M Resort set for 10 p.m. opening

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- The M Resort will open its doors at 10 p.m. tonight as the newest addition to the casino and resort scene in the Las Vegas Valley.

Set on 90 acres near Interstate 15 and St. Rose Parkway, M Resort is positioning itself as a locals casino with its placement near master-planned communities Anthem, Seven Hills and Southern Highlands.

The $1 billion M is operated by Anthony Marnell III, whose father, Anthony Marnell II, opened the Rio in 1990.

Marnell said after seeing a lack of value and customer service in Las Vegas casinos, he pledged that his resort would be different.

"People don't care about all this bigger and better stuff," Marnell said earlier this week. "They come here with their hard-earned money — and every day they realize how hard-earned it is — and they're going to spend it where they're going to get value. They want to know that they are going be taken care of, and that you're going to treat them like they want to be treated."

The new resort will feature 390 guest rooms, including 39 large suites, varying in size from 1,440 to 2,400 square feet. M rooms boast floor to ceiling windows with views of the mountains and the Strip, as well as cutting-edge technology with Bose sound systems, iPod docking stations and 42-inch plasma flat screens.

Standard room rates will begin at $54 during the week and $94 on weekends.

The 92,000-square-foot casino will include more than 1,800 slots and video poker machines, 64 table games, a 12-table poker room and a race and sports book.

M dining options will include Studio B, a show kitchen buffet; a standard casino café, the Red Cup Cafe; Baby Cakes bakery; Piazza Grille, a Mediterranean-style grill; Vig Deli; Marinelli's Authentic Italian Dishes; Terzetto, a steak and seafood restaurant; sushi and sashimi bar Restaurant Veloce Cibo & Bar Veloce; and Hostile Grape Wine Cellar, where guests can taste more than 120 types of wine.

The 23,000-square-foot Spa Mio will offer a variety of treatments in 16 treatment rooms, as well as a sauna, steam, Jacuzzi wet areas and a full service salon.

Scheduled entertainment events have yet to be announced but the resort's five lounges, ballroom and outdoor venues are equipped to host headline performers.

M will mark its grand opening with a fireworks display welcoming the property's first guests and gamers.