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The center piece of MGM Mirage's $8.5 billion CityCenter project, the Aria Resort & Casino, is seen in Las Vegas, Nevada December 15, 2009. The 4004 room hotel is one of the first Las Vegas hotels to achieve LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and is set to open on December 16, 2009. MGM Mirage has bet big on the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip, where the flagship casino-hotel will open this week, but skeptics say it could be tough to get recession-battered consumers to pay up for the new resort.