The MGM National Harbor casino is scheduled to have its grand opening on December 8 and once opened, will become the sixth casino to operate in the state of Maryland. The casino, which is located on 23 acres of land overlooking the Potomac River, cost MGM Resorts $1.4 billion to develop. The MGM National Harbor casino floor covers a total of 135,000 square feet and will have 3,600 gaming machines and 150 gaming tables.
The MGM National Harbor facility is expected to attract up to 35,000 visitors on a daily basis who will be interested in both gaming and non-gaming activities. The casino recently released more information regarding the non-gaming amenities that will be available to patrons. There is a large conference facility at the resort covering nearly 50,000 square feet of space and can seat up to 4,000 individuals. The MGM National Harbor meeting rooms will be named after some of MGM Resort’s Las Vegas properties.
The 16,200-square-foot meeting room that faces that Potomac River will be known as the MGM Grand Ballroom. There is another smaller ballroom at the facility that will be named after Las Vegas’s Bellagio casino. The two board rooms at the resort will be named after the Mirage casino and the three meeting rooms will be named after the Beau Rivage, Mandalay Bay and ARIA casinos in Las Vegas.
While the MGM National Harbor casino has a number of its facilities named after Las Vegas casino properties, the casino has not been designed to reflect a flashy Las Vegas style theme as MGM Resorts believes that the patrons visiting the casino do not have the same preferences as those visiting its Las Vegas properties.
In a statement, Bill Boasberg, the General Manager for the MGM National Harbor said “This is really going to change the game in this area from an experience standpoint. We operate some of the most high-luxury resorts in the world between Bellagio and Aria and Mandalay Bay and the Mirage, and this rivals them in every aspect.”
The property will also have a 4.5 star hotel that has 74 luxury suites and 234 hotel rooms which provide guests with great views of the river, the Capitol and the monuments. The smaller suites start at 588 square feet and go all the way up to 3,210 square feet. The hotel rooms are being priced at $399 while the luxury suites start at $599. The hotel will open to the public on December 10 and has already started taking reservations.
Some of the other amenities that the public can enjoy include a chocolate fountain that is 26 feet high, some great artwork featuring artists such as Ronald Beverly, Margaret Boozer and Liao Yibai and by Bob Dylan. MGM National Harbor will also have restaurants, a spa and a theatre that will feature live performances by a number of popular artists. Bruno Mars performs on December 27 and Cher who will perform in March 2017.