Housed within the massive and absolutely breathtaking CityCenter development, the Vdara Hotel is housed in a 57 floor building building also containing units sold as condos.
The Vdara image: Joe Vare
Condo owners have the option of renting their units out as hotel rooms when they are not living in them, and those rooms combined with the remaining unsold units comprise the Vdara hotel.
Because the 1,495rooms were built to double as condos, they are all suites and all quite large. They are also very well appointed, complete with refrigerators, washers, and driers. In addition to standard standard night-to-night hotel rooms, the hotel also rents the suites out on a long term (30 days-plus) basis.
The building itself is quite beautiful, and it mimics the curved structures of the adjacent Aria Hotel.
Like the rest of the CityCenter development, the Vdara building incorporates impressive architectural features. Its triple-arc design allows for six corner suites per floor, giving it even more impressive views.
The public spaces are elegant and quite beautiful, blending in well with the rest of CityCenter. While there is no casino here, there is a great one right next door (via a pathway) in the Aria Hotel.
Vdara hotel room photo: Joe Vare
As with the other CityCenter buildings, there is great artwork in the public areas of the Vdara, including Nancy Rubin’s massive canoe shaped sculpture “Big Edge”, which is on display by the entrance to the hotel.
There is not much in the way of dining in the hotel (a small deli is located in the lobby). But there are plenty of dining options in both the adjacent Aria Hotel and the Crystals shopping center, so you won’t have to walk very far at all for world-class dining from the likes of Wolfgang Puck and Todd English.
The pool deck at the hotel is also quite beautiful if not quite as large as at other hotels on the Strip. It’s a great place to cool off and relax and even check out some beautiful people.
The bottom line with Vdara is this: it’s not a five-diamond mega resort like Aria, and it’s not a five-diamond luxury boutique like the Mandarin Oriental. But what it IS is an elegant and beautiful four-diamond hotel located within the truly awesome CityCenter resort complex.
Here, you don’t get the same luxuries that you might get at a place like Aria or Bellagio, but what you do get is a great room at an even better price. If you want a cup of coffee and dessert at 3AM, you will have to either make it in your kitchen area or take a bit of a walk to a neighboring hotel.
But ask for a south facing room on an upper level overlooking the Bellagio Fountains. You’ll get a room with one of the best views in town, and you won’t have to break the bank to experience the luxury and beauty that is CityCenter.
