ARIA Resort & Casino Opening: Viva Las Vegas (and Elvis Too!)

Smack in the middle of it all, ARIA Resort & Casino is the most “Vegas” of CityCenter’s properties with: 4,004 rooms, fine-dining restaurants (and the quintessential all-you-can-eat Vegas buffet); spa; nightclub and lounges; and casino. Did we even mention the new Cirque du Soleil “VIVA Elvis” show? We gathered some useful tidbits on the brand new property during a sneak peek just days before the official opening. And since we never fail to include a hotel deal where possible, we have ARIA hotel deals covered as well.

For People Who Like: To be the center-of-attention and where the action is—especially as the new “hot spot.”

Property Overview: This mega resort is the axis of CityCenter and offers everything from hotels, restaurants, gambling, state-of-the-art conference center, pool, spa and more. Attention-to-detail with ARIA’s design is noticeable everywhere, with an underlying, principal design focus on nature (subtle, leaf-patterned carpets and walls is an added touch on the casino floor). While still a Vegas casino, ARIA attempted to let in as much natural light as possible (a typical no-no for casinos) with floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights.

Rooms: As a large-scale hotel-casino property, even ARIA’s standard rooms did not disappoint—particularly in the high-tech sector. Every single room comes equipped with a 7” Control4 touch screen to monitor every controllable aspect of your room—including setting the alarm to the lighting, TV, music and temperature you’d like to wake up to. ARIA’s Sky Suites will attract high-rollers with a private check-in, private elevators and at 2,000-7,000-square feet, plenty of space to play host for in-room entertaining. We preferred ARIA’s room décor over the other properties. With a contemporary mix of bright colors and patterns with some funky wall art and white vinyl headboards above every bed, we likened it to a more modern, younger version of the rooms at Wynn.

Food: CityCenter jam-packed the majority of restaurant and entertainment options here at ARIA. Where else can you find restaurants by Jean George, Michael Mina and Sirio Maccioni within 10 yards of one another and then venture downstairs to the casino level for culinary treats by Julian Serrano, Masayoshi Takayama and Shawn McClain. Any gastronome will have a field day here. Note: You can make online reservations at any of ARIA’s fine dining restaurants HERE. We recommend the handmade spinach raviolis at Sirio’s, Shawn McClain’s “farm-to-table” appetizers at Sage and chocolate crepes at Jean-Philippe Patisserie.

Entertainment: Even if you’re not a major Elvis fan, seeing the new Cirque du Soleil’s VIVA Elvis show will be worthwhile if you want something different. Don’t expect the major circus-like acrobatics of other Cirque shows; this reminded us more of a Broadway show. Stop for pre-show drinks at the Elvis-themed GOLD Lounge where an impressive list of cocktails (try the Blue Suede Shoes) awaits, at equally impressive prices ($17 a pop). Las Vegas nightclub forerunners, The Light Group, designed a number of swanky, too-cool-for-school vibe spots within ARIA, including The Deuce Lounge, Union and Haze—the property’s only nightclub, which will open on New Year’s Eve. Note: Online Nightlife Table requests can be made HERE.

ARIA Hotel Deal: ARIA’s “City Center Offer” includes rates starting at $159 with a $75 resort credit (ARIA only) for a two-night minimum stay from Jan. 2 – Mar. 4, 2010. The $159 rates are available for Sun.-Thurs. stays, with weekends ranging from $199-$399. We called to confirm that the resort credit may be used towards VIVA Elvis tickets, although tickets need to be purchased in-person at the resort while you’re staying there. ARIA CityCenter Offer Deal Details HERE.

Booking Note: Hotel rooms are spread across multiple buildings. If possible, try to stay in the tallest building where rooms either directly face CityCenter’s entrance and the strip (rooms end in even numbers) or face west towards the mountains and The Palms (rooms end in odd numbers).

ARIA Resort & Casino Hotel Deals HERE