The Aria hotel in Las Vegas is a new, 5-star venue owned by the MGM group. They already have two hotels in the city, and this makes a third. The Aria is all steel and glass, sinuous curves and space. It is a tall building, thin too, designed to make a statement on the Vegas skyline.
The inside of the hotel is modern, spacious, airy and high-end. The front desk is one long desk housing many receptionists in front of a large glass window. The whole premise of the architecture seems to deliver the wow factor, and it works.
The staff were friendly, fast and efficient. The bellboy took our bags from our taxi and ushered us through to reception. We were checked in and on our way in minutes. It certainly seemed a slick operation.
We had a Deluxe Room City View, which was a good sized room with a great view of the surroundings. The floor to ceiling windows allowed a great view of the area and allowed us to really appreciate the size and scale of Las Vegas.
"The whole premise of the Aria seems to be to deliver the wow factor, and it works."
The rest of the room was decorated nicely, in the modern style, with contrasting colours, chunky furniture and large TVs. Technology plays a big part in things here. Everything in the room is controlled by a tablet PC. That includes the music, TV, curtains, room temperature, lighting and room service. It’s a neat gimmick that served a purpose while feeling cool at the same time.
The room also included a small foyer, a dressing area, good sized bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom had twin sinks and mirrors, separate bath and shower and some “eco-friendly” bath products. There were also large fluffy towels and bathrobes we could use.
Everything was in great condition and spotlessly clean as you would expect from a new, 5-star venue. There was a curious smell in the air, which we later found was a scent added by the hotel to add to the holiday ambience. It was nice, but it’s easy to imagine it getting on your nerves if you’re here for any length of time.
The rest of the hotel was as modern and clean as our room. The Aria has 3 pools, restaurants, bars, a shopping area, nightclubs, lounges, an art gallery and access to Shadow Creek golf. Hotels in Las Vegas tend to be almost self-contained mini-towns, and the Aria is no different. It would be easy to spend all day just in the hotel, if you could afford it.
Of course, no Vegas venue would be true to its nature without a casino. The one in the Aria isn’t that large, and doesn’t seem that great. It’s new, so there are bound to be teething problems, but it just didn’t seem as comfortable as some of the other hotels on the strip.
As we say often here, it’s the service that makes or breaks a hotel. Fortunately, it’s something the Aria has in spades. All the staff we came across were friendly and couldn’t seem to do enough for us. We were made to feel welcome and our requests were received well, and satisfied immediately.
Overall, our stay at the Aria was a pleasant experience. Anyone wanting to try Las Vegas while avoiding the Strip, would do well to consider it. Even those who want to enjoy the Strip and the Aria can do so easily with the shuttle.
The Bill: £149 per night
