ARIA vs Vdara: Which Las Vegas Hotel Fits Your Trip?

Choose ARIA for a casino resort with restaurants, nightlife and a larger pool experience inside the property. Choose Vdara for an all-suite, non-gaming hotel with cooking facilities that depend on the category. They sit beside one another on the ARIA Campus, but they are separate hotels. The right choice is mostly about what you want around your room, rather than which is closer to the Strip on a map.

	ARIA	Vdara
Location	Center Strip	Center Strip
Price level	Luxury	Upscale
Best for	Design lovers, foodies, spa fans	Non-gamblers, families, longer stays
Pool	Large resort pool deck plus the 21+ LIQUID Pool Lounge	Pool deck with cabanas (hotel guests)
Casino	Yes	No (non-gaming)
Resort fee	$55 + tax per night	$55 + tax per night
Parking	Self-parking $20/day for hotel guests; valet $40/day	Self-parking $20/day for hotel guests; valet $40/day
Check-in / out	3 PM / 11 AM	3 PM / 11 AM
Rates	Check ARIA Rates	Check Vdara Rates

What changes between the two hotels?

Decision	ARIA	Vdara
Arrival experience	Casino resort	Non-gaming hotel
Accommodation	Rooms and higher-category suites	All-suite accommodation
Cooking	Do not assume a kitchen in a standard room	Kitchenette or kitchen depends on category
Dining	More choices within the resort	Smaller on-site selection; neighboring resorts matter more
Pool priority	Larger resort-pool setting	More compact hotel-pool setting

Read the full ARIA review and Vdara review if one side already sounds closer to your trip. This comparison focuses on the decision between them.

Rooms: compare the layout you will use

ARIA’s standard accommodation is a hotel room, while Vdara’s accommodation is sold as suites. That wording does not mean every Vdara category has a private bedroom behind a door. Check the floor plan if one traveler needs to sleep while another works or watches television.

Vdara becomes more attractive on a longer trip when its living space and food-storage arrangements help with everyday routines. ARIA becomes more attractive when you want a hotel room attached to a broad restaurant, casino and entertainment offering.

For a celebration, compare ARIA’s higher-category suites with the specific Vdara suite you would book. Do not compare the largest suite pictured at one hotel with the cheapest entry category at the other.

Kitchens, refrigerators and meals

Vdara is the first place to examine if a kitchenette is part of the brief. Nevertheless, the appliance list varies. Check for the refrigerator, microwave, cooktop and any cookware separately. A minibar is not the same thing as a personal refrigerator.

At ARIA, a standard room should not be selected on the assumption that it has residential cooking facilities. The room-amenity guide explains the difference between minibars, personal fridges and rental appliances. Our kitchen-hotel guide helps compare Vdara with alternatives.

Location and getting between resorts

Both hotels work well for plans around the ARIA Campus, Bellagio and The Cosmopolitan. Vdara’s connections to Bellagio and The Cosmopolitan are useful, while ARIA puts you within its own casino-resort environment.

Being neighboring properties does not make every route short or step-free. Use the property map to locate the room elevators, pickup points and route you expect to use. For travelers with limited mobility, the journey from the room to the destination matters more than the gap between hotel markers.

The ARIA Express tram helps with travel within this part of the Strip. Read the connected-hotels guide before building an itinerary around indoor routes and resort connections.

Pools, spas and the public spaces

Choose ARIA when a substantial resort pool complex is part of the attraction. Choose Vdara when a smaller pool setting fits your stay and you do not need a dayclub atmosphere. Check seasonal opening and guest-access conditions at the hotel you actually reserve.

Do not assume that booking one hotel grants unrestricted use of the other’s pools. Spa treatments and access to spa facilities are also separate purchases unless your reservation explicitly includes them.

Vdara’s non-smoking, non-gaming environment is a meaningful advantage for travelers who want to avoid a casino lobby. It is not a promise of silence in every room. ARIA’s casino is an advantage for travelers who want that experience downstairs.

Which is better for couples, families and a first trip?

For a couple planning restaurants and casino evenings, ARIA can make the trip easier because more of the activity is in the same resort. For a couple who wants a calmer base and meals or snacks in the room, Vdara deserves the closer look.

For families, select the legal guest capacity and actual beds before deciding between brands. A larger suite does not automatically allow more guests. A family of five should compare approved configurations rather than entering two adults and adding children later.

For a first trip, both can support a central-Strip itinerary. ARIA provides a conventional casino-resort experience; Vdara gives you more separation from it while keeping nearby access.

Fees and the comparison that matters

Compare complete prices for matching dates, guests and cancellation terms. Include resort charges, taxes and parking. If Vdara’s kitchen saves you meals, count those savings realistically; if you will eat out anyway, the kitchen may not justify a premium.

Hotel	Area	Resort fee	Parking	Booking.com
ARIA Resort & Casino	Center Strip	$55 + tax per night	Self-parking $20/day for hotel guests; valet $40/day	Check prices
Vdara Hotel & Spa	Center Strip	$55 + tax per night	Self-parking $20/day for hotel guests; valet $40/day	Check prices

Prices vary according to travel dates and availability. Choose ARIA for the resort around the room; choose Vdara for the room setup and non-gaming base. If kitchen suites are your priority, also compare Vdara with The Signature.

FAQ

Are ARIA and Vdara the same hotel?

No. They are neighboring hotels with different rooms, public spaces and amenities.

Is Vdara a better choice for avoiding smoke?

Its non-smoking, non-gaming hotel environment is the relevant advantage. Your route through neighboring casino resorts may still involve smoking areas.

Can I cook in every Vdara suite?

Check the exact category and appliance list. Kitchenette, full kitchen and personal refrigerator are different features.

Sources: ARIA accommodation, Vdara accommodation and MGM’s ARIA and Vdara overview.