Aria: Inside of City Center’s new luxury hotel

by Grant Martin on

The hottest new development in Las Vegas, City Center, is in the midst of a rolling opening this year, a sprawling glass and steel complex in the heart of the south strip. Among the most recent additions is Aria, an MGM hotel and casino billed as chic luxury. Gadling stopped by for a look last month.

In 2010, we’re at the point in hotel design where oversight is just not made. Rooms, environments and features – especially at an MGM property — are all engineered to suit a target demographic, and any missing or superfluous facet is as such for a reason. Aria’s rooms and hotel strike me as perfectly engineered for my friend Bruce’s mom.

The rooms, to start, are gorgeous, well appointed (and stocked,) clean, wood and white, with very tasteful art, floor to ceiling windows, automatic curtains and enough digital gadgetry to make any technophile dance with glee. Perhaps the best part of the room is the digital control that rests on the nightstand between the beds, a touch screen from where lights, curtains, music and television can be coordinated.

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It is a handy but clumsy and slow interface, with frequent delays in response, breaks in communication and the occasional curse word. One accustomed to the speed of an iPod touch or iPhone, for example, might feel frustrated at the speed of the interface, while those less familiar with the technology will likely be more patient. That said, its novelty is outstanding, and once calibrated to its idiosyncrasies, most users should be happy.

A connectivity panel further enhances the multimedia capability of the room, with space to plug in HDMI, RCA, mini-jacks and to also charge USB devices. Once connected, it’s reported that external devices can be controlled through the bedside touch panel, though we were unable to locate cables to connect our iPhone.

And speaking of iPhones, AT&T reception at City Center is atrocious. Whether this is by design or because there is too much bandwidth strain in the area is unclear, but it’s something to keep in mind in case you have an important call to make.

Inside of the sprawling first-floor casino, trademarks of the standard MGM properties are apparent, a semicircular floor with satellite drinking and entertainment establishments scattered about, clean, well integrated design and generally smooth flow. Pursuant to their apparent targeted demographic, a steady, mid volume stream of adult contemporary music is pumped through the public areas (of note, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Rob Thomas,) enough to get a mid-life pair of vacationers in the mood for white wine or maybe make a teenager cry. And though we were unable to participate in much of the food, drink and nightlife options, the $24 morning buffet was delicious, well attended and refreshing, with rays of sun reflecting in from an adjacent courtyard.

It is these glimpses of sunlight that are perhaps my favorite part of the Aria Hotel and City Center in general, a real contrast to much of the Las Vegas architecture of the 90’s. With numerous angles, glass and mirrors, the entire campus seems to glow with energy, from the luxury mall on one shoulder to the well appointed (free) art gallery on the other. For these reasons its at least worth walking through the complex to absorb the grandeur.

Lewis the Duck welcomes younger guests to Homewood Suites by Hilton

by Scott Carmichael on

Some hotels consider their pool to be the only way to entertain younger guests. Homewood suites by Hilton takes welcoming kids one step further by being the only chain in the world to publish a line of children’s books.

The books revolve around the adventures of an adorable wood duck called Lewis. In the books, you join Lewis on his trips. Not only are the books really well written and illustrated – they are also educational. In the first book, “Lewis the Duck and his long trip”, kids learn about hotels and how to locate a Homewood Suites (look for the duck!). In the newest book, “Lewis the Duck goes to Canada”, kids learn about our neighbors to the north.

The books are available in the “Suite Shop” at Homewood Suites properties, or online at the fantastic Lewistheduck.com. At that site, kids can also play a Lewis the Duck game or create their own Lewis luggage tag. The books cost $7.99.

One cute fact I learned – the books are written by the global head of Homewood Suites brand management – Bill Duncan. As we mentioned earlier this week, Homewood Suites are a great pick for families traveling with kids, and being able to read to your kids from a Homewood Suites may make their trip even more enjoyable.

Take “The Negotiator” on the road with the new Priceline app for the iPhone

by Scott Carmichael on

I’ve been a huge Priceline fan ever since I scored my first $20 five-star hotel room back in 2001. The ability to “name your own price” and hope for the best may seem scary, but after your first couple of rooms, you learn to have faith in “The Negotiator”.

Up until now, accessing Priceline required a desktop or laptop, or a lot of patience on a mobile browser. Thankfully, iPhone users can now download the free Priceline app for their device.

The application is very slick – you can complete the entire booking process on your phone, using the name your price feature. Best of all, the app makes it very simple to locate nearby properties, ensuring you don’t end up with a hotel 40 miles from where you actually wanted to be.

If you have used Priceline in the past (on the web), you’ll instantly recognize the process. If you have never used Priceline, all you need to know is that you can’t pick an exact hotel when you name the price you are willing to pay. The only two things you can request are the star rating and the location.

This location is based upon a region Priceline specifies. For a city like Chicago, the map is split into eight different areas. Each area is mapped inside the application, so you get a general idea where you could be staying.
To start the booking process, you pick your star rating, check-in date, number of rooms, and of course the price you are willing to pay. Priceline gives you a number they think is the “average”, but you should obviously try starting a little lower. After providing your name and a credit card number, the Negotiator starts looking for your hotel room, at the price you gave them. If accepted, you’ll have a reservation. If not, you can re-bid, but the process gets a little more complex. I recommend reading our “mastering Priceline article” to learn the best way to utilize your free re-bid.

If you’d rather not gamble, you can book hotel rooms the old fashioned way. In fact, the Priceline app has a very competent regular booking system built right in. Like any mobile hotel booking application, you pick a location and get a list of all the hotels in that particular city. You can then filter the rooms by rating and location.

The hotel listings provide quite a bit of information – you can locate them on a map, read about their amenities and read customer reviews. To book, you can click to call the Priceline reservation line, or make a booking directly in the application.

All in all, another very well made iPhone app. Programs like this are what make the iPhone such a travel friendly device. If you are a fan of the Name Your Own Price method of booking, you’ll love how easy it is to book within the program. The application is free and can be found in the App Store (iTunes link). Even if you don’t want to gamble on naming your own price, you can use the application as a great hotel finder.

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Radisson Blue Coming to Mongolia

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It’s time to go to Mongolia! Almost. In winter 2011, the country will welcome the Radisson Blu Hotel Ulaanbaatar, the first Rezidor Hotel Group property to hit Mongolia. This will increase the company’s tally to 61 countries, says Rezidor president and CEO Kurt Ritter. You’ll find the new Radisson Blu right in the heart of the country’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, walking distance from Sukhbaatar Square and Peace Avenue, and it will be adjacent to the Choijin Lama Temple, which is home to an eighteenth century gold-covered statue of Buddha Shayaryamuni.

The property will have 175 guestrooms, three restaurants (including a microbrewery) and a wellness center – not to mention close to 5,000 square feet of conference and meeting space. Needless to say, this will be helpful in accommodating the increasing number of tourists to Mongolia, which has been growing at a compound annual rate of 15 percent since 2006.

So, if you’re looking to check out the temple or trod some of the same dirt as Genghis Khan, you’re about to get another lodging option.

New York City’s Jane hotel, from $69 through March

by Amy Chen on

Shoebox-size hotel rooms in New York City are notoriously overpriced, especially since you’re usually too busy running around the city to spend enough time in them.

The Jane hotel could be the antidote — now through March, the starting price has dropped down to $69 for a single room (compared to $99). A room with bunk beds now starts at $79. Note: these 50-square-foot rooms have communal bathrooms and are extremely narrow — the wall-size mirror can only do so much to conjure airiness. The rooms, which were modeled after train and yacht cabins, do at least come with built-in drawers underneath the twin beds and overhead luggage racks so you’re not tripping over your stuff.

If you’re claustrophobic, though, you may be happier booking one of the 250-square-foot Captain’s Cabins for $179 (normally $250-$300), which have private bathrooms.

For once, these prices match the size of the rooms. Besides, The Jane’s location in the West Village really makes it hard to justify spending too much time in the tiny rooms anyway.