Inside MGM National Harbor’s casino, atrium, and retail options

This Thursday, the first integrated resort in the D.C. area will open its doors to the public for the first time. MGM National Harbor is more than just a 308-room hotel. It also boasts a 3,000-seat theater, 18,000 square feet of high-end branded retail, 50,000 square feet of meeting and convention facilities, and more than 125,000 square feet of casino gaming space. There is also a roughly 27,000-square-foot spa and salon.

Costing $1.4 billion, the 24-story development was designed by architect Eddie Abeyta of HKS Hospitality Group with support from Smith Group JJR, the same architects behind the Museum of the Bible, the proposed D.C. Water headquarters, and a new hotel at The Wharf.

Curbed was able to see a preview of the retail section of MGM National Harbor, otherwise known as “The District,” as well as the casino. The 15 dining options and hotel rooms were unable to be fully explored.

When walking into the hotel, guests are met with a two-story atrium, known as “The Conservatory.” The 85-foot-high space is 20 percent larger than the atrium in The Bellagio. Inside, it features approximately 7,000 flowers as well as artworks from local artists like Margaret Boozer and Ronald Beverly.

Further in on the ground floor, there is a space known as “National Market,” which vaguely resembles a food court. It comes with access to a terrace that overlooks the Potomac River. Here, there are a wide number of restaurant options, which include, but are not limited to: Shake Shack, District Deli, Zizi’s Pizza, S’Cream, and Pappas Crab Cakes.

In the casino, there are approximately, 3,300 video lottery terminals and 160 game tables. The high limit gaming area is sectioned off. From the casino area, guests are able to enter into the Blossom gaming cocktail lounge, the Felt cocktail lounge, and a Starbucks. The entrance of the casino is decorated with an iron gate, known as “Portals,” that was designed by Grammy-award-winning singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

For renderings of the hotel rooms, go to this Curbed DC article.