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Aria - all info welcomed

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by kayhill232, Nov 28, 2014.

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  1. kayhill232

    kayhill232 Tourist

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    So, we've a trip planned for Feb 2015, and my nephew booked us deluxe rooms at Aria for a Thurs and Fri stay for $95 a night. I've been reading quite a few threads on this hotel, but I'd love to hear any advice or info on this hotel. We would love to stay on a higher floor - is this a possibility? We've asked for room near niece and nephew so maybe we should request this in advance - can we e-mail a request or best to call? Is there a view that we should ask for? What is the buffet like there or any good restaurants we should try? I plan on redeeming some MyVegas rewards and wondering if any are worth redeeming here? Thanks in advance!!
     
  2. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    This could be a very long response (I'm actually sitting in an Aria room as we speak, and it's where I've stayed on my last 6 trips), but just to answer your specific questions, getting a higher floor is possible but all depends on how check-in goes. There are really only two views, mountain view and city view, and "city view" isn't really much of a Strip view because of the way that Aria is laid out. The rooms, however, are absolutely top-notch. Buffet is mediocre-to-good, but nearly all of the restaurants and bars are phenomenal. Of the places I particularly like, Julian Serrano is one of my favorite places to eat in the city, Lemongrass is excellent Thai food, and the guys working swing shift at Lift Bar make some damn fine cocktails.
     
  3. Bommen

    Bommen High-Roller

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    Aria has some great restaurants indeed. Its been discussed so many times so if you just use the search function in this forum you will find some great info just scrolling down recent treads.
     
  4. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    I agree with all the above. I'm headed out the door in about two hours for a stay there.

    The regular rooms are very nice and well kept by house keeping. I am not a person impressed with views anyway and being that Aria is well back from the strip the strip views are partially obscured by Cosmopolitan, the Veer Towers, the Harmon (being torn down) and Mandarin Oriental. However the higher up the better if a view is important to you.

    In my opinion the lunch buffet is much better than the dinner considering the price. The 550 pizza place is way overpriced for mediocre pizza but Julian Serrano's does have the best Sangria I've ever tasted!

    Calling this far in advance probably would help if you wanted adjoining rooms so that's what I would do.

    Good luck and enjoy your stay!
     
  5. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

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    Aria has amassed the best collection of resturants on the Strip (which I never would have said a couple years ago). Julian Serrano, Tetsu, Bar Masa, Sage, 550 Pizza, Javiers, and Jean Georges are all worth checking out. Skip the buffet. its average to slightly above average. But no need to waste your time on average when all the other palces I just identified are way above average! Would add Sirio to my list also, but it will be closed by the time of your visit
     
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  6. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    First of all $95 is a good price for any Thursday and Friday night. I'm going to guess that your nephew was able to book you a "casino rate" for those nights.

    Is your nephew arriving before you? Vegas hotels don't really assign rooms in advance except for big players, so I think your best bet is to know his room number and ask for a room close to his when you check in. If you ask this far in advance, they don't know what room he's going to be in yet, so it doesn't hurt, but it won't really help IMHO.

    Aria does have some great restaurants. I don't play MyVegas. so I don't really have a feel for what the rewards are, but you're not likely to go wrong with any of the restaurants. Don't be afraid to try one that might sound out of your comfort zone - they'll have at least something you like.

    One of my favorites at Aria is the Happy Hour at Julian Serrano, (Sun - Thurs 4:00 - 5:30pm) - sit at the bar and share some plates at great prices. Be prepared to not get white glove treatment from the host/hostess because the place is relatively empty - just walk in and seat yourself at the bar.

    One tip for coffee in the morning - the Jean Philippe Patisserie is right where the elevators come out, so it's where most people line up for coffee in the morning and can be a bit of a madhouse. They keep it moving pretty good, but if the line's too long, walk past it all the way to the end of the casino to get to the more generic Coffee Bean, usually much faster.

    Ok, just saw your post in the offers thread where you say your nephew booked the Aria room through Sam's Club.

    All the above advice applies (except your nephew obviously didn't get a casino rate), plus you said neither you nor your nephew have played on an Mlife account yet.

    I think your MyVegas points will be best spent on ancillary items, and not on the room. The exception would be if you don't go to Vegas very often or don't expect to be there again for a while, in which case you might want to try for a room upgrade (but being there on a Friday might hurt your chances).

    As far as the MLife players card - you and your neice can get as many cards as you want.
    • If you both think you'd like to stay there again, she and her fiance should play on her account, and you and your husband should play on your account. That will get offers for both accounts.
    • If one or the other pair is way more likely to stay again, you should all play on the same card. That will get you better offers on the one account.
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2014
  7. gmoney590

    gmoney590 VIP Whale

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    Just to add to what the others have said as far aw a room with a view the higher up you are the better the view but even then you don't have a great view; so, never pay for an upgrade for a view. Since you're going to use MyVegas I would suggest try the buffet, We've used MyVegas for the dinner buffet at Aria and Bellagio. The first time I felt the Bellagio was far better; but, when we ate at both last month I felt Aria's buffet was superior. You actually have three places for your morning coffee; Jean Phillipe and the Coffee Bean on the casino floor and Starbucks on the Promenade down from the buffet.
     
  8. RiddickBull

    RiddickBull VIP Whale

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    Smells like vanilla. Very pleasant.
     
  9. Snidely

    Snidely VIP Whale

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    Aria is very nice. Nice rooms, nice casino. Just a little too expensive overall for my budget. If you're a value player, this is a great place to stay for $95.
     
  10. eksantirik

    eksantirik High-Roller

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    Stayed twice in 2014, first visit had some issues with noise and the way hotel handled it. When I complained, they offered me a city view upgrade, gave them a second chance and the second visit was a great experience. However, city view is basically useless. As everybody mentioned here, you get no view anyways, so don't pay any more for that.

    Hotel is very nice, clean, great/airy casino as well. Beware of the high minimums though. For almost every game, they either have worse odds or higher minimums compared to MC, MGM etc. But if you are a casual gambler, then you will love this place as the casino is very good looking, airy and and clean. They have a great electronic craps game (near Roasted Bean coffee), but again better minimums for this exact game exist at Monte Carlo next door. I played a lot at Aria, but I think I played almost as much at Bellagio and MC as well. Bellagio for a much better Vegas-like casino atmosphere, and MC for lower minimums. As with most newer establishments, Aria doesn't focus too much on gambling compared to the old-school Vegas hotels (i.e Mirage, Flamingo, MGM). It is provided as an amenity, but the hotel is not centered around the casino. Hence, a lot of shops and restaurants in and around the hotel.

    The safe in the room is hidden inside one of the nightstands. It's a rather unusual setup but very useful indeed. Do not look for it inside the closets :)

    You can ask for a higher-floor room, as I always do; but if you're on the low-end of the elevator cutoff floor you might be luckier. On one trip I got 18th floor (first to get off the elevator and last to get on the elevator). It was a breeze to go back and forth to the room. On the next trip I was on 23rd floor and this time it was the opposite, stopping at 18,19,20... well, you get the idea :)

    Restaurant wise I liked Javier's, and Lemongrass. The cafe and the buffet were not impressive for the price you pay. For redeeming MyVegas points, you might get better value at Mirage's Cravings buffet.

    One of the pools was heated, so I was able to take a dip in January, which was pretty cool.

    Use the free tram service to Monte Carlo and Bellagio, however, I think it takes shorter to just walk to Monte Carlo.

    Watch out for the minibar/fridge. If you don't intend on buying anything, do not touch anything inside and around the fridge. Also, do not move items to make space for your personal drinks as they charge some fridge usage fee. So in short, don't get anywhere close to the fridge as many people on this board got burnt from hidden charges at Aria.

    The coffee at both Jean Philippe and Roasted Bean were expensive (think $4 for 12oz basic drip coffee). So, if you are on a budget, taking a traveler coffee maker might help.
     
  11. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    The one thing I'll disagree with is game conditions. Aria doesn't have a single 6:5 blackjack game, and earlier in the day there are plenty of $15 games and a $25 shoe (non-CSM) game that's S17. No way you're finding anything comparable at MC, which last time had the audacity to spread a $5 game that paid even money on blackjacks. I'll agree, though, that minimums are on the high side, which isn't hugely surprising for a flagship property.
     
  12. harley777

    harley777 Low-Roller

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    Get a room near the elevators. The hallways are very long especially if out late. Get the $50 food credit for Monte Carlo. A lot of great food options and close by. Cheaper to play at Monte Carlo also. Aria is great but overpriced in the food dept.
     
  13. urbanphotos

    urbanphotos Tourist

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    I stayed there in December 2011. Here are a bunch of photos I shot on and near the property, and in the room:

    http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/las_vegas_11/index.html

    http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/las_vegas_11/index2.html

    http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/las_vegas_11/index3.html

    http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/las_vegas_11/index4.html

    "Deluxe room" usually means the most basic, smallest room they offer... which at Aria is very nice. Similar to Encore and Mandalay Bay, a bit smaller than Encore.

    When you check in, ask for a room up high and they'll give you one unless you also want a smoking room, some hotels have all their smoking rooms on the lower floors.

    Facing north, south or east should provide a nice view although it could vary wildly depending on the specific room. One room on the 35th floor could have a spectacular view while another one might look directly at the 40 story hotel tower next door.

    Here's a portion of the view from room 23064, which faces east:

    http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/las_vegas_11/slides/monte_carlo_01.html

    http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/las_vegas_11/slides/aria_room_23064%20%288%29.html

    While the room and property were very nice I didn't care for it. It felt like it was put together in a hurry and had no personality or unifying theme. There's also a lot of empty space that makes you feel like you're in a train station or airport.
     
  14. RyanM8704

    RyanM8704 Tourist

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    In my opinion:

    Aria has by far the best guest service. All the resort staff we encountered were helpful and polite. Even the housekeeping staff acknowledged us, saying good morning, or good evening while we passed them in the hallways.
    The restaurants are top notch. Five 50 Pizza Bar has amazing authentic pizza. And the Aria Cafe had the best steak sandwich I've ever had in my life.
    The Buffet for me was a 4 out of 5. Everything was really flavorful, I just wish it was a little bit more diverse, as well the seating process seemed to be a bit inefficient. They reserve a ton of tables for Sky Suites guests, and I am assuming high rollers, because the line up was ridiculous and there were about 30 or so empty tables that never got seated while we were there, both at breakfast and lunch.

    Zarkana at Aria was fairly good. Though I've seen Le Reve and Ka, so this one felt a tad bit boring.

    They moved us to the invited guests line at Check In just due to the large line up, and the girl (she seemed quite young) was awesome. We got a high floor, and we could see the strip fairly well, we looked down onto one of the pools at the Cosmo. We stayed on the 31st floor.

    The beds are to die for, I had the best sleep. I usually toss and turn at night and wake up sore. But the beds are like sleeping on a cloud.

    Its all about location too. Being my fourth trip I didn't want to have to take transit or walk a lot. Being in the middle of the strip was awesome. It felt like I could go to any casino by foot and it did not take a long time. The tram service the connects Monte Carlo - Aria - Bellagio is kind of pointless, but if your feet are sore, or its too hot/cold for you outside, I guess its worth it. I think the trip from Aria to Bellagio is about 30 seconds? lol.Like any sundries shop in a strip hotel, they are expensive. But luckily there is a CVS at the entrance to City Center, and a Walgreens across the strip at Planet Hollywood. You do receive 5% off at sundries if you have your Mlife card.

    As for gambling, I agree with previous replies that this resort doesn't center is business around gambling, so the casino portion isn't much different than any other. Just newer, and cleaner I guess. I didn't win a thing at Aria, but I did see a lady win $7500 on a slot machine which was pretty cool.

    Overall, I'd stay at this resort again, most likely on my stay next year. I loved the feeling and the vibes I got. Plus if you appreciate architecture, you'll love it.
     
  15. gradytripp

    gradytripp High-Roller

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    Stayed at Aria this June and then again during the four days before Thanksgiving (still looking for time to write the trip report). Some good observations already in this thread.

    In June I had a four-night stay, with a couple nights comped through MyVegas and a couple of cheap nights ($95 or so each) on an emailed offer. A smile and a $20 trick got me the "city view" on the 21st floor. While not as spectacular as a Bellagio fountain view, say, it was a nice view. We loved the pools (and we're not even pool people).

    Two weeks ago I had a four-night stay, booked with an emailed offer (averaging about $90 a night plus resort fee). A smile and a $20 trick got me nothing but an irritated front desk clerk, I don't like to think the worst of my fellow human beings but I suspect that, instead of giving me an upgrade, she put us in the worst room in the place. 3rd floor--the lowest floor. Two queen beds (we'd reserved a king bed, and I know that they don't guarantee that). The bed we slept in the first night had a huge dip in it. The view was of the roof of the Aria, with a random fire extinguisher left on it. TV didn't work right (we don't really watch TV, but I do like the music channels on while we're getting ready for the day). They fixed it, then it stopped working again the next day. The room was way, way at the end of the hallway, away from the elevators. Needless to say, compared to our first room, it was a bit of a letdown.

    It is a beautiful property. We love Five 50. Julian Serrano is great. Sports book, very nice. The whole place smells nice. It has a hip, cool vibe but not overly pretentious. I don't know why, but the walk to our usual haunts (PHo, Paris, Bally's, Ellis Island) seemed much longer this time.

    So, while we raved about the place after June's trip, now I think we'll stay somewhere else next time.
     
  16. Bluskies

    Bluskies Low-Roller

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    M-Life has a special on right now...which may vary based on your level...stay 2 nights at Aria and receive a % off the rooms and get $170 resort credit (at least that is what comes up for me...I am gold status and my room discount is 35% off.)
    .
     
  17. kayhill232

    kayhill232 Tourist

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    Thank you all for the info - very helpful!!
     
  18. TheCooler

    TheCooler Professional Gambler and the Best Football Handica

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    I usually stay at Aria and often take the short walk to the Wicked Spoon at Cosmo, it's a great buffet.
     
  19. heatherlovesvegas

    heatherlovesvegas VIP Whale

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    Price is good. As a few people have mentioned, Aria is just expensive... 5 star property means 5 star prices. My least favorite thing about staying there oddly enough was the rooms. They just weren't that exciting (not bad by ANY means, but they are just average). I feel you can get a room of similar quality for less money, but that property is one of the best in town and it's worth staying there just for that.

    Ask when you check in for a high floor and rooms together... maybe slip the desk clerk a $20.

    Buffet is pretty good. I've gone for breakfast. I generally don't care for buffet's in Vegas though. For $30 you can have a meal where you are served! My favorite restaurant is Julian Serrano, spanish tapas. It's so good! We'v been multiple times.

    I love the Spa there, $25 for a day pass, go check it out! It's amazing.
     
  20. arrgy

    arrgy Tourist

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    While some of the restaurants are good. I got food poisoning from the chili the general coffee shop serves.
     
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