Aria received LEED Gold certification for its environmentally friendly design, and is the largest hotel in the world to achieve such a feat.

The hotel has 4,004 rooms and suites, and is a recipient of the AAA Five Diamond Award and a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide.

Zarkana, a new show by Cirque du Soleil, opened two months later and ran until the theater's closure.

Construction of CityCenter began on June 25, 2006, with a concrete pour for the project's main resort, unnamed at the time.

[13] Although it was built as a luxury resort, Aria had to adjust its strategy upon opening and appeal to a lower-income clientele amid the recession.

[26] Real and fake trees are located in numerous resort facilities, including some of the restaurants.

[28][29] Technology was incorporated in the resort's exterior and interior design,[30] specifically for the reduction of energy consumption.

For its environmentally friendly design, Aria received LEED Gold certification, becoming the largest hotel in the world to achieve such a feat.

[34] However, the resort has an advanced air filtration system which eliminates smoke on the casino floor.

[35][36] In addition, blackjack tables had built-in air curtains to deal with smoke and protect dealers.

[37] Upon opening, Aria was among the world's most technologically advanced resorts, with features such as touchscreens located throughout the property, including its convention center and restaurants.

[38] Rooms automatically adjust curtains, turn off unused lights and electronics, and regulate the temperature when a guest enters or leaves.

It gave high roller players direct access to the cashier's cage and 24-hour table-side dining, and would be the location for the highest stakes games at Aria.

[79][80] Bar Masa and Tetsu closed in 2018 and were replaced by Catch,[81] a $7 million seafood restaurant opened later that year.

[84][85][86] The restaurant's design includes a canopy made of ropes that hangs over the bar area.

The 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m2) space reopened in late 2022 as Proper Eats, a food hall with a dozen options,[101][102] including a pizza restaurant by DJ Steve Aoki.

[110][111] Aria also included the 3,756 square feet (349 m2) Gold Lounge by Cirque du Soleil, built to accompany the resort's Viva Elvis show.

[112][113] The lounge doubled as a nightclub with DJs playing a variety of music from different decades.

[115][116] Artwork by several artists, including Tony Cragg and Antony Gormley, is located throughout Aria.

[119] A traffic circle is located in front of Aria's south entrance, with a fountain in the center.

Known as Lumia, the fountain features programmable water streams which collide with each other, changing colors in the process.

[119][120][121] Also located near the south entrance is Focus, a curved water wall made of stone imported from India.

[123] Latisse, an indoor water wall made from a series of glass panels, is located at Aria's north entrance.

It cost $170 million and added 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2),[125][126][127] taking the place of the resort's showroom.

[131] Aria's pool deck measures 215,000 sq ft (20,000 m2) and features acacia, bottle, palm and pine trees.

[140] It premiered on February 17, 2010 and consisted of music, singers, dancers, acrobats and multimedia components that paid tribute to Presley.

[32] Viva Elvis ended its run on August 31, 2012 due to low ticket sales, and was replaced on November 1, 2012 by Cirque du Soleil's rock opera Zarkana.

[128][129] Early guest reviews were generally negative, with wide-ranging complaints concerning slow check-in, the dark casino design, high-priced amenities, malfunctioning room electronics, and poor service.

[144][145] In a positive review, Fred A. Bernstein of The New York Times praised the hotel's technological features and luxury.

This included improved wireless service, a brighter casino, and a revamped buffet appealing to value-conscious visitors.