Aria Resort and Casino Deluxe Queen Room Review

By Ramon

Ramon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further while traveling in comfort. 

Hotel Room Overview
The central location, Invited Guest Check-In, and comforts of the Deluxe Queen Room made for a great stay  at the Aria 
Pros-Central Location, Invited Guest Check-In, Large Base Room, Large Bathroom with a Shower Tub Combo, Technology Integration  
​Cons- Poor View,  Awkward Room Layout
​
​Las Vegas Strip Trip Report
Las Vegas Strip Trip Overview
Aria Resort and Casino Deluxe Queen Room Review
Aria Resort and Casino Dining and Activities  Review
Exploring the Las Vegas Strip
American Airlines Boeing 737-800 LAS-DCA Review

​Location
The Aria is a AAA Five Diamond resort centrally located on the Las Vegas Strip across from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort. The resort is a part of MGM Resorts and was developed as a part of the City Center development which includes luxury shopping and dining. The resort opened in 2009 and is one of the newest resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. We ended up really appreciating the resort's central location since it allowed us to easily walk the strip and check out other hotels and resorts in Las Vegas and attractions such as the Bellagio Fountains. 

Map of Aria Resort Location

Invited Guest Check-In
​I took a Lyft for the approximately 10-minute drive from the Las Vegas McCarran Airport and enjoyed seeing the other resorts on the strip including the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and the Cosmopolitan where I stayed during my last trip to Las Vegas. 

---

Aria Resort and Casino

Aria Hotel Entrance

I arrived at the resort around 11:00 am and the check-in line was about 50 people deep despite a resort check-in time of 3 pm. This was definitely the longest hotel check-in line I had ever seen and I was thankful that one of the benefits I received booking through The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection was Invited Guest Check-In. 

Aria Check-In Line

The Invited Guest line is an elite check-in line normally reserved for elite members in MGM's M life rewards program. However, because of my booking I was able to skip the normal line and use the elite check-in line which I estimated saved me at least an hour checking in. The Invited Guest line had no wait and an agent greeted me and asked for my MLife Rewards number and I told her I have the benefit of the check in through my reservation. She found my reservation and handed me a paper confirming all of the benefits available through the program and apologized that no room upgrades were available. However, because of the program I was able to receive early check-in to my room. Finally, I added both my M life rewards and World of Hyatt rewards number to the reservation to make sure I could earn World of Hyatt points.  One thing to keep in mind is that when booking through The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection there is no way to add an your membership number for World of Hyatt and you must add it along with your M life rewards number at check-in. Once the check-in process was completed we headed towards our rooms.

Deluxe Queen Room
The process for getting to our room after check-in was not clear since the entire first floor of the resort is really focused on getting people to and from the casino. As a first-time guest at this resort I think the hotel should improve the signage directing guests to the rooms. Once we found out where the elevators to the rooms were located there was a security guard stationed next to the elevators who ensured  each time that a member of our group had an Aria room key card. Our Deluxe Queen room (6252) was located on the sixth floor and had an unimpressive view of the ceiling of the lobby and the Vdara resort pool. I hoped we would at least receive a room with a better view at check-in so I was disappointed with this unimpressive view. While we did not have a view I really liked the floor to ceiling windows and I thought the room was quite impressive for a base level room. The room  had black out curtains which were great for sleeping and sheer curtains which were great for blocking out the strong Las Vegas sun. As a heads up because of the curvature of the hotel we could see into some of our neighbors' rooms and they could see into our so bear that in mind if you have all of the blinds open. 

View from Deluxe Queen Room

The 560 square foot Deluxe Queen room was significantly larger than two previous base rooms I had in Las Vegas. The room had two queen beds with comfortable Sealy mattresses and six pillows each. I loved that the hotel included so many pillows! ​At the back of the queen beds were padded headboards flanked by two lamps. In between each bed was a side table with an additional lamp and plugs. In front of the beds was a desk which I found to be very awkwardly placed since if anyone was sitting at the desk the television was blocked. Next to the desk was a mini-fridge and on top of the mini-fridge were absurdly priced snacks and water. One egregious example was the Fiji water which cost $18 per bottle. My advice, stay away from the mini-bar and snacks in the room. 

Deluxe Queen Beds

Where I really noticed the additional space in this room was in the bathroom. The bathroom had a number of features which are not common in a base hotel room including a double vanity and a large and luxurious shower/tub combo which a glass door. I really liked the materials the Aria used on the sinks, the shower, and the tub. These materials made the bathroom seem high-end. The hotel also did a great job of keeping the entire room in great condition and I did not notice scratches or blemishes anywhere in the room. One awkward feature of the bathroom was a telephone located next to the toilet. I never understand why hotels put phones next to the toilet. The Aria offered shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from Kinu Haircare which is an Australian company I had never heard of before this trip. The biggest issue I had with the bathroom was the size of the tub since it was so small I could barely fit in it. 

Queen Deluxe Bathroom

What impressed me the most was the technology in the room. For example, whenever we walked into the room the binds automatically opened. The room also had lightning fast free Wi-Fi which was easy to access. Also, the lights, blinds, and room temperature could all be controlled from either the television or from a tablet located on the side table between the two double beds. The  tablet also contained information about the resort including hours of the restaurants along with information about entertainment and retail. The tablet also offered pre-ordering at some of the resort's dining including Starbucks and the ability to order room service. As part of the technology in the room a guest could attach devices to play through the room's entertainment system via numerous connections including USB, HDMI, VGA, AV, and S Video. I really appreciated the way Aria integrated technology into the room. The only complaint I had on the technology front was the lack of sufficient bedside plugs which is a complaint I have at a lot of hotels but something I wouldn't have expected at a modern hotel like Aria. 

In-Room Tablet

Take Away
The check-in experience using the Invited Guest Check-in was a breeze and further demonstrated the value of The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection for stays in Las Vegas. The Deluxe Queen room at the Aria Resort and Casino felt luxurious despite being the lowest category room at the resort. The view from the room was unimpressive but the resort made up for this by offering 560 square feet of space, comfortable beds, a large bathroom, and a room outfitted in the latest technology. I really liked the Aria's Queen Deluxe room and would consider staying in this room type at the resort if I was heading to Las Vegas for a group trip with multiple travelling companions.