I just hosted a group at the brand new Aria resort in Las Vegas’ CityCenter. It is amazing to me that Las Vegas as a destination has been able to reinvent itself over and over; and CityCenter has definitely brought a new spin to some emerging trends. For instance, CityCenter itself holds six LEED Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council and is a global showcase for design and sustainability. So if an organization is big on Green initiatives, CityCenter is a new place to explore.
I liked the fact that all of CityCenter is built on 65 acres, so Aria did not seem too far from the shops or casinos. Unlike some hotels on the strip, it does not take a half an hour to walk back to your room after an evening out.
In keeping with the green innovations at Aria, everything in guest rooms is automatically turned off and shut down when you leave. So when you swipe your card to come back in, the room “turns on” – the curtains open up onto the strip, your radio turns on and you can even have it greet you with your name upon arrival. The rooms are pretty high tech, and everything can be controlled by touch-screen panels in your living space or by the bed. All of this technology is great, amazing and fun to play with if it works … Some of my meeting attendees had issues with panels that had to be replaced, or it was just too much and overwhelming for others. The hotel has only been open for 30+ days so you can expect the staff and issues in the rooms to be worked out slowly but surely.
We had three days of meetings and I must say the convention space is gorgeous, easy to find and everything was set up and ready to go each day I was there. We had breakfast and lunch daily and the meals, although I thought were slightly expensive, were good and they had a nice variety to choose from. The only thing I kept having to remind my convention person was to have the servers “back-off” a little – they were so eager to please, bus table and ensure the service was good that it almost became too much. Once I mentioned it, it stopped – so don’t be afraid to say something even if it is about great service as weird as it sounds.
We were a small group and I mention this because there was also a group of 1,800 people at Aria, but the way the meeting space is laid out it never felt like we were ever overwhelmed by them or that there was a lack of focus on our group. The convention service staff really did a nice balancing job.
The first evening we had free and some of us dined at Union on property and it was delicious; right off the lobby casino area so you could sit and watch the comings and goings of the hotel. Night two was at PRIME in the Bellagio and it was OUTSTANDING! The restaurant has been there for years and I have never been disappointed in a meal – and when your attendees are talking about it the next morning at breakfast you know it was a home run! The third evening was back on property at Sirio where many of the recipes they serve can be found in the Maccioni family cookbook. Although we had a preselected menu, the selection was nice and the service, presentation and food were great. It was a nice way to round out the evening dining experiences.
