Aria Resort and Casino

Aria Resort and Casino is a luxury resort and casino, part of the CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Aria consists of two curved glass and steel highrise towers adjoined at the center. It opened on December 16, 2009 as a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Infinity World Development. At 4,000,000 sq ft (370,000 m2) and 600 ft (180 m) in height, it is the largest and tallest structure at CityCenter.

The resort's 61 and 51-story towers contain an American Automobile Association five diamond hotel with 4,004 guest rooms and suites, 16 restaurants, 10 bars and nightclubs, and a casino with 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) of gaming space. It also has a 215,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) pool area with 34 cabanas, an 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m2) salon and spa, a 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) convention center and a 1,800-seat theater which hosted Zarkana by Cirque du Soleil, until closing April 30, 2016.

Among the most notable aspects of Aria is its incorporation of technology in the exterior and interior design of the hotel, specifically for the reduction of energy consumption. It is the largest hotel in the world to have earned LEED Gold certification. On account of its smart rooms which automatically adjust curtains, turn off unused lights and electronics, and regulate the temperature when a guest enters or leaves a room, Aria was described in Popular Mechanics as possibly "the most technologically advanced hotel ever built".

History

Construction, opening

Construction progress in 2007
Construction as completed in 2009

Aria was conceived by MGM Mirage (now MGM Resorts International) as part of the broader CityCenter development project, which was announced on November 10, 2004. The architectural design of Aria was conducted by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and construction began in early 2006 on a plot of land located between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. This site was previously occupied by the former Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, retail stores, and a large parking lot, all of which were excavated beginning in April 2006. Following excavation, Aria's foundation was poured in June 2006. Vertical progression commenced in September 2007, at which point construction workers built upwards at a rate of one floor every seven days until reaching the final height of 61 floors.

Amid ongoing construction in 2007, Infinity World Development, a subsidiary of Dubai World, invested about $2.7 billion to acquire a 50% stake in the CityCenter project. From this point on, Aria was jointly owned by MGM Resorts International and Infinity World Development, with MGM solely responsible for operations and management. The economic downturn and its ripple effects – including litigation – threatened to halt construction of Aria at one point in early 2009, but an additional funding arrangement was made, allowing construction to continue on schedule. The resort opened on December 16, 2009, in the same month as several other CityCenter properties such as The Crystals, an attached retail shopping complex.

Design and facilities

The completed structure comprises two curvilinear glass towers, measuring 61 stories tall. At the base of the connected high-rise towers is a casino and a three-story lobby that incorporates natural materials including foliage, flowers, glass, wood, and stone. Aria's design is described as not adhering to an overarching theme, in contrast to themed resorts prevalent on the Las Vegas Strip. It was named Aria due to its placement as the central feature of CityCenter, as arias are focal points in operas.

Entrance and lobby

Artwork is incorporated throughout the lobby and interior of the building. The main entrance contains a lighted water feature called "Lumia" created by WET, which syncs water bursts to music. Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., created an 87 ft (27 m) reclaimed silver sculpture of the Colorado River called Silver River which is suspended behind Aria's hotel registration desk. A result of its design, Aria is the largest hotel in the world to have received LEED Gold certification.

Hotel

Aria contains 4,004 hotel rooms within its 4,000,000 sq ft (370,000 m2). The suites make up 568 of the rooms, and a portion are referred to as Sky Suites, a AAA-5 Diamond and a Forbes Five Star hotel. Sky Suites are categorized separately since they are accessed via a private entrance and elevator, and include transportation between the hotel and airport in limousines fueled by compressed natural gas. At the time of its opening in 2009, Aria was the 9th-largest hotel in the world as measured by the total number of rooms.

All rooms have a touch-screen automation system which automatically adjusts curtains, turns off unused lights and electronics, and regulates the temperature when a guest enters or leaves the room. Room dimensions begin at 520 sq ft (48 m2). The standard suites range in size from 1,050 to 2,060 sq ft (98 to 191 m2). The two top floors of the hotel consist of a separately designated room category entitled Sky Villas, which range from 2,000 to 7,000 sq ft (190 to 650 m2) in size. All rooms outside the Sky Suite are non-smoking.

Convention center

A three-story, 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m2) convention center includes four ballrooms (three with fully functioning theatrical stages), 38 meeting rooms and a three-story 400 ft (120 m) long window overlooking the pool. As of 2009, the window was the largest glass-curtain wall of its type ever constructed in a public building. An additional 900,000 sq ft (84,000 m2) is allocated for back-of-house areas, offices, and a subterranean parking garage. In December 2015, Aria announced an expansion of its convention center with construction to begin in May 2016 and completed in February 2018.

Casino

The only casino within the CityCenter complex is located at Aria. Its 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) of gaming space includes slots, poker, table games, and a race and sports book. The gaming machines are controlled and monitored by a 3,000 sq ft (280 m2) data center and are changed to play the most popular games based on real-time data collected about the performance of each machine. Exterior windows are present along the edges of the casino floor and skylights are part of the ceiling in the high-limit gaming area, differing from traditional casino design which historically omits natural light. Lemongrass, the first Thai restaurant to be opened on the Las Vegas Strip, is one of multiple restaurants located within the casino area.

Aria Pool Deck

Located at the base of the Aria Casino is the 182,985 sq ft (16,999.9 m2) Pool Deck containing one large pool surrounded by tropical landscaping and multiple smaller pools. The general Pool Deck has a security kiosk and retail shop at the entrance as well as the Breeze Cafe, Pool Bar, and 34 cabanas. The Pool Deck structures were designed by Graft's Los Angeles office with structural engineering provided by Geiger Engineers, exclusive of the Liquid Pool area. The cabanas are structural steel covered with tensile fabric. The Breeze Cafe and Pool Bar are sweeping canopies created by layering stucco on top of unusual curved steel skeletons. A separate outdoor pool area called LIQUID Pool Lounge was opened in March 2010. The Breeze Café at Aria Pool Deck has since closed, but guests can order food pool-side from a limited menu via a waitress.


Attractions

Restaurants, clubs, spas

There are 16 restaurants as well as 10 bars and clubs within Aria, covering a total of about 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2). Julian Serrano, a tapas restaurant in the lobby named after its chef, was noted as one of Esquire Magazine's "20 Best New Restaurants in 2010". Sage, described as a contemporary American restaurant, is also located in the lobby area. Jean-Georges Steakhouse, run by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is one of only nine restaurants in the United States that serve genuine Kobe beef. Catch, a seafood and sushi restaurant known for drawing celebrities to its New York and Los Angeles locations, opened in 2018.

Among the restaurants led by celebrity chefs that have previously operated at Aria were Masa Takayama's sushi eatery BarMasa and teppanyaki grill Tetsu (both closed in 2018), and Michael Mina's American Fish (closed in 2014).

An 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m2) salon and spa covers two floors of Aria, and a coed balcony attached to the spa overlooks an outdoor infinity-edge pool.

Cirque du Soleil's Gold Lounge is located in the Aria Resort & Casino and is 3,756 square feet (349 m2). The design is reminiscent of Elvis' mansion, Graceland, and black and gold are utilized extensively throughout the décor. The bar has the same shape as the bar in the Elvis mansion as well. The music played changes throughout the night including upbeat Classic rock, commercial House music, Elvis remixes, minimal hip-hop, Top 40, and Pop. As of mid-2015, Gold Lounge is closed for remodeling and undergoing a $4 Million makeover. Jewel, will replace Haze as the new nightclub in Aria. It is set to open in March 2016.

Shows

Cirque du Soleil, CKX, Inc. and its subsidiary Elvis Presley Enterprises created a permanent show at Aria celebrating Elvis' music entitled Viva Elvis. The show premiered on February 17, 2010 and consisted of music, singers, dancers, acrobats and multimedia components that paid tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Aria's Gold Boutique Nightclub and Lounge is themed after Elvis' former Graceland home.

Viva Elvis ended its run on August 31, 2012 due to low ticket sales, and was replaced on November 1, 2012 by Cirque du Soleil's rock opera Zarkana. Zarkana closed in April 2016 to allow for the expansion of the convention center.

In popular culture

  • Aria was featured prominently in the 2013 film Last Vegas, starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline.
  • Aria was also featured in the 2013 film Now You See Me, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco.[]
  • Aria was featured in The Amazing Race 24 where teams have to find the drop zone and the finish line Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
  • Aria was featured in the 2016 film Jason Bourne, starring Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, and Tommy Lee Jones.

See also

  • List of tallest buildings in Las Vegas
Listed in the following categories:
Post a comment
Tips & Hints
Arrange By:
Monique Ramsey
22 September 2013
I love this hotel. I have stayed here twice this year. The staff is incredibly friendly - each and every one I have interacted with. The rooms are awesome - no need to upgrade. Room service is yum!
Joseph C
13 August 2014
Lots of great restaurants! Not as nice as The Cosmo, The Wynn or The Bellagio but, you get what you pay for! Liquid ain't what it used to be. Better "view" by the outer pools now. Use your MyVegas.com
Dens
6 January 2015
Go out of your way to see the amazing Andy Warhol cammo screen prints near the Sky Suite elevators
Наталья Прекрасная
I've got amazing room on 53 floor with amazing view. Breakfast is not included but you can order room service. Breakfast will coast you around $50, lunch - $90. In Aria hotel you will find restaurants
Rachyxo
8 March 2013
LOVE! My bf & i booked through Vegas.com and got a great deal on our room which included a show and a shuttle from the airport. The most beautiful hotel on the strip. You won't regret it!!! :)
Meilissa
14 December 2014
Great value for money. Massive selection and I especially enjoy the seafood section, limitless Alaskan crab legs!!
Load more comments
foursquare.com
8.7/10
2,063,515 people have been here
Map
Aria, 3730 Las Vegas Fwy, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA Get directions
Mon-Sun 24 Hours

ARIA Resort & Casino on Foursquare

Aria Resort and Casino on Facebook

Hotels nearby

See all hotels See all
Main Street Station Casino Brewery Hotel

starting $53

Branding Iron Motel

starting $90

Sunrise Inn

starting $43

Americas Best Value Inn Downtown Las Vegas

starting $50

Alpine Motel

starting $333

Lucky Club Casino and Hotel

starting $55

Recommended sights nearby

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Monte Carlo Resort and Casino

The Monte Carlo Resort and Casino is a megaresort hotel and casino on

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Bellagio Hotel & Casino

REDIRECT Bellagio (resort)

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Planet Hollywood Las Vegas

Planet Hollywood Las Vegas (formerly the Aladdin) is a hotel and

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Fountains of Bellagio

REDIRECT Bellagio (resort)#Fountains of Bellagio

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Paris Las Vegas

Paris Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
New York-New York Hotel and Casino

New York-New York Hotel & Casino is a hotel and casino on the Las

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
The Roller Coaster

The Roller Coaster (formerly Manhattan Express), or sometimes Big

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
MGM Grand Las Vegas

The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas

Similar tourist attractions

See all See all
Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Laguna Beach, California

Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Universal Orlando

The Universal Orlando Resort, commonly known as Universal Orlando, is

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Kaprun

Kaprun is a small alpine village in the district of Zell am See in the

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Resorts World Sentosa

Resorts World Sentosa is the first integrated resort in development

Add to wishlist
I've been here
Visited
Atlantis, The Palm

Atlantis, The Palm is a UAE hotel resort located at the apex of the

See all similar places