I understand why people call this a luxury hotel, but the Wynn or Four Seasons it is not.  By Vegas standards I would call it an upper-class resort and the Wynn would be the top 1%.  Don’t get me wrong, you get a lot for your money, since the room rate for a deluxe room generally ranges from $200 to $400 dollars (excluding special events).  My first stay here started off rocky. Using my Amex platinum card, I am eligable to get a room upgrade when available.  I do understand what "when available" means, and I will go so far as to say when using my Amex platinum, outside of the Wynn, I usually don’t get an upgrade. But at this stay at the Aria, the front desk agent had the audacity to tell me and my wife that there were no upgrades available under my Amex platinum but for an extra $50 per night we can be upgraded to a deluxe strip view room – whaaaaaaaaaaaat!!? Not only did the Aria slap me in the face, the front desk agent had a "shrug your shoulders" attitude about it.

On a second visit, once we made it to our rooms, my wife went to the bathroom toilet and found a surprise.  I didn’t see it, didn’t want to see it, but you can probably guess what it was.  A housekeeper just happened to be in the hallway and when told about the situation she handled it quickly and beautifully.  I also called the front desk and explained to them my disappointment in a Forbes four-star hotel room not being cleaned properly between guests and was given $100 resort credit.

Despite my complaints about the customer service, I must say the Aria’s casino floor is awesome.  The energy and vibe of the Casino is what people imagine while in Vegas.  With that being said the last time we were at the Aria they had removed some of my favorite slot machines, so I’ll have to see how this effects my enjoyment during future visits.

Was it worth the splurge?  Despite the customer service not being what you would expect from a Forbes four star hotel….the vibe on the casino floor is hard to resist, so I would have to say...Yes.