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I had a conference at the MGM Grand last week and stayed for two nights. I had not been a guest in the hotel for over 15 years, but I’m pleased to report that the hotel is well maintained and a decent choice if you need to be in the hotel or at that end of the Strip.
Anthony’s Take: While I still prefer the Bellagio (review here) and Crockfords (review here), the MGM Grand was fine for the night. The property is huge and it has just about everything you’ll need within the resort. My room was clean, well maintained, and comfortable. I wish that bar soap was provided as its removal is nothing more than a cost-cutting move.
Booking
This room was booked through my company and part of the block of rooms it held for the show. I don’t know how much it cost, but rooms at the MGM can be had for as little as $49 during the week when there are no events in town. I was booked into a Grand Two Queen room. Due to my MGM Gold status, the resort fee was waived. This saved $39 plus $5 in tax. The resort fee includes Wi-Fi, access to the gym, and free phone calls. MGM and World of Hyatt disbanded the program they had for years (Marriott will be taking its place in 2024), so I was unable to get any credit towards elite nights or points for this stay.
Transportation to/from the Hotel
I took a taxi from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) to the hotel. It cost $30 and took around 7 minutes to drive the approximately three miles with no traffic. When I left the hotel, I took an Uber Comfort back to the airport for $19.
Location
MGM Grand is at the south end of the Strip across from New York-New York Hotel & Casino. The Strip is easily accessible and it’s a short walk to many of the other hotels. I generally prefer to stay in the middle (Bellagio or Cosmopolitan) but this was fine for this trip since the conference was here.
Check-in
I arrived at the hotel around 12:00 AM and had already checked in with the app. My mobile key was ready, so I did not stop by the front desk. The check-in area is massive and there are several lines to help guests.
I love that you can find elegant flower arrangements in so many of the Las Vegas resorts.
There is a separate check-in lounge for MGM Rewards Platinum and Noir members.
With F1 in town the week I was there, a car was on display near check-in.
My room was in the Grand Tower. The elevators are located off of the casino floor.
The elevator lobby has a huge fountain and several elevator banks.
Multiple elevators serve each section of the hotel. These are split by the floors they serve.
The hallways on each guest floor are huge with multiple halls filled with rooms connecting in a center rotunda.
There are some seats in the hallway.
The hallways were clean and in good repair.
Soda and snack machines were down the hall from my room.
Grand Two Queen Room (28-237)
There are 6,852 rooms and suites at the MGM Grand. It is the largest hotel in the United States. The Grand Two Queen Room was booked for me and no upgrade was given.
The bathroom was on the left side as soon as I entered the room. It had a vanity, toilet, and bathtub/shower.
Bottles of hand wash and body lotion were on the counter. There was no bar soap provided.
The bathroom was a good size with the toilet in the back corner.
The room had a bathtub/shower combo, which I am not a fan of in hotel rooms. The water pressure was fine and I like the tile in the bathroom.
Additional wall-mounted, MGM Resorts branded body wash, conditioner, and shampoo were in the shower.
A closet was near the bathroom. It held a luggage rack, hangers, an iron, and an ironing board.
The bedroom was just past the closet. It had two queen-sized beds.
Two chairs were near the window.
A desk and chair were on the opposite wall.
A TV was across from the beds in a unit that also housed the minibar.
A refrigerator was on the side. It was locked and no key was provided.
Bottled water and a few other items for sale were next to the TV.
An ice bucket, but no glasses were on the other side.
A sign warned against smoking (it was recently updated to include marijuana, which is legal in Nevada but not in the hotel).
The safe was in the nightstand between the two beds.
The view wasn’t too bad.
Amenities
As I was here on business, I did not have time to use the pool. The pool is actually a 6.5-acre complex with four swimming pools, three whirlpools, cascading waterfalls, and a Lazy River. The hotel also has a casino, convention center, 27 restaurants, multiple bars, lots of retail stores, a spa, and a fitness center.
The District area of the hotel houses many of the MGM Grand’s restaurants. It’s also the way to the pools, spa, fitness center, and convention center.
The fitness center is not huge, but it’s accessible to all guests over the age of 18 as part of the daily resort fee.
The fitness center had a good assortment of machines and free weights.
The spa is located near the fitness center.
Overall Impression:
I was pleasantly surprised by the MGM Grand. I had not stayed here in a very long time, but found the property well maintained and perfect for my quick trip and conference located inside the hotel. I still have my favorites (and will return to those soon), but I would stay here again.
(Pool and Spa Image Credits: MGM Resorts.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
I stayed here about a year ago and found that it went downhill. All the furniture in the room felt frumpy, and the clientele was pretty trashy.
This was my first Vegas hotel back in 2008, and it will always have a sentimental place in my heart, but the hotel’s intent is to be “mid-tier” and it’s currently falling short of that.