No. 2 executive at CityCenter resigns

Bill McBeath, president and chief operating officer of Aria, is shown in the Silk Road restaurant during its Dec. 1 opening.

Bill McBeath, president and chief operating officer of the $8.5 billion CityCenter casino-resort complex on the Las Vegas Strip, has resigned.

CityCenter manager and co-owner MGM Resorts International notified employees of McBeath's resignation Monday. An internal memo said he had notified MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren of plans to step back and reassess his career goals and that CityCenter CEO Bobby Baldwin would assume his duties.

McBeath had served as president and COO of CityCenter's 4,004-room Aria hotel-casino since October 2007, two years before its opening, and participated in its development and the hiring and training of its staff. He also oversaw operations at CityCenter's Vdara condo-hotel. In April, he was named president and COO of CityCenter.

Prior to moving to CityCenter, McBeath had served over the years as president of the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio. He was active in the local tourism industry, serving on the board of directors of Las Vegas Events.

''Since its opening in December 2009, he has guided CityCenter to be an iconic Las Vegas destination," Murren wrote in his memo on McBeath's departure. ''MGM Resorts International has benefited from Bill’s contributions. We will always be grateful for his steady hand and leadership in the opening of City Center. We wish him well in his future endeavors.''

''Bobby’s reputation as an extraordinary leader is well known,'' Murren wrote of Baldwin. ''He has an unprecedented level of experience in marketing and operations in our industry and I am pleased that he has accepted these additional responsibilities.''

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