Review of Aria Resort & Casino and Deluxe King Room in Las Vegas: Our pros and cons (and our observations!)

 

Aria Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV

My wife and my wife’s first introduction to the Aria Resort & Casino was back in 2017, when we last visited the city of Las Vegas.  We had selected Vdara Hotel for our 5 night/6 day stay, which was located right next to Aria.  

Back then, we had used Aria for self parking, as Vdara did not (and still does not) have its own self-parking garage.  We had an interesting and harrowing experience looking for the self parking garage, which we incorrectly thought was at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, next door.  Long story short, we eventually found the Aria self parking garage after about 30 minutes of wandering the area known as the CityCenter Complex, which include Aria, Vdara, Waldorf Astoria, and Shops at Crystals.  

After parking our car at the Aria self parking garage, we made what seemed like an endless journey with our large suitcases in tow, traversing through the Aria Hotel, walking through the huge casino, its many restaurants, then finally to Vdara via outside walkway.  All in all, the walk would equal a good workout each time we walked to get our car at the garage.

It was during that trip that we became intimately familiar with Aria Resort & Casino.  We must have walked through Aria at least 20 times during our trip, playing slot machines, eating there, and enjoying the overall upscale ambience of the resort.  

When it came time to revisit Las Vegas again (we had previously stayed at the Bellagio and the Delano the last few weeks), we chose Aria as it is one of the best hotels within the MGM Resorts portfolio.  We really wanted to stay at all the top hotels/resorts of MGM Resorts in Las Vegas during our cross country road trip.  

Thanks to my newly acquired Gold Status with MGM Resorts, we were again able to score a complimentary 4 night stay (just like at the Bellagio and at the Delano) from 1/26 to 1/30.  We also got a $150 resort credit to be used for food & beverage which was huge for us, as those of you that know, Las Vegas is no longer the home of the cheap $5.99 buffets at casinos!

Everything is expensive, especially the price of foods and drinks at all the properties along the Las Vegas Strip.  That $150 resort credit went a long way…

On the morning of January 26, 2023, we left Aquarius Hotel and Casino in Laughlin (NV) for Las Vegas.  We took the familiar route which we had used on our previous trip in the same month to get back to Las Vegas.

The drive would take around hour and a half, and we arrived at Aria around 1:30 p.m.  We waited in line (a very long line at that) to check in.  As is our usual modus operandi, we asked for an upgrade to our room.  

At that time of the day, they did not have the room we had booked, which was a “Stay Well” King Room, so we asked for a regular room but on a high floor.  The front desk staff member put us up on the 54th floor with tremendous views of the valley!

During the checking in process, the staff member told us we could’ve lined up at the separate check-in line for MGM Gold status or higher members.  Darn, didn’t see that sign!  

We got keys to our room, then walked to the elevators.  The place was humming with activity and with people on a Thursday afternoon.  There were just as many people going to the elevators as people coming out of the elevators.

We arrived at our room, and opened the door to a huge room, bright and airy, and very upscale!  The views were out of this world!  Wow…

View from our room!

Vdara right next door

We loved the decor, the furniture, and the bathroom.  The room was very high tech, using smart home technology to control lighting, room temperature, and drapes using an iPad!  It was something we had not encountered in many fine hotels we’ve visited.  We loved it!

We didn’t have to physically get up to turn off the lights at night, or to close or open the drapes.  It was a lazy man’s paradise! 

Bathroom 

Bath tub and shower combo

Smart room with an iPad controller 

What a room!

We settled in, then went ahead and spent the next four days in the lap of luxury!  The best part?  The room was free with a $150 resort credit!  What’s not to like???

Here are our observations and our pros/cons of the Aria Resort & Casino, a AAA 5-Diamond rated hotel:

Pros

• The beautiful hotel room (Deluxe King Room)

The AAA 5-Diamond rated hotel rating is definitely earned.  The room, even our Deluxe King Room, was immaculate, beautiful, and high tech.  At 520 square feet, it is one of the largest hotel rooms we’ve stayed anywhere.  

The room, especially on a high floor, made the place even better with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Vdara Hotel next door and mountains and valleys in the distance.  It was awesome to see anytime of the day.

At nights, we sat in comfortable lounge chairs and looked out the window for a beautiful view of sunset and the twinkling lights of the Sun City.  We saw tour helicopters gliding through the night skies every few minutes and wondered where they were all headed.

Las Vegas is one of the greatest cities in the world with some of the best city views, especially at night.  We never got sick of it…

View at night from Deluxe King Room, Aria, Las Vegas 

• Beautiful, upscale resort, especially the lobby

From the moment we set foot on Aria, from the parking garage to the hotel lobby via a short walkway, to the lobby, everything feels upscale.  Colors are up to date, ceiling is high, and there are plenty of interesting art work to spend few minutes on.

The checking-in area is even more impressive with seasonal decorations all around.  During our visit, the Lunar New Year theme was on full display.  It kept the resort lively, and a fun place to be.

There are sculptures inside the resort that is really impressive and interesting as well.  The Aria may not have the famous Fountains of Bellagio, but at least the whole place reeks of class.  

Din Tai Fung Restaurant advertisement, near the walkway to Aria

Beautiful lobby with modern sculptures 

• Resort is lively, tailored to the younger crowd

This is a positive or a negative, depending on your mood.  What Aria is, is an upscale resort for the Millennials (or young at heart), who want to mingle (there are tons of bars), gamble, or watch sporting events at any number of venues right near the casino.

The place was by far the place where we saw most younger crowd (think Millennials, with some Generation X, Z, and Baby Boomers thrown in), compared to Bellagio or the Delano.  Aria’s crowd is noticeably younger and therefore livelier (or loud at times).  

The casino area (and the entire resort) was packed during our stay.  On Saturday and Sunday, thanks to NFL playoffs in full swing, it was like going to a sports bar on a college campus.  It was loud with every touchdown, every missed tackle, or a huge collision.  If you like that environment, then Aria is that place.

It was definitely energetic, kind of like Times Square on a weekend.  

• Excellent dining choices 

Aria has so many options when it comes to dining out.  From the very upscale to food court options, anyone will find something they’ll like.  The buffet that was on the second floor, has been replaced by Proper Eats, featuring several restaurants (think fast casual), where you order from a kiosk, then pick up the food when ready.

We found the area really clean, upscale for a food court, and high tech, just like everything else at Aria.  Along the casino floor (first floor), many restaurants are lined along the edges of the casino.  Many of those restaurants were packed with diners during our stay.

We tried our hands at Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese restaurant specializing in dim sum.  We waited a very reasonable 10 minutes to dine at one of the countertop seating, which was fine.

We ordered one of their popular dim sum dishes (Crab & Kurobuta Pork Xiao Long Bao), a fried rice, a shrimp noodle, and a hot and sour soup.  Portions were fine for an upscale restaurant and prices were just about right for a sit down restaurant at a 5 Diamond rated hotel.  Food was delicious and not what we expected.  It was better!

Taiwanese version of dim sum was absolutely amazing!  It was different than dim sums we’ve had elsewhere.  With excellent, attentive service by the wait staff, we highly recommend this restaurant!

Din Tai Fung, entrance

View from our countertop seating area

Time to eat!

Dim sum chefs

• Parking garage is huge and relatively close to the hotel

Many MGM Resorts hotels as well as hotels like the Venetian have self parking garages that are a decent walk from the resort.  It’s not so at the Aria.  We walked not more than 5 minutes to get to the resort from the parking garage.

5 minute walk from a self parking garage in Las Vegas is actually not bad, if you compare that to places like MGM Grand, the Venetian, or the Vdara, where it’ll easily take double that.  After a long day of walking around the city, every little time (and energy) saved on walking helps…

Aria’s parking garage is also huge and we rarely had issues finding a spot near the entrance to the resort.  One more thing:  Unlike other parking garages, it also doesn’t smell like urine and beer, which counts for something…

• Huge casino

Aria is one of the largest casinos in the MGM Resort portfolio, and it uses its space well.  Space feels bigger and more airy than it is, thanks to incredibly high ceilings, with natural light coming in from the hotel lobby and the taxi stand/self parking garage entrance.  It is a very nice place to spend some time, especially near these two spots.  

During our stay, there was a Lunar New Year celebration with traditional Lion Dance with performers parading through the casino floor.  It was pretty cool.  We always appreciate a free performance, and Aria certainly gave us that.

Cons

• Smoky (possibly the smokiest) casino!

We don’t have many complaints or cons about Aria except this one.  It felt like every smoker in Las Vegas came to Aria to smoke, at the same time.  It was absolutely the worst among all the casinos we’ve visited in Las Vegas.

Even with ventilation working overtime, it was simply overmatched by the earnest, hard working smokers.  At times, we thought the casino looked hazy thanks to all the smoke!  Weekend, as expected, was the worst, especially with NFL playoffs going on.

We literally needed gas masks at times.  Near the edges of the casino, near the hotel lobby and self parking garage entrance, it was better, but not that much better…We really hope they can do a better job with ventilation…

In conclusion:

Aria is absolutely one of the best hotels we’ve stayed in.  With its combination of upscale accommodations, beautiful architectural details, expansive and airy casino floor lined with restaurants, Aria certainly earns its coveted 5 Diamond rated status.

Our Deluxe King Room, even though it was the least expensive room at the resort, was an awesome place to stay for 4 nights.  It has high tech everything, plenty of space to roam, and amazing views of the surrounding areas.  What’s not to like?

Other than the very smoky casino area, we highly recommend the resort.  It is an experience that is surely to please the most discerning guests looking for a great resort in the heart of Las Vegas Strip.  Happy travels and thank you for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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