5-star hotel
ARIA Resort & Casino
When Pelli Clarke Pelli’s shimmering twin towers rose in 2009, they promised a Las Vegas stripped of kitsch—no fake canals, no pyramids, just serious architecture and Maya Lin sculptures. Fifteen years later, ARIA remains the Strip’s most sophisticated address, though the future is showing a few cracks. The lobby, scented with the signature 'Asian Garden' vanilla-wood fragrance, still stuns with its Silver River sculpture, but the check-in lines can be grueling. Upstairs, the rooms feel like a bachelor pad from a very good year. The Control4 tablets—once revolutionary—still deftly manage your blackout curtains and lighting, even if the furniture now bears the scuffs of a thousand bachelor parties. The real draw is the culinary roster: skip the tables and head straight to Carbone for the Spicy Rigatoni and Veal Parmesan, or watch the dumpling theatre at Din Tai Fung. The pool deck’s three teardrop basins offer a civilized reprieve, provided you snag a lounger early. Service wavers between five-star polish and mega-resort fatigue. **Verdict**: It’s no longer brand new, but ARIA remains the best 'adult' decision you can make on the Strip—sleek, central, and blessedly theme-free.
