In the last few months, I have had the opportunity to stay in both the Aria Tower Suites and Aria Sky Suites. I’ve received a lot of questions about whether the Sky Suites experience is worth the price or not, so here’s a breakdown of the offerings so you can decide if the value is right for you.
Arrival
The Aria Sky Suites experience comes with a roundtrip luxury airport transfer, which is a lovely experience. Upon arrival at the airport, we were picked up outside of baggage claim in a gorgeous stretch limo and whisked away to the private entrance of the Sky Suites (about a 15 minute ride).
There was no curbside “meet and greet”, but since it is a private entrance, it’s easy to find the check-in area. Our ride back to LAS was in a significantly older, quite tired SUV, so we didn’t quite see the value in the transfer back (upon exiting the car at the airport, part of the seat fell off when I jumped out). I’m not sure why they don’t stick to the stretch limos in both directions, but it did leave a sour taste in my mouth.
My recommendation: request the stretch limo in both directions…after all, you are paying for the lux experience.
The Aria Tower Suites do not come with a roundtrip transfer or a private entrance. However, it’s a short ride, and I always take Uber, where a roundtrip fare is about $20-$35 depending on the time of day. It may not be a limo, but it’s a short ride. If you did want to splurge, a limo from LAS to your hotel would cost around $100 one way.
Upon arriving to the Aria, there is no curbside “meet and greet” and you do need to find your way to the Towers Suites lounge, tucked away on the left side of the lobby. The welcome email you receive the day before arrival does explain where it’s located, so it wasn’t hard to find (assuming you read the email :)).
Check-in Experience
The Sky Suites private entrance is quiet, peaceful and very tucked away in the property. There is a small seating area in front of the check-in room, where they serve a light continental breakfast and afternoon hors d’oeuvres / wine. The small check-in room can get quite tight during peak hours (11am checkout and 3-4pm check in), but the agents are friendly and efficient.
It’s not quite the in-room check in experience at the Waldorf Astoria, but it’s ok. I was expecting a slightly more elevated check in experience, to be honest. We arrived early and our room was not ready, which was fine as we headed to the pool for some R&R. Once our room was ready, we headed back to the check-in desk to pick up our keys. The Sky Suites have a private elevator bank that takes you to your floor, located behind the check-in lounge.
The Towers Suites lounge is conveniently located near the main entrance of the Aria Hotel, but about 3-4 minutes through the casino from the guest elevators. The Towers Suites do not have a private entrance like the Sky Suites. The lounge is large and open, making it feel like a true “lounge”.
Make sure you check in at the Towers lounge and not the main check in counter. The lines at the main counter can last almost an hour!
The agents are friendly, efficient and actually acknowledged my M Life Gold status upon checking in. I arrived late, around 7:30pm so there was no line, but I didn’t see one form at any point during the weekend. Inside the lounge, there are several seating areas as well as a long bar with snacks and coffee at the back wall.
After check-in, I made my way through the casino to the guest elevator bank that is accessible to anyone staying on property. The Towers Suites are integrated into the main Aria hotel experience and are not located in their own tower. The suites are located on every floor and you access your room the same way guests in standard rooms do, so slightly different experience than the Sky Suites.
Aria Suites
We were booked in a One Bedroom Aria Suite in the Aria Sky Suites. I’m not sure why the website says every room is a corner room…it’s definitely not, but it’s still beautiful.
The room is 1,050 square feet and has a spectacular view over the mountains. The in-room amenities are excellent and include Lather bath products, a well as bath salts to use in the jetted tub. There is a Toto toilet (the fancy ones with the warm seat ;)) and a gorgeous shower. The turndown service includes a lavender hand cream, lavender temple balm and chocolates. Overall, the room is very quiet, comfortable and luxurious.
In the Aria Tower Suites, I booked a “Center Suite Strip View“. Note that the Center Suite also does not have a corner view…again not sure why the website says that. According to the property, there are 12 of these suite rooms. Note that the photo on the website has a superimposed image in the window as these suites do not go higher than the 19th floor. I know this, because I called down when I saw how unfortunate the view from the bedroom and bathroom was. Therefore, if you’re looking for the view room, book a Corner Suite instead. The view from the bedroom was of a dirty roof with several cans of Monster energy drink loitering about. I can, however, say that the living room view was beautiful. But, just know this when booking, you will not have the beautiful strip view from your luxurious bathtub. Regardless, the room was a great size at 1,075 square feet. There is a large living room, 2-queen bedroom and a massive bathroom complete with a jetted tub and large rain shower. The same fancy Toto toilet appears in these suites as well.
The Tower Suites have the same luxurious Lather amenities, including the bath salts. You must request turndown service, and if you do, the turndown is very nice. It’s almost the same as the Sky Suites turndown. The only difference is you do not get the lavender hand cream or temple balm. You do get the chocolates, though ;).
Note, in neither suite did we receive a welcome amenity as they state on their website. I have no idea if this is a consistency issue or if they just chose to no longer offer this, but I’d be curious to find out.
Facilities and Amenities
Aria Sky Suites has access to the private Sky Pool with upgraded service, fruity water, cushioned loungers and free COOLA sunscreen. The Sky Pool is a great treat and is very separated from the rest of the pool area. Due to the close proximity of the Sky Pool to the LIQUID day club, I’d recommend sitting on the side of the pool located next to the main entrance of the Sky Pool. The service at the Sky Pool was excellent and super attentive throughout our stay. By day 2, the staff knew who we were and had our pool chairs ready for us in the morning.
Sky Suites also have access to the lounge, mentioned earlier. One thing to note is that I almost felt like the Sky Suites entrance and lounge was an afterthought when constructing the hotel – almost like it doesn’t quite belong. Regardless, in the evenings, they offer a complimentary wine and cheese pairing, which is a nice touch. You can sit in the lounge and enjoy a nice happy hour before heading out for the evening.
They also offer small appetizers throughout the day and a light breakfast in the morning. You can take soft drinks and water at any time throughout the day. I always grabbed several bottles of water on my way up to the room since water at any of the shops is about $6.
Unlike the Sky Suites, the Aria Towers suites does not have access to the private Sky Pool and does not offer any other private pool area. Despite this, I did not seem to have any issue grabbing a lounger by the pool at any point during the weekend. The Towers Suites does, however, have access to a private lounge. The lounge offers a light snack throughout the day, non-alcoholic beverages and coffee/espresso all day. The Towers Suites actually has an amazing coffee machine that was not available in the Sky Suites lounge. The lounge also offers a light breakfast of croissants, muffins and coffee. There are no gluten free options.
In terms of the two lounges, they are very similar. The only difference is that the Towers lounge does not serve alcohol. However, the Towers lounge felt like a luxurious escape from the Casino floor, unlike the Sky Suites lounge area.
Overall
Overall, the Aria is one of my favorite properties on the Strip. The hotel is clean, modern and has generally great service. When I think about the Towers Suite versus Sky Suite experience, it comes down to value for me. Personally, I loved the Aria Towers experience and did not find it all that different from the Sky Suites experience, but I may have had higher expectations for the Sky Suites.
If money was no object, I would go for the Sky Suite, but you can get great value out of the Towers experience as well (just make sure you book a corner suite and not the center suite). People have asked me what I think they should do and my answer is to think about the price difference. I’d book the Towers Suite experience in a heartbeat and still have plenty of money leftover for shows, dining and activities, and maybe even pay for a fancy limo from the airport ;).
Aja Taylor
Super helpful! I stayed at the sky suites two years ago and like you, was slightly underwhelmed. High expectations I guess, but still a great experience overall. We did get a welcome basket with a few treats but it came in the evening, no where near check in time. I’m taking my children to the tower suites (limited sky suite availability) and happy to have found your review that suggests the experience is equally on par, minus the few amenities. Thank you so much!
Voyager Guru
Hi Aja! Thanks for your comment! It’s a bummer that you also felt it wasn’t worth the upgrade, but also glad you’re doing tower suites!! I genuinely think that it’s a way better deal than sky suites. Have a great time!!
Elizabeth Tucker
Thank you for the great and helpful review.. We’re getting ready to book our trip for April an was wondering what the difference between the two were. We have comped offers for the Tower suites but there’s an extra $200+ per day for the Sky suites. Since there are not too many differences in amenities, we’ll be booking the Tower suites. Thanks again!
Voyager Guru
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for your comment! Comped offer sounds great- I think honestly the tower suites are worth the free stay versus paying the additional – we weren’t that impressed with sky suites! Enjoy your trip!
Andrew
Great review! We are staying in September! I had a couple questions you may or may not be able to answer. 1)is there mobile check-in/check-out for the sky suites or do you have to do the desk version? 2) is turndown service/maid service optional or mandatory for sky suites. Thanks and have a good one!
Voyager Guru
Hi Andrew! Thanks for your comment! Happy to help 🙂 1. There is a mobile check in for the standard check in so I imagine that applies to skysuites as well, however, since they will chauffeur you from the airport to the private check in lobby, it’s a nice experience to check in at the front desk there. Maid service is rarely mandatory and you can certainly request they don’t enter your room should you need your privacy. There is a DND button on the wall panel next to the door as well. I hope this helps!
Steve Rapp
Quite helpful as I visit in August. I wondered about the difference between the tower and sky suites. Thank you.
Voyager Guru
Hey Steve, so glad it was helpful, let us know if you need any other tips for Vegas! Also if you haven’t booked already, email us at team@voyagerguru.com, and we can probably find you some deals!
Stacy
Great review! I just wanted to offer what I believe is the reason they call each room a “corner”. The way the building is constructed with a staggered effect, the bedroom and living room each have about a foot of side window on one end which, to me, really opens up your view to more than just straight ahead. It was one of the first things I noticed and I actually said to my friend “this really makes a difference in the view “.
Voyager Guru
Hey Stacy! Thanks so much for your comment! Yea, I think maybe if you end up getting a high floor it’s probably ok. I was unfortunately on a low floor and the roof was not a good view