Aria Las Vegas

Room Quality:

At 520 square feet, the rooms at Aria Resort and Casino Las Vegas are more than half-again the size of an average hotel room. The rooms are done in neutral browns and whites. The bedding and furniture are plush and deluxe - just as you'd expect from such a luxury joint as Aria Resort and Casino at CityCenter. The differentiating thing here, besides the bathrobes, is the fancy technology. For this reason, some say Aria Hotel CityCenter is the best hotel in Las Vegas. Big flat screens, one-touch control of lighting, room temp, TV, drapes, room service and other stuff. If you can figure it all out, you can synchronize the room temp, volume and lighting to gradually wake you up. Bathrooms are all granite with separate showers and tubs. But, you sort of expect that nowadays, don't you? Want a view? You can pay extra for a "City View" room. Want a bigger room? Upgrade to a 920 square feet or an even bigger suite.

Service Quality:

Twice-daily room service at Aria Las Vegas means you can make a mess twice as often. The hotel is a swanky joint and they offer service commensurate with the other top-end players in town.

What You Get Bottles of in the Bathroom:

Shampoo and separate conditioner, lotion, mouthwash and, although they don't come in bottles, bathrobes that you can wear while you march up and down the Aria Las Vegas hallway playing the harmonica. Of course, you'll run into several other people with similar plans. Maybe you can start a band! Is it true that hairspray is included? Do people still use that stuff?

Clientele:

To some degree, Aria Resort and Casino at CityCenter poaches clientele from existing places on the Strip. With the fancy shopping in the complex and the high-end eateries, you can expect Aria Las Vegas to feature the mid30s and up crowd who drive German cars and wear a lot of silk.

How's the Pool?

There are three large pools at Aria Las Vegas, all shaped like ovals of some sort. Count on a lot of pool real estate and lots of palm trees to surround it. The pool is on a deck, not at street level, so between the deck and the pool size you might just feel like the regular Las Vegas crowds are beneath you.

Resort Fee:

Aria Hotel CityCenter’s $28 per night resort fee goes toward  in-room and campus-wide internet, in-room local and toll-free calls, Fitness Center access, a daily newspaper and airline boarding pass printing.

Is it Worth It?

The swanky and new vibe of Aria in the new CityCenter complex is definitely worth a splurge. Just don't forget it will be a splurge or you're wallet won't be too happy for the rest of the trip.

Table Games:

All the usual suspects are at the Aria Las Vegas casino including craps, roulette, Pai-Gow, baccarat and a handful of other games.

Bet Minimums:

There are some $10 shoe blackjack games, not dealt from an actual shoe. But if it were, it would be a Mahnolo Blanik. Look for a $10 table or two at craps, it may open with 3x4x5x odds.

Machines:

The machines are all new and smell awfully nice. Few grubby hands have been all over them. Expect about 95% video machines with a wide range of games from pennies up to the $100 plus machines. There is very little, if any, full-pay video poker.

Cocktails?

The drinks are served fairly quickly and well. That is, as long as the cocktail waitress can find you. And as truly befits Aria Hotel CityCenter, you better start tipping two bucks a drink because $1 will make them sneeze at you.

Who Gets Comps?

Expect to be playing black chips to get noticed right away. Preferably a few black chips every hand. No matter what you play, use your card and track your play. The mail offers will come to fill up those 4000 rooms. The M Life slot club is meant to make you very loyal to the MGM casinos.

Number of TVs:

There are eight big screens, with two really giant, very nice ones. And if that's not enough, there are dozens of smaller flat screens. The room is separated into smaller areas, the two main ones each having a giant screen.

Number of Seats:

Aria Las Vegas has somewhere near 100 seats. What's important to note is that a lot of chairs are ridiculously plush and comfy. Some are set up lounge-style in small groups, and there are a few sofa-type seating areas too. Then, there's bar style high-seating: bah. The race book is its own area and has about 30 seats with individual TVs.

Number of Betting Windows:

Six windows total.

Free Drinks?

Yes, you get cocktails, but only if you throw around some big bucks. Don't make a bet? Bring in your own 40.

Snack Bar?

The Skybox Grill is next door.

Other Notes:

This is actually a small room for a huge casino. To its benefit, it's way in the back and not susceptible to loads of foot traffic. To its demerit, it's way in the back and you need to walk a long way to get to it.

Number of Tables:

There are 24 tables in the Aria poker room, making it one of the bigger boys on the Strip. It's a large room with a high ceiling and high-lighting, which makes it feel quite airy, even though the tables are packed together. A few tables are in a sectioned-off high-limit area.

Comfort of Chairs:

The Aria has high-backed chairs that look like they were made from your grandmother's drapes. At the same time, they are rollers and they're pretty dang comfy.

Closed Room or Open to Casino?

The room is partially closed off, with one open wall (with some, uh, distinct card sculptures) and it will mostly stay nice and quiet.

Game Spreads and Limits:

They have limit from $3-$6 on up, with an occasional mid-limit game. They have no-limit starting at $1-$3 and going up to $5-$10, and maybe beyond on occasion.

Beginner Games or Classes:

No, they aren't interested in teaching you bupkis. Come in, sit down and play cards.

How Crowded is the Room?

Not a terribly crowded room. In fact, with so many tables and so much local competition, the wait lists are only bad on weekends.

Comps?

Standard MGM Mirage comps mean $1 an hour and that's about it. If you play the bigger games you may be able to negotiate something else. We wouldn't know about that fancy stuff, though.

How Good Are the Players?

For now, Aria is full of tourists and the locals who prey on them. It remains to be seen if any local pros occupy the condos in the complex, and use this room as their office.

What Else Do I Need to Know?

Oh, the Aria Hotel CityCenter has a nice poker room. Very pretty. Prettier than the others? Well, that's like asking a father to tell you which daughter he thinks is best.

Aria Resort and Casino Guest Rooms