Nightly rates start at $799 for the first few days, but the cheapest rooms can be had for $200 and $300 after opening weekend. A 24-story hotel rises out of its east end and offers 308 rooms. The resort stands atop a parking garage base that steps up like a pyramid. 'When you think about the landmarks in the District, they are very pure forms.'

'The architecture was trying to be very clean, very simple, very pure,' Abeyta said. 'It's something the community will be proud of, hopefully,' said Abeyta, interviewed last week near the casino's two-story, glass-topped conservatory that was being readied with more than 70,000 white carnations, poinsettias, orchids, hydrangea and other flowers for the opening and the holidays. MGM hired Eddie Abeyta of HKS Architects to design the casino resort to those standards. 'If you can develop an iconic property, and you have a business model designed to capture a broad share of the adults visiting a region, it ties in perfectly,' Pollock said. MGM adds a significant building to National Harbor - another company signature, Pollock said. Over the past decade, the plot of land in Prince George's County has been built up with thousands of hotel rooms, convention space, restaurants, an outlet mall and even a Ferris wheel. MGM's 'destination' business model will benefit from the casino's location in the fast-growing retail and entertainment center of National Harbor, Pollock said. 'What it means in the minds of the consumer is entertainment, fun, a quality experience,' Pollock said.

Resort visitors tend to stay longer and may or may not be focused on gaming, he said.īilled as a 'Las Vegas-style' casino, MGM National Harbor will include shops, restaurants and a 3,000-seat theater that, in its opening months, will attract acts including Bruno Mars, Cher, Sting, Boyz II Men and comedian Jim Gaffigan.

Unlike some other casino business models, MGM traditionally goes for grand, resort-style casinos, where gambling is just one of the attractions, Pollock said. 'This would be a different bucket in terms of a consumer audience.' And there are students,' said Robin McClain, vice president of marketing and communications for the Destination DC marketing organization. 'We know families like to come - and people who like to learn about history. Tourism officials hope the casino attracts more foreign visitors to the area and perhaps a new category of visitor.

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