On December 16, Las Vegas will celebrate the opening of a groundbreaking development five years in the making.

The spectacular ARIA Resort & Casino will open its doors, marking the official grand opening of CityCenter. In addition to ARIA, the shimmering $8.5 billion city-within- a-city includes Vdara Hotel & Spa (opened Dec. 1), Crystals retail and entertainment district (opened Dec. 3), Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas (opened Dec. 4), and 2,400 residences (occupancies begin mid-January 2010). The Harmon, a 400-room luxury hotel, is slated to open late 2010.

As guests stand on CityCenter Place, the development’s grand boulevard spanning the width of New York’s Park Avenue, they are instantly captivated by the energy of the city. The sheer power and ambition of CityCenter’s stunning architecture, born from the imaginations of the world’s foremost talents, leaves all who visit both awestruck and inspired.

CityCenter Grand Opening Press Conference - 11 a.m.; ARIA’s porte cochere