As the centerpiece of the CityCenter development, the 4,004 room Aria is a modernist wonder; visually delightful in just about every way. Granted, this is all a matter of taste, but has been a long time since a Las Vegas hotel made such an immediate and lasting impression on me.

The exterior of the building is deceptive. At first glance it looks like a glass and steel skyscraper. But look closely and you'll start to note the intersecting curves and echoing angles that make up an almost silky shape. It's certainly a welcome change from the bland, slab sided boxes that most Vegas hotel towers have become.

But it is inside where the place really soars. The interior spaces are simply stunning, with a soaring lobby filled with lots of natural light, sculpture (art and architecture), and plants combining to create a warm welcome. Check out the huge reception desk with the giant window behind it - that's a Maya Lin (designer of the Vietnam War Memorial) art piece hanging in front of it.

The casino is just off the lobby and it stretches off in a 150,000 square-foot semi-circle making it the second largest gaming space in Las Vegas (behind only the MGM Grand). If you can ignore the slot machines and table games for a minute, you can really start to appreciate the design details here.

It's dark in there - darker than just about any other casino on The Strip - but there are shafts of natural light that peek in here and there and provide interesting offsets to the heavy use of wood, metal, stone, glass, and fabric around the room. It's as if the whole thing is one big art installation, with sinewy colored glass structures, fabric covered walls, copper and wood clad support columns, and more everywhere you look. It is, without a doubt, the most visually dramatic casino in town.

But of course you didn't really come here for the scenery; you came to gamble and there is plenty of that. Thousands of slot video poker machines offer all of the latest high-tech bells and whistles, including an electronic concierge service of sorts that can give you information about all of the property's offerings without ever having to leave your seat. Many of them are also server based, which means the themes can be changed out by the casino or by you. They have machines of all denominations and both video and reel versions of the slots.

Dozens of table games include all of your favorites and there is also a large, well-equipped sports book, a poker room, and two high-limit lounges (one for slots and one for tables).

A number of bars, lounges, and restaurants, from high-end to casual, ring the room.

But wait, there's more. A lot more. Although it may not actually be significantly larger than most modern Vegas hotels, it certainly feels like it.

Head up the escalators to the mezzanine level and you'll have your choice of more restaurants (more than a dozen total), a buffet, a theater showing the latest Cirque du Soleil production, "Viva Elvis," an Elvis lounge and gift shop, a couple of boutiques, and a massive convention center.

This is where you'll also find the full service 80,000 square-foot spa with 64 treatment rooms, a salon, a workout facility that is larger than most gyms in your town, and the entrance to heavily landscaped pool area, scheduled to open in the spring of 2010.

A lower level off the north valet lobby features a nightclub, Haze, from the same company that does Bank at Bellagio and JET at The Mirage.

To get to the guest rooms from the lobby or the parking garage you do have to pass through the casino, which is annoying, but if you really want to avoid it all together after you check in you can by using the north valet and heading up the escalators to the mezzanine level. Guest elevators stop here, which means you won't have to traipse by the craps table to go to the pool.

Standard rooms are about 520 square feet so not exactly huge but bigger than the shoeboxes at older hotels. The furnishings are all sleek and modern but the heavy use of dark woods and rich fabrics gives them a bit more warmth than you'd expect. Each comes equipped with a 42" LCD TV, mini-bar, robes, iron and board, safes, and high-speed Internet (both wired and wireless, for a fee). The bathrooms have dual vanities, soaking tubs, and separate shower stalls plus some high-end amenities for you to stuff in your suitcase. Interestingly, you have to go through the shower to get to the tub, but hopefully you'll know whomever is using the other facility while you're attempting the maneuver.

Of course larger rooms are available, from corner rooms with impressive views all the way to their Sky Suites, which act as a separate club-level style boutique with concierge service, private elevators, and private check-in.

All of the rooms are packed with technology that has never been used to this degree in Las Vegas before. Using the television or a touch screen panel, you can control the lights, drapes, temperature control, music, and much more. Settings can be created that will allow you to create different moods and even program the environment in which you want to wake up. For instance, you could have the lights come up to 50%, the drapes open, and soft music start to play. The screen will even tell you if the front door deadbolt has been engaged and warn you if you have accidentally left it ajar.

In case you're concerned, or a technophobe, there are manual controls for things like lights and air conditioning as well.

Prices for all this can be surprisingly moderate if you go at the right time. Weekdays go for as low as $149 per night and weekends as low as $199, although you can expect to pay $50-100 more on many weeks. Not exactly cheap but considering this is a hotel that in better economic times would be going for well north of $400 a night, you can see where my surprise comes in.

Service throughout the facility was among the most friendly I've ever experienced on The Strip. The people who work here seem to be really proud of what they have done at Aria.

And they should be.

Highs	Design, scope, visuals.
Lows	May be too big for some.
Category	Rating	Comments
Location	10	Close to just about everything.
Price	7	Not cheap but not outrageous.
Value	10	For what you get? This is a no-brainer.
Rooms	9	Well-done and sizeable.
Casino	10	Huge and visually stunning.
Amenities	10	If your room doesn’t have it, you don’t need it.
Facilities	10	If the hotel doesn’t have it…
Service	10	Friendly and attentive.
Fun	9	A lot to do means a lot of fun.
Bonus	8	A groundbreaking Vegas hotel.
Vegas4Visitors Rating: 94

return to the top

What that says, intentionally or not, is that Vdara is different from the rest of CityCenter. That's true in a variety of ways.

It is a condominium hotel, the only of it's kind on the property. What that means is that people can buy the units and either live in them or use them as investment units by putting them in a rental pool for the public to stay in like they would stay in any other hotel room. As a result perhaps, Vdara feels separate, removed, and reserved from the excess that is CityCenter.

The entire building is subtle by comparison to pretty much anything else in Vegas. The public spaces are simple, the units done in muted, grown-up décor schemes, and the amenities list is not much beyond what you'd find at a luxury apartment building.

The ground floor has a sedate check-in desk, a simple bar, and a restaurant that charges entirely too much for meals. It's all done in modern, sleek terms that say "Hey, we're elegant! Take your Vegas shenanigans elsewhere." Not saying that's a bad thing, just saying.

On the second level is a nice spa, salon, and fitness center and a smallish (again, by comparison) pool deck above the main entrance. They call the latter a Sky Pool but that's being a bit grandiose. It's not like they slapped the thing on the 40th floor, it's more like the 4th. It's also overlooked by one of the CityCenter parking structures but that's a valet only facility so you'll just have employees watching you sunbathe instead of tourists.

Speaking of which, it's worth noting that there is no self-parking here - valet only.

That's it in terms of things to do inside the building. The good news is that the rest of CityCenter is a short walk away and there's a (very long) hallway/walkway that leads to Bellagio. That's also where you can catch the tram that will take you to the heart of CityCenter or to Monte Carlo if you so choose.

There are several different floorplans available in the 1,500 unit building. The simplest are the Deluxe Suites and at about 600 square feet these studios are not much bigger than your average Vegas hotel room. There is a small kitchenette and two-person dining table, a couch and chair, a desk, an entertainment unit, and a bed. There is more of the muted design scheme here with browns, blacks, and greys being offset by the occasional splash of color on the throw pillows. It's tasteful.

Bathrooms are moderately sized but full equipped.

Stepping up from that are the Vdara Suites, one bedroom units with a more extensive kitchenette, a 4-person dining table, a washer and dryer, a living room, a proper bedroom, and a much bigger bathroom.

Things go up from there with corner suites, two bedroom units, and even grand two-story penthouses.

All the units come with high-speed and wireless Internet (for a fee), a media hub for your MP3 player or DVD player, safes, robes, irons and boards, mini-bars, and some form of a refrigerator, sink, and cooking appliance.

Rates for the standard studio suites start at around $129 during the week and $199 on the weekends although the more common prices will probably be about $50-60 higher than that.

Service at the property was as buttoned down as the building itself, with a crisp, polite, and efficient staff that didn't exactly exude warmth.

And that's the thing about Vdara - it feels a bit cold, especially in comparison to the rest of CityCenter and Vegas as a whole. It's not exactly cold but it certainly isn't warm. The word I kept coming back to was stark.

I liked Vdara and I definitely would stay there if I was in town on business or with a family or had an extended visit that would make the kitchens very handy. But if I was in town for the fun and thrills that Vegas has to offer, I'd be a bit disappointed to find out that I wasn't going to find them at Vdara.

Highs	Kitchenettes and proximity to the fun stuff.
Lows	Not a lot of fun stuff here.
Category	Rating	Comments
Location	9	Close to all the action.
Price	7	Moderate but not out of line.
Value	7	You get a lot in your room, but not in the hotel.
Rooms	8	A bit bland but very well equipped.
Casino	0	There is no casino at Vdara.
Amenities	9	Rooms are very well stocked.
Facilities	4	Not a lot to do here.
Service	7	Professional; perhaps to a fault.
Fun	4	Yeah, not so much with the fun.
Bonus	8	Mainly for the kitchenettes.
Vegas4Visitors Rating: 63

return to the top

Highs	It doesn't get any more hip or happening than this.
Lows	It doesn't get any more hip and happening than this.
Category	Rating	Notes
Location	5	A bit of an oasis, but not too far from The Strip.
Price	6	Can be very expensive to stay here.
Value	8	Recent expansion means more bang for your buck
Rooms	9	Sexy, hip, and very comfortable.
Casino	7	Tons of action, but it can be very loud.
Amenities	9	Rooms are very well-stocked.
Facilities	9	Just about everything you need is on the premises.
Service	7	A little cold at times.
Fun	9	If this is your crowd, this is your place for fun.
Bonus	4	This isn't my crowd.
Vegas4Visitors Rating: 73

return to the top