicly unveiled with fireworks and fanfare, fitting for the heart of a project that has taken center stage in the struggling casino industry.
"This is really 21st-century Las Vegas," said architect Cesar Pelli, whose team designed Aria. "This is really setting up very high standards that will be very hard to match — but I hope they will try."
About 5,000 VIPs began streaming into Aria after 6 p.m. for a gala, greeted by smiling cocktail servers with trays of champagne and displays of hors d'oeuvres of caviar, seafood and other savory treats.
Models stood at aisleways and casino executives greeted guests, while hundreds streamed into a theater to watch a preview of an Elvis-themed Cirque du Soleil show to debut in February.
A fireworks show got under way about 11 p.m., and gambling started just before midnight — as Aria's doors opened to the public.
Hours earlier, CityCenter owners MGM Mirage and Dubai World thanked architects, employees and each other at a morning ceremony.