Vdara Hotel & Spa

The Vdara Hotel & Spa is a hotel close to the Center Strip in Las Vegas, located minutes away from the City Center and the action on the Las Vegas Strip. Compared to other hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, what’s unique about the Vdara is that it does not have a casino. My family and I stayed here for 3 nights in an executive corner suite on the 15th floor for $335 / night, including a $55 daily resort fee, plus a $100 dining credit each night to be used at most restaurants within any MGM Resort (net cost after is $235 / night), including buffets, restaurants, bars, and much more. On a scale from 1 to 5 stars, how many stars is the Vdara Hotel & Spa going to get? It’s going to get what? It’s going to get 2 stars. You may be asking how a high luxury hotel can earn only 2 stars? So now, I will go into the pros and cons of why the Vdara got 2 stars and why it didn’t get 5 stars: Pros: 1. Location - The 1st pro is the location. The Vdara is located minutes away from the Center Strip, close to the center of the action and legendary properties like the Bellagio, the Aria, and the Cosmopolitan. The Shops at Crystals and the new Arte Museum are just minutes away from the hotel. There are direct covered walkways to both the Bellagio and the Cosmopolitan, as well as an outdoor walkway located by the drop-off area to the Aria. 2. One of the Stops on the Aria Express Tram - The 2nd pro is that Vdara is one of the stops on the Aria Express Tram, a FREE tram operating between the Bellagio / Cosmopolitan / Vdara and Aria / Park MGM resorts. The tram also serves The Shops at Crystals. The tram operates daily from 8 AM - 2 AM the next day. With that tram, guests have seamless access to almost everywhere within the Las Vegas City Center. When I have long walks from one end of the strip to another, that tram for sure is an energy saver. 3. Large Suite - The 3rd pro is that our executive suite was spacious and big, offering not only 2 rooms, but also a kitchen with dish detergent, and even in-room laundry washer and dryer machines, to which we got FREE detergent at the hotel lobby. The view was gorgeous, seeing the Aria and Allegiant Stadium right from our windows. I really liked the multiple desks and the large room for my family and me to sit down. Our room didn’t just have 1 bathroom, but 1.5 bathrooms. The refrigerator and freezer are both large, allowing us to store several large food and beverage items inside. This room reminded me of the great memories I had staying at Hyatt House hotels in the past. 4. New and Modern - The 4th pro is how new and modern our suite was. All of the furniture and items in the room felt brand new. The bathroom was nice and clean. The in-room tablet is also very nice in that for most of the restaurants and services at the Vdara and the Aria, making a reservation is just a tap away. When walking in every time, the lamps and desks felt like a homecoming. 5. Dog Park on Site - For families with pets, the 5th pro is that there is a dog park on site. Located just outside of the Vdara Main Lobby, there is a dog park for dogs to roam and run around. A great place for your furry friends to play and have fun. Now onto the cons. There are several cons that really brought this hotel rating down to 2 stars. Cons: 1. Parking Accessibility - The 1st con is the poor parking accessibility at the Vdara. Vdara offers valet parking to its guests at $40 / night. Self-parking guests are encouraged to park at the Aria Self Parking Garage, which is at least a 10-15 minute walk from the Vdara Main Lobby through the outside dropoff area, or 2 stops away on the Aria Express Tram. Definitely an inconvenience for those dragging a lot of luggage. We ended up parking at the Cosmopolitan and dragging all the luggage over since the Cosmopolitan garage was closer. Also, self-parking is $20 / night for guests at both the Aria and the Cosmopolitan. 2. Malfunctioning Tablet and TV - The 2nd con is that upon our arrival, we found that 1 of our TVs, as well as the in-room tablet, was malfunctioning. The in-room tablet died on charger 5-6 hours after we checked in. The living room TV closest to the kitchen stayed on one 1 screen, and I had significant trouble changing the channels. From the 2nd night onward, the TV worked here and there, but the tablet still had issues charging, with us finding the tablet only at 62% in the morning of check out, after being on the charger the entire past 3 nights. 3. Lack of Clear Signage - The 3rd con is the lack of clear signage in certain areas. There was no signage inside or around the Vdara to direct Vdara guests to the Aria Self Parking Garage. I even went to the 3rd floor and was shocked to not find any clear signage that the pool was closed. The doors were shut and could be opened only from the inside, meaning if guests let the door shut on them on the other side, they would be locked out. 4. Not Many Things to Do in the Hotel - The 4th con is that there are not many things to do in the hotel. As a small, quiet hotel, lacking a casino, the vibe is pretty much quiet for a good chunk of the day, missing the true casino experience on the Las Vegas Strip. Unlike other hotels like Caesars Palace or the Venetian / the Palazzo, there’s not much to do within the Vdara. If you like very quiet spaces and value privacy over the number of things to do, then this can for sure be a pro. Now onto the fatal cons. The next 3 cons were all very fatal: 5. Overbearing Security Policies - The 5th con is the high and overbearing security policies. All guests are required to scan their room key when entering the elevator area AND when in the elevators, only being allowed to select the floor they reside on, in my case, the 15th floor. While I understand the need to check the key before entering the elevator area for the guests’ safety, having them scan again in the elevator and then only being allowed to select their floor is just too overbearing. As someone who likes to walk around and explore different floors of the resorts I stay in, I find this to be disturbing. In the past, I’ve stayed at hotels where I had extended family staying on different floors at the same time. These security protocols make gatherings and community in guest rooms almost virtually impossible. Even though during this stay, I did not have any family or friends residing on different floors, I ask, “What about guests with family and friends living on different floors?” Most other non-MGM Resort Hotels, like the Venetian / the Palazzo and the Wynn / the Encore, while requiring a valid key scan to access the guest elevator area, generally allow guests to select any floor once the key is validated. On the day we checked out, the staff even came to check on us like security guards at 11:03 AM, 3 minutes after checkout time, all after denying us our request to extend the checkout to 12:00 PM. This all tells me that the hotel does not trust its guests in the name of ‘security’. Registered paying hotel guests are treated like suspects rather than as genuine extended family members of the hotel. If you like very high corporate-building style security during your stays, then this might be a pro. 6. Rude and Hostile Staff - The 6th con, and I would say the most fatal con that really brought this rating down, is the rude and hostile staff. This ties back into the 5th con. As I tried to go onto the 43rd floor hallway to get a higher view of the Las Vegas Valley, I was threatened with security by one of the workers working towards the western end of the floor. Even after telling him I was a registered hotel guest and that I write hotel reviews and that I would put this as a con, he said in a mean and snooty tone, “Go ahead!” He talked to me with suspicion rather than with hospitality. Following my encounter with him, I complained to the front desk, and even Celeste, the front desk worker, was just as mean, rude, and snooty as him, using the Mandalay Bay shooting incident from a few years ago to defend her rudeness. She even said flatly out loud, “Families and friends staying on different floors cannot visit each other.” Even after I mentioned that I would mention this incident and that con in my review, Celeste also said in a rude tone, “Go ahead!” The staff were very rude and did nothing to empathize or make amends with me. Next, we requested a late check-out of 12:00 PM, but were denied. Then a staff member came to check in on us at 11:03 AM, only 3 minutes after the checkout time. Instead of thanking us, it looked like he wanted to evict us. 7. Lack of Transparency and Follow Through - The 7th con, and I would say also a very fatal con, is the lack of transparency and follow-through from the hotel staff. Due to our TV malfunctioning and the shower drain being jammed on our 1st night, management promised to give us an additional $50 credit for our meal. We called the front desk on the day we checked out and were instructed that the $50 credit would immediately apply after checkout. Several hours after we returned home, despite promises made by the front desk, the $50 service credit has not been applied, nor have we received the requested email receipt. Even a day after checking out, neither the credit had been applied, nor had the email receipt been received. At the rate of $335 / night we paid, this lack of transparency is unacceptable. This is why the Vdara deserves 2 stars from me. Would the cons prevent me from staying here again? Unfortunately, the cons for sure would prevent me from staying here again, especially the last 3 fatal cons. People may ask me, ‘How about the great room you had and the very nice amenities that came with it?’ I can’t give a good rating to a hotel that treats its guests like second-class citizens. A good, high-end, luxury room isn’t worth anything if it doesn’t come with great hospitality. I would even much rather stay in a hotel with worn-out carpets or old furniture, like The LINQ, that treats its guests as one of their own, than stay in a luxury hotel that treats its guests as second-class citizens. The Vdara staff, especially Celeste and the worker on the 43rd floor, did nothing to improve their relationship with my party and me. Even in tough events like shootings, hotels can implement stricter security protocols without instilling fear and infringing on the rights, experience, and trust of their paying guests. I would recommend that families, friends, and parties that are splitting into multiple rooms (e.g., weddings, baby showers, parties, special occasions, social gatherings, etc.) AVOID this hotel, as the security protocols prohibit guests from visiting their family and friends on different floors. Also, those who love to explore and want a genuine hotel community should also AVOID this hotel. Where should they stay instead? I would instead recommend them to stay at other hotel properties, such as: 1. The Venetian / The Palazzo 2. The Wynn / The Encore 3. Caesars Palace 4. Planet Hollywood 5. The LINQ / The Harrah’s 6. Treasure Island 7. Off-strip casinos like The South Point, the Red Rock Resort, and Green Valley Ranch 8. Off-strip non-casino hotels like the Hilton and Hyatt Hotels These hotels prove that hotels can be safe and secure without being hostile. Overall, this is for sure a big disappointment from a high-end hotel like the Vdara. I will not be spending any of my money at this property again anytime in the near future and will be taking my business elsewhere to the hotels listed above.

We’ve stayed at this Vdara six times, so we have definitely made it a first choice. The signs that a hotel is experiencing major financial challenges are subtle.That may have happened on this visit. Housekeeping was erratic and inconsistent, requiring multiple calls that often went unresponded to, That was after a 5-10 minute wait on hold, I can understand not furnishing the suites with any kitchenware—perhaps it’s too often stolen. Harder to understand is offering utensils that are cheap plastic, what you would find at a Wendy’s. There was a flood of people at Valet, so the 50 minute wait for the car was perhaps understandable. I might suggest that if financial problems are occurring the correct response would be to improve service, not to reduce and cut corners. The room was a two bedroom penthouse suite and it was fine.

We stayed at Vdara in Las Vegas as a large extended family group for Christmas and a birthday, with a total of six children all age five and under. We selected this hotel specifically because it is non-smoking and does not have a casino, which led us to believe it would be more family-friendly than many other properties on the Strip. Unfortunately, based on our experience, we would not stay here again and would not recommend it to families with young children. We booked four rooms (all two queen studios) and encountered significant facility and service issues. Two of the rooms were located directly above extremely bright exterior floodlights that were aimed upward toward the windows. As a result, toddlers in both rooms were unable to sleep at night despite attempts to mitigate the light. In another room, the refrigerator was not functioning. We contacted the front desk four separate times. Maintenance staff came out multiple times but ultimately stated there was nothing they could do. Because of this, we were forced to discard a large amount of food we had brought for our group of 15 people, including meat and cheese intended for the toddlers. There was not enough space in the other rooms’ refrigerators to accommodate the food. One of the main reasons we chose Vdara was the presence of kitchenettes (and stoves) in each room, as we planned to prepare meals for the children during our stay. Due to the broken refrigerator and lack of resolution, this benefit was effectively lost, and a majority of our food had to be thrown away. The hotel did provide partial refunds of resort fees for the affected rooms, specifically 2 nights of resort fees ($120) for one room with the flood light issue, and 1 night of resort fees ($60) for the broken fridge, but the overall handling of the issues by the front desk was very disappointing. Communication with front desk felt transactional rather than understanding, and solutions were limited. The $180 we were refunded when we spent $4k in rooms and could not sleep or use their “amenities” did not feel right. At one point the front desk actually recommended that next time we book a larger suite (vs a studio room) if we wanted to ensure a working fridge???? Such an odd statement when it should be expected all fridges would work. During the same trip, we visited Mandalay Bay and its aquarium and found that property to feel significantly more spacious and accommodating for families with young children. While we are not certain whether Mandalay Bay is fully non-smoking, it appeared noticeably more toddler-friendly and is a hotel we would be more inclined to consider in the future. They seem to even have a wave pool and a “beach like” pool that young kids would love (it was closed for winter though)! Overall, while Vdara may appeal to some travelers, our experience suggests it is not well-suited for large families with young children, particularly when reliable facilities and responsive service are essential. We would not recommend it to families with young children. Unfortunately, we left with a bitter taste in our mouths.

This was one of the worst hotel experiences we’ve ever had, and absolutely unacceptable for a Las Vegas property that claims to be “luxury.” We arrived at Vdara around 12:00 p.m., fully aware that check-in was at 3:00 p.m. Our goal was simply to drop off our luggage and let the front desk know we were there in case the room became available early. We were told to return at 3:00. We went out sightseeing and returned just after 3:00 p.m. to officially check in, only to be told the room was still not ready. While inconvenient, we were patient and waited. After about 45 minutes, we checked again and were given conflicting explanations — first that the previous guest had trashed the room and the carpet had to be ripped up, then that the room had been flooded. At that point, it was clear no one was being straightforward with us. We couldn’t get a clear answer and were largely ignored. Around 5:30–5:45 p.m., we were finally called and told the room was “ready,” though we were informed the carpet was still being dried with an air blower. We agreed, as we simply needed a place to put our luggage. When we entered the room, there was an overwhelming deodorizer smell. While unpleasant, we assumed the carpet had just been shampooed and tried to make the best of it. The next day was much worse. After being out, we returned to a room with an extremely strong odor that we could smell from about 30 feet down the hallway. We contacted the front desk and had to argue just to get someone to come up. When housekeeping arrived, they stated that the carpet had been scrubbed and all of the bedding had been changed, even though the issue was supposedly limited to a damp floor and odor. This only added to the confusion and inconsistency we experienced throughout our stay. Housekeeping said they would scrub the floor again, and we agreed to leave for 5–6 hours. I personally stopped at the front desk to confirm this before leaving and took photos of where the air blower had been placed. When we returned later that evening, nothing had been done. No cleaning. No follow-up. We had clearly been misled. Management at this hotel was awful and cowardly. At no point did anyone in management speak to us directly. Instead, they hid behind walls and repeatedly sent others out to tell us that management was “busy at the moment.” We were lied to repeatedly, and no one took responsibility for anything that occurred. The room was so unbearable that our children had to sleep with friends elsewhere. This was especially disappointing because Las Vegas at Christmas was otherwise a great experience — festive, lively, and surprisingly family-friendly for our kids (8 and 12). Unfortunately, the hotel portion of the trip completely overshadowed what should have been a memorable holiday. To be clear, the Airbnb owners were not the issue. They were over 2,000 miles away and handled the situation professionally, ultimately refunding the reservation in full. The failure here was entirely on the hotel staff and on-site management. Hospitality is the job here, and Vdara failed at it on every possible level. What we experienced was not just poor service, but a pattern of dishonesty, avoidance, and complete lack of accountability from both staff and management. This property is badly run, misrepresented as “luxury,” and clearly unconcerned with how guests are treated. We will never stay here again and strongly urge others—especially families—to stay elsewhere and avoid the frustration and disrespect we experienced.

Our stay was very nice. Front desk staff was very friendly and most helpful. Room was clean and well layed out. Elevators were quick and readily available. Check in and check out was super easy and quick.