Aria Resort & Casino

It was 110 degrees when we arrived in Las Vegas on Monday but the staff at Aria in the newly opened City Center Project didn't break a sweat once. The valet and bell team were quick and efficient (they use sodium tablets, vats of Gatorade, and ice vests to battle heat exhaustion) and as soon as we entered the main lobby we were welcomed with a cool 65 degree air temp and strong aromas of Tahitian Vanilla (for a moment I forgot we were in Las Vegas). The check-in process was smooth and we were graciously upgraded to a 20th floor corner suite. 

Upon entering the suite we were greeted with floor to ceiling glass windows and a 280 degree view of the strip and surrounding areas. Other amenities included: 3 flat screen TVs, a separate living room area, a guest 1/2 bathroom in the entry, a king size bed (amazing mattress and pillows), his and hers vanity and sinks in the main bathroom, soaking tub with jets and auto jet drying system, amenity mini fridge and additional empty mini fridge (fabulous idea). The overall decor was modern yet unpretentious which will ensure chicness 15 years from now. 

The state-of-the-art electronics were presented in such a way that even the most technically-challenged guest would find them user friendly. All of the lighting, double curtains, music, and TV channels were controlled by touch screens and there was even a master "off" switch that completely blacked out the suite when you were ready for sleep. The TV remotes controlled privacy settings for your room and allowed you to easily tap into a live screen shot of the arrival and departure monitors at Las Vegas McCarran Airport....so smart! 

Aria has 4,004 rooms (568 are suites) and had you blindfolded me and taken me straight up to our room I would have bet money that I was in a 50 room boutique hotel; nothing felt generic or cookie-cutter about the space. With 16 restaurants and 10 bars/lounges just inside of Aria there was a lot of ground to cover. We had appetizers and drinks in Michael Mina's American Fish, cocktails at Mandarin Bar (inside the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel), dinner at Jean Georges Steakhouse, breakfast in bed from in-room dining, and lunch at Lemongrass. 


One final thought to share about the overall stay: the service was great incredible; every staff member that we came into contact with was extremely informed, genuine, and gracious. 


*Note: Individual entries about each of the mentioned dining experiences will follow.


Photos via MGM Mirage Resorts