Alaska Air First Class to Las Vegas & a stay in the Aria Sky Suites “Penthouse"(AS F)
Sep 21, 2014, 12:51 pm
#17
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Sep 21, 2014, 12:56 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
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Guests of the Aria Sky Suites are offered access to a “secluded lounge with complimentary food and beverage amenities including a daily wine and cheese pairing”. Given this description, I was perhaps expecting something of a large space with a view on a high floor. Instead the lounge is actually part of the windowless lobby of the Aria Sky Suites.
The atmosphere in the lounge certainly wasn’t one of exclusivity. All the arriving and departing passengers are paraded past the area. Since it’s a 2 minute walk from the elevator banks, heaps of people would stop by to load up their day bags with the free Fiji bottled water. There was such an exodus of product that the lounge attendant was apologetic to us that he was having trouble keeping the refrigerator stocked with cold water on our visit. Some photos of a quiet visit during our stay:
Somewhat like a United lounge… Meh.
Aria Sky Suites offers access to the other parts of the hotel. This meant a somewhat typical Las Vegas experience. This can be both a positive and a negative depending on what your expectations are. The access is quite discrete behind the marked door seen to the right on the green framed pictures.
The pool was jam packed on Saturday with hardly a spot to sit (without a cabana reservation). Aviation fans would have the opportunity to witness several, Eurocopter P135’s spinning across the pool overhead since the pool is on the helicopter sightseeing route. There was also lots of DJ Music Spilling over from Liquid Lounge overtop of the regular pop music soundtrack at the pool. It wasn’t a super serene experience but it was most certainly an entertaining one. Some photos from throughout the stay.
One of the best features of the Aria Sky Suites was the dining room located in the suite itself. The room service was excellent, featuring a 24 hour menu with no annoying 11 AM cut off time for breakfast ordering. I would have guessed that room service orders would have been problematic for a hotel with 4,004 hotel rooms. Despite this, our order was correctly delivered and filled within 30 minutes of calling on all three days. We had breakfast in the suite every morning and enjoyed the unique strip view along with Wall Street Journal delivered newspapers.
I can’t quite make out the demographics of the people that the Aria Sky Suites directly target. It’s clear there is a stronger Asian influence in Las Vegas more than ever before. There were Asian (Mandarin Newspapers in the lobby), mandarin on the room service menu and the usual feature of Congee and other Asian dishes to dine on. There are probably a small percentage that are staying here on comps provided by the casino. In actuality, if those in the lounge are any representation, it’s a mix of Asian, late twenties with piercings, shorts and flip flops, and other couples late thirty to early forties couples gouging the free water and drinks from the fridge to take aware to their rooms.
All in all: does the Aria Sky Suites deliver?
Yes and no. The best features include the arrival service. It can be a great value add to arrive at McCarran and be picked up in a nice car. The immediate front desk check in was also a nice alternative than joining a queue on the regular side that always seems to be a mile long (no matter which Las Vegas Strip hotel you stay in). The added amenities of the lounge, although not as chic as advertised, was a nice place to stop for a quick drink on the way out onto the town. Despite this, we still went to CVS Pharmacy for extra drinks for the room fridge. The room was also very nicely appointed and configured. Room service, whenever you want it, with a strip view is absolutely fabulous. It was also nice to use the discrete taxi rank at the North Entrance with line priority thanks to the Aria Sky Suites branded room cards.
The downside of the Sky Suites are that, once you are beyond the pampering of all the Sky Suites, you are still in Las Vegas- the city of debauchery (smiling). Unlike riding First Class on an international carrier, where you are pretty much totally walled off from the rest of the world through the travel experience suites and lounges (and can stay that way on arrival through escorts and services), at the Aria Sky Suites if you want to go gambling, dine out or head to the pool, you get to head though the party of the masses of people that are staying there. This isn’t necessarily a negative experience. However, my observations are that the Sky Suites offered a different co-mingling experience in that peace and serenity was available at your room and behind the walled areas of the Sky Suites property, and the regular Las Vegas experience was available just beyond those guarded doors to the casino floor.
We would likely be return guests to the Sky Suites and enjoyed our experience there.
The atmosphere in the lounge certainly wasn’t one of exclusivity. All the arriving and departing passengers are paraded past the area. Since it’s a 2 minute walk from the elevator banks, heaps of people would stop by to load up their day bags with the free Fiji bottled water. There was such an exodus of product that the lounge attendant was apologetic to us that he was having trouble keeping the refrigerator stocked with cold water on our visit. Some photos of a quiet visit during our stay:
Somewhat like a United lounge… Meh.
Aria Sky Suites offers access to the other parts of the hotel. This meant a somewhat typical Las Vegas experience. This can be both a positive and a negative depending on what your expectations are. The access is quite discrete behind the marked door seen to the right on the green framed pictures.
The pool was jam packed on Saturday with hardly a spot to sit (without a cabana reservation). Aviation fans would have the opportunity to witness several, Eurocopter P135’s spinning across the pool overhead since the pool is on the helicopter sightseeing route. There was also lots of DJ Music Spilling over from Liquid Lounge overtop of the regular pop music soundtrack at the pool. It wasn’t a super serene experience but it was most certainly an entertaining one. Some photos from throughout the stay.
One of the best features of the Aria Sky Suites was the dining room located in the suite itself. The room service was excellent, featuring a 24 hour menu with no annoying 11 AM cut off time for breakfast ordering. I would have guessed that room service orders would have been problematic for a hotel with 4,004 hotel rooms. Despite this, our order was correctly delivered and filled within 30 minutes of calling on all three days. We had breakfast in the suite every morning and enjoyed the unique strip view along with Wall Street Journal delivered newspapers.
I can’t quite make out the demographics of the people that the Aria Sky Suites directly target. It’s clear there is a stronger Asian influence in Las Vegas more than ever before. There were Asian (Mandarin Newspapers in the lobby), mandarin on the room service menu and the usual feature of Congee and other Asian dishes to dine on. There are probably a small percentage that are staying here on comps provided by the casino. In actuality, if those in the lounge are any representation, it’s a mix of Asian, late twenties with piercings, shorts and flip flops, and other couples late thirty to early forties couples gouging the free water and drinks from the fridge to take aware to their rooms.
All in all: does the Aria Sky Suites deliver?
Yes and no. The best features include the arrival service. It can be a great value add to arrive at McCarran and be picked up in a nice car. The immediate front desk check in was also a nice alternative than joining a queue on the regular side that always seems to be a mile long (no matter which Las Vegas Strip hotel you stay in). The added amenities of the lounge, although not as chic as advertised, was a nice place to stop for a quick drink on the way out onto the town. Despite this, we still went to CVS Pharmacy for extra drinks for the room fridge. The room was also very nicely appointed and configured. Room service, whenever you want it, with a strip view is absolutely fabulous. It was also nice to use the discrete taxi rank at the North Entrance with line priority thanks to the Aria Sky Suites branded room cards.
The downside of the Sky Suites are that, once you are beyond the pampering of all the Sky Suites, you are still in Las Vegas- the city of debauchery (smiling). Unlike riding First Class on an international carrier, where you are pretty much totally walled off from the rest of the world through the travel experience suites and lounges (and can stay that way on arrival through escorts and services), at the Aria Sky Suites if you want to go gambling, dine out or head to the pool, you get to head though the party of the masses of people that are staying there. This isn’t necessarily a negative experience. However, my observations are that the Sky Suites offered a different co-mingling experience in that peace and serenity was available at your room and behind the walled areas of the Sky Suites property, and the regular Las Vegas experience was available just beyond those guarded doors to the casino floor.
We would likely be return guests to the Sky Suites and enjoyed our experience there.
Sep 26, 2014, 9:47 am
#19
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
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Posts: 4,609
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is a beautiful place to visit at night. It has this sense of faux excitement that makes it a neat environment to spend some time in. We didn’t spend too much time exploring the Las Vegas Strip on this particular visit- sticking to the usual Mid Strip locations of Belliagio and Ceasars Palace.
Not too much detail to report here. I’ll let the photos set the mood.
“…this isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace. Did Julius Caesar stay here?”
The walk never gets old for me. The lights still dazzle and the Vegas grandeur is still there.
Las Vegas is a beautiful place to visit at night. It has this sense of faux excitement that makes it a neat environment to spend some time in. We didn’t spend too much time exploring the Las Vegas Strip on this particular visit- sticking to the usual Mid Strip locations of Belliagio and Ceasars Palace.
Not too much detail to report here. I’ll let the photos set the mood.
“…this isn’t the real Caesar’s Palace. Did Julius Caesar stay here?”
The walk never gets old for me. The lights still dazzle and the Vegas grandeur is still there.
Sep 30, 2014, 6:33 pm
#21
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
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Posts: 4,609
Sep 30, 2014, 7:41 pm
#22
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
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American Express Centurion Lounge
McCarran International Airport, Terminal 3 Domestic (“D” Gates)
Las Vegas, Nevada
We had an easy departure from the Aria Sky Suites. Despite many advertisements to check out via email, sms, or via the in suite television set, there was no line at the front counter and our check out was handled quickly and graciously. I had pre-arranged an earlier transfer of 3.5 hours at the McCarran Airport, which was changed from the default 2 hours with our Sky Suites reservation.
Our return airport transfer (included) was via a nicely appointed beige Cadillac Escalade. I personally prefer this over the blingy limo. ^
We checked in at the deserted Alaska Airlines desk at the First Class check in desk. It’s much better departing out of the domestic terminal than the tired Terminal 1 that handles the international flights.
At the time of writing, Alaska used the “E” Departure Gates at McCarran, which is in the same building as the check in desks. Alaska flights departing from Las Vegas don’t include lounge access (unless you are an Alaska Boardroom member). We had 3 hours to go before our flight so we elected to head over to the American Express Centurion Lounge in the “D” Gates, taking the short train over. The Centurion Lounge is centrally located near Gate D1 and is well marked. You have to pass through the carnival of slot machines first though…
Sleek, contemporary and crisp entrance from the concourse.
At reception, we were welcomed in. We were advised by the host at reception of a Vodka Tasting event in the lounge today and given an introduction of the lounge’s features: complimentary wifi, free flow drinks and buffet by celebrity chef Scott Conant. We were given a jar of pickled pickles from MTO Johnny Dill Pickles as a welcome amenity- a first for me on a lounge visit.
The Centurion Lounge is an absolutely terrific domestic lounge. It is probably by far the best domestic lounge that I’ve ever been in, even beating out the old Air New Zealand Koru Club in Los Angeles Terminal 2. It’s fair to say that The Centurion Lounge blows all domestic lounges out of the water.
The lounge was quite busy on our visit. The seating arrangements are a bit odd, with cubby holes and bean bag cushions to sit on.
Once you got past that, the lounge as everything I could have asked for. The bar was excellent and offered great martinis.
The décor was great. It was actually refreshing to be in a lounge that was young, hip and stylish.
The buffet was of high quality. Possibly rivaling the food served at the Lufthansa First Class Terminal due to the freshness and higher turnover of the food. Amazing to get fresh charcuterie in a lounge that was actually tasty. You’ll be hungry after these photos.
The bar area was also neat and a meeting place to actually socialize and strike up conversations. Here's a shot of the drink menu.
Although not a quiet and exclusive environment thanks to the high volume, the lounge made up for it in quality of food and drink quality. We easily found things to occupy our time here. Sampling Scott Conant food made it much easier…
The only thing that the lounge did not offer that was advertised was travel magazines. Not even a co-branded “Travel and Leisure”! To be honest, we really didn’t miss it that much.
I’ve been in a few airport lounges in my time. I’m happy to report that the Amex Centurion Lounge was the best domestic lounge experience ever. It is totally worth an extended visit if you have nothing else to do. We would easily make time to visit here on our next trip through.
McCarran International Airport, Terminal 3 Domestic (“D” Gates)
Las Vegas, Nevada
We had an easy departure from the Aria Sky Suites. Despite many advertisements to check out via email, sms, or via the in suite television set, there was no line at the front counter and our check out was handled quickly and graciously. I had pre-arranged an earlier transfer of 3.5 hours at the McCarran Airport, which was changed from the default 2 hours with our Sky Suites reservation.
Our return airport transfer (included) was via a nicely appointed beige Cadillac Escalade. I personally prefer this over the blingy limo. ^
We checked in at the deserted Alaska Airlines desk at the First Class check in desk. It’s much better departing out of the domestic terminal than the tired Terminal 1 that handles the international flights.
At the time of writing, Alaska used the “E” Departure Gates at McCarran, which is in the same building as the check in desks. Alaska flights departing from Las Vegas don’t include lounge access (unless you are an Alaska Boardroom member). We had 3 hours to go before our flight so we elected to head over to the American Express Centurion Lounge in the “D” Gates, taking the short train over. The Centurion Lounge is centrally located near Gate D1 and is well marked. You have to pass through the carnival of slot machines first though…
Sleek, contemporary and crisp entrance from the concourse.
At reception, we were welcomed in. We were advised by the host at reception of a Vodka Tasting event in the lounge today and given an introduction of the lounge’s features: complimentary wifi, free flow drinks and buffet by celebrity chef Scott Conant. We were given a jar of pickled pickles from MTO Johnny Dill Pickles as a welcome amenity- a first for me on a lounge visit.
The Centurion Lounge is an absolutely terrific domestic lounge. It is probably by far the best domestic lounge that I’ve ever been in, even beating out the old Air New Zealand Koru Club in Los Angeles Terminal 2. It’s fair to say that The Centurion Lounge blows all domestic lounges out of the water.
The lounge was quite busy on our visit. The seating arrangements are a bit odd, with cubby holes and bean bag cushions to sit on.
Once you got past that, the lounge as everything I could have asked for. The bar was excellent and offered great martinis.
The décor was great. It was actually refreshing to be in a lounge that was young, hip and stylish.
The buffet was of high quality. Possibly rivaling the food served at the Lufthansa First Class Terminal due to the freshness and higher turnover of the food. Amazing to get fresh charcuterie in a lounge that was actually tasty. You’ll be hungry after these photos.
The bar area was also neat and a meeting place to actually socialize and strike up conversations. Here's a shot of the drink menu.
Although not a quiet and exclusive environment thanks to the high volume, the lounge made up for it in quality of food and drink quality. We easily found things to occupy our time here. Sampling Scott Conant food made it much easier…
The only thing that the lounge did not offer that was advertised was travel magazines. Not even a co-branded “Travel and Leisure”! To be honest, we really didn’t miss it that much.
I’ve been in a few airport lounges in my time. I’m happy to report that the Amex Centurion Lounge was the best domestic lounge experience ever. It is totally worth an extended visit if you have nothing else to do. We would easily make time to visit here on our next trip through.
Oct 2, 2014, 10:23 am
#24
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Some of the Centurion lounge pictures look very much like their new LGA lounge. It's the same "cubby hole" seating and the same library room with the huge table. However the food is very different. Moreover, the LGA version has an entry wall of ivy like the EZE Centurion lounge and LGA does (fairly minimal) cardmember services at their reception desk rather than having a separate counter as these photos seem to indicate.
Oct 4, 2014, 12:16 pm
#25
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
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Thanks yerffej201 - I'm looking forward to more of your trip reports!!
malik2630 - you have no idea how bad it is. There are no opportunities for a Transcon Domestic $300 fare in Canada, it's mostly $700 upwards for any coast to coast fare. Those like me that are close to the border and willing to travel are lucky.
MSPeconomist - Thanks. Those are interesting observations.
The Card Services desk was used during our visit and I only occasionally saw staff there. I think it's more of a marketing plug for its suite of additional services. I personally don't use them much but I am sure some others might rely on them more than say a Visa card holder.
Some of the Centurion lounge pictures look very much like their new LGA lounge. It's the same "cubby hole" seating and the same library room with the huge table. However the food is very different. Moreover, the LGA version has an entry wall of ivy like the EZE Centurion lounge and LGA does (fairly minimal) cardmember services at their reception desk rather than having a separate counter as these photos seem to indicate.
The Card Services desk was used during our visit and I only occasionally saw staff there. I think it's more of a marketing plug for its suite of additional services. I personally don't use them much but I am sure some others might rely on them more than say a Visa card holder.
Oct 4, 2014, 12:36 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Alaska MVP, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 4,609
First Class
Alaska Airlines
LAS-BLI (Las Vegas McCarran – Bellingham International Airport)
AS 649 – First Class (P)
1:45 PM – 4:19 PM
August 19, 2014
Booked: Boeing 737-700
Flown: Boeing 737-700
We took the 10 minute schlep back to the “E” gates and to gate E14 where the “final call” for our flight was being announced on arrival. Despite the late arrival, plenty of bin space was still available and we settled into 2A/2C.
Older aircraft today with the vintage leather seats. We were offered a PDB of water in a plastic cup. I was happy to get it after the alcohol consumed on this trip, a side effect of late evenings in Las Vegas.
As always, an interesting desert experience departing out of Las Vegas. Unusual Air Traffic Control Towers, Las Vegas Strip views along side airplanes and United metal all about the apron and taxiways.
There were a few bumps on the outbound departure with some interesting photographs of Lake Mead (at its lowest water level in 30 years) and Lake Tahoe with the Heavenly Valley ski slopes visible.
Some strange printing on the sickness bags today. Aside from the obvious, any Alaska regulars know what these are normally used for?
Today’s lunch serving was chicken thigh with cilantro, carrot shreds and sliced jalepeno peppers. The peppers were hot. I usually take a dose of Tabasco, Sirracha or anything else to spice things up and this really burned! I started with Washington Merlot for drink but quickly switched to water.
Pleasant ride up with friendly staff. No movie or televisions on this flight like our last one so nothing to do except stare out the window. . .
Passing over Sea Tac Airport in Seattle with nice approach into Bellingham today. Gorgeous San Juan islands.
Quick landing in Bellingham. No jet bridges here, just a ramp attached to some wheels over an open air sky.
The bags were out really quickly with only one plane needing to be un-stuffed. The last photo of this report comes complete with a baggage hall “running child”.
Before we knew it, we were off to Costco for a kilogram of Beecher’s cheese. After a tank of gas and 20 minutes up the road and we were back home without any problems.
All in All, Alaska Airlines staff were much happier than those from the legacy carriers. I don’t know what culture the CEO is fostering, but it was starkly a better service than many other United flights and Air Canada flights that I’ve taken in the past 10 years. Using the Bellingham airport was another terrific experience that made things much easier, instead of more complicated.
The Aria provided pretty good service. MrsWT73 has been talking already about headed back to Las Vegas and the Sky Suites are likely on the list. It’s not a true boutique hotel experience since you’re in such a massive hotel, but it did offer a more attentive stay than the public side. The nuances of the property were much more refined.
Thanks for reading. Happy contrails.
Alaska Airlines
LAS-BLI (Las Vegas McCarran – Bellingham International Airport)
AS 649 – First Class (P)
1:45 PM – 4:19 PM
August 19, 2014
Booked: Boeing 737-700
Flown: Boeing 737-700
We took the 10 minute schlep back to the “E” gates and to gate E14 where the “final call” for our flight was being announced on arrival. Despite the late arrival, plenty of bin space was still available and we settled into 2A/2C.
Older aircraft today with the vintage leather seats. We were offered a PDB of water in a plastic cup. I was happy to get it after the alcohol consumed on this trip, a side effect of late evenings in Las Vegas.
As always, an interesting desert experience departing out of Las Vegas. Unusual Air Traffic Control Towers, Las Vegas Strip views along side airplanes and United metal all about the apron and taxiways.
There were a few bumps on the outbound departure with some interesting photographs of Lake Mead (at its lowest water level in 30 years) and Lake Tahoe with the Heavenly Valley ski slopes visible.
Some strange printing on the sickness bags today. Aside from the obvious, any Alaska regulars know what these are normally used for?
Today’s lunch serving was chicken thigh with cilantro, carrot shreds and sliced jalepeno peppers. The peppers were hot. I usually take a dose of Tabasco, Sirracha or anything else to spice things up and this really burned! I started with Washington Merlot for drink but quickly switched to water.
Pleasant ride up with friendly staff. No movie or televisions on this flight like our last one so nothing to do except stare out the window. . .
Passing over Sea Tac Airport in Seattle with nice approach into Bellingham today. Gorgeous San Juan islands.
Quick landing in Bellingham. No jet bridges here, just a ramp attached to some wheels over an open air sky.
The bags were out really quickly with only one plane needing to be un-stuffed. The last photo of this report comes complete with a baggage hall “running child”.
Before we knew it, we were off to Costco for a kilogram of Beecher’s cheese. After a tank of gas and 20 minutes up the road and we were back home without any problems.
All in All, Alaska Airlines staff were much happier than those from the legacy carriers. I don’t know what culture the CEO is fostering, but it was starkly a better service than many other United flights and Air Canada flights that I’ve taken in the past 10 years. Using the Bellingham airport was another terrific experience that made things much easier, instead of more complicated.
The Aria provided pretty good service. MrsWT73 has been talking already about headed back to Las Vegas and the Sky Suites are likely on the list. It’s not a true boutique hotel experience since you’re in such a massive hotel, but it did offer a more attentive stay than the public side. The nuances of the property were much more refined.
Thanks for reading. Happy contrails.
Nov 28, 2016, 9:53 pm
#28
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: St. Paul, MN
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, IHG Gold, HH Silver
Posts: 448
Great report, worldtraveller73. It looks like you had a great trip to Las Vegas, and great to see photos of the Aria Hotel. I stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel last year and walked past the Aria daily, and wondered what the rooms were like inside.
Wow those are some small First Class meals. I like that AS serves something, but this should be regarded as more of a "snack" as opposed to a regular meal.
Thanks for sharing!
Wow those are some small First Class meals. I like that AS serves something, but this should be regarded as more of a "snack" as opposed to a regular meal.
Thanks for sharing!
