Vdara Las Vegas Review
As a Vegas local, it is always a treat to stay at a property on the dazzling Las Vegas Strip. My stay at the Vdara was excellent, and I have always enjoyed my time here. It is a different property than you are probably used to, as it is non-gaming, and that can be a pro or a con. I enjoy it since it is a bit quieter, but there are some things that I didn’t like. In this Vdara Las Vegas review, I’ll go over my stay, including the room, service, the great location of this hotel, and more.
Booking the Vdara
I booked our room at Vdara about 2 days before our stay. We were initially supposed to stay at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach, but it was almost as hot in Vegas, so we decided to do a staycation. The room rates were very steep, which is expected during peak times on the Strip. Thankfully I had a friend who gets discounts at MGM properties which helped us out a bit.
- Vdara Studio Stay Well Room Cost: $85 for Friday night & $215 for Saturday night. (Resort fee waived as an MGM Gold member.)
Using our friend’s discount turned into a great move! The regular rates, in comparison, were around $350 per night. Yikes! Even the Excalibur was about $200 per night. Had we had to pay the regular rate, we would’ve likely gone to Long Beach or stayed home.
It is also possible to redeem Hyatt points at the Vdara. The Vdara is a Category 5 property in the World of Hyatt program, which means that the pricing is 17,000 points on off-peak dates, 20,000 on standard dates, and 23,000 points on peak dates. On busy dates this can be a good redemption, but outside of that Hyatt redemptions in Vegas aren’t always the best value.
Vdara Las Vegas Review – Location
The Vdara has my favorite location out of all the Vegas hotels that I’ve stayed at. It is located between Aria and Bellagio, but it is set back from Las Vegas Boulevard. I think it has a perfect balance, as you are in the center of the action, but you can also get away from it at the same time. This is because Vdara doesn’t have a casino (although it’s a very short walk to Aria) and it also doesn’t have any concert venues.
Vdara Check-In Experience
After school/work, my parents and I checked into the Vdara. I called the night before to see if we could get a better room than what we booked, which is a Stay Well Studio room. Fortunately, I spoke with a very kind front desk agent. She put us in a Fountain View Studio Parlor Room. Not bad for Labor Day weekend!
The lines were quite long, as expected, for check-in. But overall, it isn’t as bad as it would be at MGM Grand or Mandalay Bay. The process took a while because the front desk agent asked for my dad’s MGM Rewards card. She told us that it was because the Vdara doesn’t have a rewards desk, and this is the only way we could get our resort fees waived. I found this to be interesting, but I assume the Rewards Desk agents are the ones who waive resort fees at the other MGM properties. After that process, we were off to our room on the 43rd floor!
Vdara Las Vegas Review – Fountainview Studio Parlor Room
Our room on the 47th floor of Vdara’s tower was very nice. When you enter, you are greeted with two refrigerators on the right, both of which are empty, along with a microwave, a small cooktop, and a sink. On the left, there is a small desk/table. Further down, there is a couch that functions as a pullout couch. The room also has a stunning view. This is the second-best hotel room view in Vegas, in my opinion, with the best being the Wraparound Terrace Suite at the Cosmopolitan.
Now back to the room. There is a small wall with a television on either side and after that, you get to the main bed area. There is a king-sized bed and a bathroom on the right. The bathroom has a shower, a separate, bathtub, and a toilet. The toiletries are from Vive, and they are vegan. Wi-Fi in the room was fast, and you just have to agree to the terms.
Thoughts on the Room
Overall, I like this room a lot. This is the second time I’ve stayed in this room, and nothing has changed. Vdara could use a renovation in a few years, but it has held up surprisingly well. I did notice there was some dust on the desk, but otherwise, I found the room to be clean. I also really enjoyed how big this room was. While it is not as big as the Delano suites, this is in a better location. You can’t beat the views either, as there were panoramic views of the North Vegas Valley.
Vdara Las Vegas – Amenities
The Vdara has average amenities, though the pool “situation” is the best in Vegas. There is also a small gym located on the second floor that can get very crowded. It features a wide variety of equipment from Technogym. I did take some pictures, though one of the employees told me I couldn’t be in there because I am not 18…
The pool and hot tub are located on the third floor. This was crowded whenever I went, but I found 5 PM was the best time to go. Note that the Vdara pool is only open seasonally and will be closed during the winter season, but you can go to Aria’s pool instead if it is open. Overall Vdara has an excellent pool and I really enjoyed that there were 3 very large hot tubs, with only one of the hot tubs being crowded.
Vdara Review – Food and Beverage
At the time of my stay, the food and beverage situation at Vdara was not great with the Market Cafe undergoing renovations. There are normally three restaurant options: Market Cafe Vdara, Starbucks, and the Vice Versa lounge. Compare this to MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, where there are over 30. That isn’t quite a fair comparison though, because City Center itself has dozens of places to dine.
With Market Cafe only serving grab-and-go, Starbucks had long lines, leaving the only decent option, the Vice Versa lounge. This restaurant is open for breakfast during the Market Cafe renovation, but it is not a great option if you are looking for something quick.
Late Checkout & Service Issues
Overall, the service at Vdara was average. I know that Vegas isn’t known for personalized service unless you are a high roller, but I found most people to be friendly, including the front desk agents and housekeepers.
While our stay was a very positive one, there was a small issue when requesting a late checkout. On the morning of checkout we requested to leave at Noon instead of 11 AM, but were denied by the front desk. After speaking to a supervisor we were given the hour, however this is something to be aware of. Free late checkouts in Vegas are becoming more and more rare.
Earning Hyatt Points
Hyatt and MGM have a partnership, meaning it is possible to earn Hyatt points when staying at Vdara. Unfortunately, in my case, it wasn’t automatic nor was it easy. After the stay, my points failed to post, so I had to continue following up. I called about once a week and the Hyatt agents told me they couldn’t do much until a month after the stay. I finally spoke with a Hyatt supervisor who started an “investigation” and she told me it would likely take 72 hours to get the credit. Thankfully it only took about 4 days in the end or about 5 weeks from my checkout date. Persistence is key here.
Vdara Las Vegas Review – Final Thoughts
So what is the final verdict of this Vdara review? My parents and I enjoyed our stay for several reasons, including the location and view. I also really enjoyed the pools, as that is something that we can’t do every day as locals. While I do like the rooms overall, they probably could use a renovation sooner rather than later. I hope to stay here again in the future, and I highly recommend it despite some small service issues & frustrations.
What are your thoughts on the Vdara? Let me know in the comments below!
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Vdara’s pool looks very bland, especially by Vegas standards. I don’t understand why people gush over it (you aren’t the only one who has raved about it).
That being said; I have never personally experienced it, and I was unaware you can access Aria’s pool too. I have been to Aria’s pool, and I would rate that one as merely above-average.
I think I was more referring to the pool situation in the articles. I agree with you that Vdara does have a very bland pool, and it is nothing but a square shape.
But overall, yes I think the pool situation as a whole is great. We got into the Bellagio pool once during our stay, but when I went before that, I was denied access. I just wanted to mainly see if we could get in. My favorite thing about hotel pools is their hot tub, and Aria has by far the best hot tub set up in vegas, so that’s the main draw for me. Their pool area was good enough, but nothing to write home about.