Described as a city-within-a-city, the ARIA Resort (formerly known as CityCenter) comprises ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa Las Vegas. The state-of-the-art ARIA Resort redefines The Strip with its unprecedented service, accommodations, restaurants, spas, and more.
The development of the ARIA Resort was also a key milestone for environmental sustainability at MGM Resorts, reflecting a vision of the future that combines quality of life with a commitment to sustainable design. It is one of the world's largest environmentally sustainable urban communities and we are committed to maintaining elevated green standards for both today and tomorrow.
The ARIA Resort Offers More as an Eco Friendly Hotel
At the ARIA Resort, we recognize the benefit of building sustainably from the beginning. This is evident in being one of the most decorated resorts in the United States for environmental sustainability for new buildings. However, we also know that being a resort operation, we must ensure our operations are eco-friendly. So, we develop environmental programs, leverage sustainable hotel certifications, and host sustainable events to lower our environmental impact.
Environmental Programs at ARIA Resort
Our environmental programs focus on the core pillars of Energy, Water, and Materials & Waste. Also, we take a holistic approach to climate leadership at MGM Resorts. We have designed initiatives at the ARIA Campus and MGM Resorts as a whole to adapt and mitigate climate change.
Climate Change Adaptation at the ARIA Resort
One of our primary focus areas in environmental sustainability at the ARIA Resort is to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Rising costs related to increased legislation on greenhouse gas emissions and price volatility in water-stressed areas are two examples of how we could be impacted. We, therefore, are committed to taking bold action. For example, the ARIA Campus (alongside other MGM Resorts Las Vegas Strip resorts) sources some of its electricity from the MGM Resorts Mega Solar Array. It is a 100MW Mega Solar Array just north of The Las Vegas Strip providing solar power to our Las Vegas resorts. This array can produce 90% of the daytime power needs of MGM Resorts' entire Las Vegas portfolio.
Additionally, we have water-efficient building design features to promote water savings throughout operations. Climate change adaptation and mitigation at MGM Resorts and the ARIA Resort continues to be a key focus area for our environmental sustainability program.
Efficient Operations at the ARIA Resort
Where world-class dining and five-star service converge with in-room technologies and award-winning rooms and suites ARIA leverages efficient systems, equipment, appliances, and technologies to lower the use of resources like energy and water. One notable feature is ARIA's cogeneration system – an onsite 8.2-megawatt Combined Heat & Power central plant. This feature efficiently generates 30% of the resort's electricity needs while using waste heat to warm water. These initiatives have helped reduce electricity by 9% between 2012 and 2017, saving electricity equal to the average annual consumption at nearly 2,000 U.S. homes. As one of the largest and most expansive properties at MGM Resorts, optimizing utility efficiencies will continue to be a focus on maintaining our commitment to environmental sustainability.
Waste Management at the ARIA Hotel
ARIA Resort & Casino is one of the smartest hotels on The Strip — seamless mobile check-in, best-in-class Wi-Fi, and the new in-room tablet with features such as customizable room controls and room service ordering. From an environmental perspective, the digital approach to operations has helped the ARIA Hotel reduce its overall waste footprint by avoiding paper waste. In addition to digital transformation, the ARIA Resort also benefits from MGM Resorts companywide Materials & Waste programming. At MGM Resorts, we have a best-in-class recycling program where all sorting is done behind the scenes. This not only lifts the burden off of the guests it also maximizes our diversion rate. The ARIA Resort has greatly reduced its waste footprint between specific programs and companywide initiatives.
Sustainable Hotel Certifications
Both at MGM Resorts and along The Strip, the ARIA Resort is one of the most decorated – in terms of green building certifications. ARIA and Vdara were built according to the highest green building standards during its development, earning six LEED Gold Certifications for Building Design & Construction. The commitment to environmental stewardship went beyond development and into operations. The ARIA Resort holds five Green Keys and five Green Keys for Meetings, attesting to its operational practices. Additionally, the Resort is the first in Nevada to receive a 5 Green Keys rating which is recognized by major travel services including AAA, Travelocity, and Expedia. These help travelers identify the most eco-friendly hotels in Las Vegas when making travel choices.
For MGM Resorts, the ARIA Resorts became a shining example of the business case for green buildings. As a result, MGM Resorts committed to building all new developments to LEED Gold or similar standards. This commitment is evident in the development of MGM National Harbor, MGM Cotai, and T-Mobile Arena – all of which have been developed in line with our commitment. At the ARIA Campus and other resorts, MGM Resorts focuses on sustainability in Design & Development.
Sustainable Events at ARIA
As a leading and state-of-the-art integrated resort on The Las Vegas Strip, a large part of our business is events and conventions. With the ability to host thousands of attendees, we recognize the potential negative impact our events business could have on the environment. Therefore, we offer our event clients both a sustainable venue and a multitude of sustainable event practices to lower the environmental footprint of events. One example is our oyster recycling program, where all used oyster shells from the ARIA Resort are sorted, treated, and sent to a hatchery in Maryland to be used to regenerate oysters in Chesapeake Bay.
From a venue perspective, we have invested in the efficiency of our meeting spaces at ARIA and Vdara to be both energy and water efficient, such as LED lighting and smart thermostats. The combination of efficient building design and proactive operational techniques makes ARIA a premier venue for sustainable events at MGM Resorts.
Recognition
The ARIA Campus Resort is one of the most decorated resorts on The Strip. Our accolades include:
- Six distinct Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council.
- "5 Green Keys" rating, the highest possible from the Green Key Eco-Rating Program and a certification achieved by only one percent of all hotels rated.
- Awarded Platinum by TripAdvisor's Green Leaders program.
More Eco-Friendly Initiatives at MGM Resorts International
MGM Resorts has developed a best-in-class environmental sustainability program to reduce the impact of our business activities on the planet. Here is a snapshot of some of our noteworthy companywide policies programs and initiatives:
- Targets for Carbon Emissions, Energy use, Water consumption, and landfill diversion. Learn More
- Significant investments in renewable energy, including a 110MW Mega Solar Array. Learn More
- Innovative water recycling inside MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas. Learn More
- A behind the scenes recycling sorting operations to maximize landfill diversion. Learn More
- A commitment to build all new developments to LEED Gold or similar standards. Learn More
- Robust sustainability-related policies. Learn More