ARIA is probably not the best hotel on the Strip but it sure is nice (and well situated in the middle of the Strip) - if you're looking for both comfort and location, ARIA definitely has the right touches.
Cost-wise, everything is (unsurprisingly) a bit on the high side from restaurants to coffee and whatnot. There are some cheaper eats if you don't mind walking a little bit across the street like at Planet Hollywood - just be aware that you're going to pay for a bit more nearby. Still, even though they're price, you do have some solid choices like Julian Serrano to Lemonagrass.
The casino floor is relatively classy and fairly nice. It is smoky sure but it has definitely a more mature feel to it with some piano moves going on at a bar to the nice number of tables all-around.
Service on our part was pretty solid all around. The only drawback I had was the wait for the room which was going to be hours longer than expected. Luckily, I was motioned to go to a customer service rep. who helped me get a room immediately (had to slightly downgrade to a lower floor but the rep. was kind enough to still make it as high as possible). Everything else also came on time or fairly quickly whether it was the housekeeping to the luggage.
The king bed room itself was awesome. Smaller than a suite but thought the bed was super comfy and the tech. in the room was cool (the shades opened up automatically as I walked in which was a great touch). The restroom was also neat and beautiful. I thought the decor of the hallways were a little too retro but everything else design-wise was great (especially love the lobby which is always decorated with something beautiful).
One final worthy note is the location. It's really centralized so you can really not go too wrong unless you have to be the far north or south of the strip. Otherwise, the Cosmo/Monte Carlo/Planet Hollywood are a simple walk away.
All-in-all, it's not the best hotel stay I had in the world but it was well worth the price and worth the location.