New study ranks MGM's Aria as Strip property with best air quality

According to a study from manufacturer of air purifier products Wynd, Aria Resort & Casino is the Vegas Strip property with the best air quality. It is followed by Park MGM -the Strip’s only smoke-free hotel-casino-, while Wynn Las Vegas placed third in the ranking.

Wynd employed its Indoor Air Quality Tracker for the study, with researchers crowdsourcing “tens of thousands of data points” to measure and benchmark indoor air quality across 28 hotels on the Vegas strip. The company took measurements within the lobbies or common areas of these facilities.

What’s interesting about the report is that it showed there exists a significant difference between indoor air quality levels between the properties, with the worst one (unnamed in the report) being 80 times worse than Aria, the top-rated resort. These differences exist despite the fact that the venues are within close proximity to one another.

“The reason why this study matters is because the level of indoor air quality has a direct effect on both long-term and short-term health, and there can be stark differences between buildings, even in the same area,” claims Wynd.

Park MGM in Vegas Strip

Data collected by the manufacturer suggests the average air quality in Aria, Park MGM and Wynn Las Vegas is “just as good as outside air” on a non-polluted day and, in fact, “may be better than outdoor air.”

In comparison, five hotels fell into the moderate level of concern: air quality is acceptable, although there may be a risk for some guests, particularly those sensitive to pollution. However, one establishment fell into the unhealthy range, and another in the very unhealthy range, defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as an “increased health risk for everyone.”

The study suggests that air inside a quarter of the casinos in the survey was worse than an average day in Beijing, reports KLAS. According to Raymond Wu, CEO and founder of Wynd, the intention of the survey was not to single out the worst properties but instead to celebrate the resorts that were doing a good job with air quality.

“We wanted to produce the study as people get back to indoor settings,” said Wu, who denies any business relationship with any property named. “In some ways, it took a pandemic for people to realize that indoor air quality is essential to their health, their productivity and their safety.”

The report comes as air quality in casinos becomes an increasingly important topic, in particular since the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the study was criticized by non-profit Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights which, according to KLAS, called into question the motives of the report, described as likely a motive for the air purification company to seek clients in the industry.

Chris Moyer, head of communications for ANR, argues that filtration systems do not protect people from second-hand smoke, instead simply deodorizing the air. Moyer, who is supporting the fight for a smoking ban in New Jersey casinos, claims venues are “knowingly exposing” employees to health risks while clinging “to outdated business practices.”

While Nevada isn’t seeing efforts on behalf of non-smokers or casino employees, New Jersey has been drawing attention as of late as proposals for a permanent smoking ban at Atlantic City venues gain momentum in the legislature.

Employees in Atlantic City casinos have long asked for the prohibition to be introduced, thus closing a loophole in the state’s current smoking law specifically exempting gaming venues, while the state industry has warned a ban would result in significant job losses and a decline in revenues.