In just four months, the massive CityCenter resort will open and other casinos are already starting to worry. With a shrinking number of visitors recently to Las Vegas, some say the 4,000 room Aria Hotel could steal guests from other locations.
The sometimes forgotten Monte Carlo sits as the closest neighbor to the massive $8 billion CityCenter. Opening a new set of suites on the 32nd floor, called Hotel 32, the president and chief operating officer of Monte Carlo hopes to position the casino as a gateway.
"With our monorail and the walkway that will go directly over to the Aria property, it's a great vantage point for those consumers that might not be able to afford the rates over there," said Anton Nikodemus.
Nikodemus expects 25,000 people to be crossing that connection bridge every day. He believes the Monte Carlo will actually gain customers in the same way Paris and the old Aladdin benefitted from the Bellagio opening. "We in no way, shape, or form want to compete against our big brother next door. This was an opportunity so we could draft behind them," he said.
Director of UNLV's Gaming Research Center Dave Schwartz agrees. However, he thinks CityCenter will not be good news for every operator. "In the history of Las Vegas, is that when new hotels open they tend to take away from the old hotels," he said.
Schwartz says Aria, the casino-hotel centerpiece for CityCenter, will attract customers from Wynn, Encore, Bellagio, and even the MGM Grand. "It comes down to the old marketing adage, if it looks good, people will buy it. If it tastes good, they will buy it a second time. Certainly people will come to check it out. If they delivered on their promise, people will come back," he said.
Schwartz says the affect will most likely force all the other casinos to drop room rates or to add something new to keep guests coming back. That may lure more people to make the trip to Las Vegas.
