The MGM Grand has 5,034 rooms and bills itself as the"City Of Entertainment." I can always count on having
the farthest room in the entire gi-normous complex.
If you book here, plan to walk...a lot.
You'll see a lot of marble and brass lions. In fact, the
lion in the front of the hotel is the largest bronze statue
in the USA. Its the mascot of the MGM studios.
The MGM is supposed to show the glory of old Hollywood
and the MGM studio. I find it to be way too big to
easily navigate and too freaking loud at night when the
nightclubs are pulsating.
The rooms are OK. Nothing special. The bathrooms have
a lot of marble, a tub, shower, marble vanity and the
usual assortment of toiletries. in fact the bathrooms
are a bit Hollywood glam. One room even had a vanity.
The rooms sport a desk, tv, phone, and
are very comfortable and clean.
The standard rooms are nicer than the Hollywood
suites. I didn't like the Hollywood suites,
they seemed dingy and dated and a tad dirty.
I got a free suite upgrade twice and would rather
have been in a standard room. Both times they had
the "ick" factor. It looked like there were icky
stains on the velvet sofa and
I refused to sit on it.
I also found the ventilation systems in the hotel
to cause a lot of sinus problems in the room.
I had a constant headache and sinus problems in
a non smoking room, husband had sinus and sneezing
that stopped once we left the room.
There is a difference between the standard rooms in
the main hotel and the west wing. The west wing used
to be the old Marina hotel and they built the MGM
around the property. The rooms are ultra small but
have just been redone to have an upscale and funky
feel to them and a small window. Some like them,
some hate them. I need a room with a big window
and space to spread out my stuff.
All the rooms have photos of old movie stars staring
down at you. You'll even see the pics in the public
restroom stalls, which can be startling to see an old
Hollywood leading man locking eyes with you when
you enter the bathroom stall.
There is a row of high end restaurants and shops on the
way to the monorail station. Very chichi. The coffee shop
is expensive and the food is just so so. The buffet here
is pretty good with a lot of offerings. Its tucked away in
a corner across from the lion habitat.
If you park your car, use the valet. The parking garage is
totally confusing and a long long walk to your hotel room.
I always say we've parked in Arizona and walked. If they
have the valet is full sign out, tell them you are a hotel
guest and tip them and they'll take your car.
The casino is large, really large and confusing. I found that
if you pick markers in the casino, like restrooms, Starbucks
and hotel elevators, it makes it a lot easier to navigate.
You can't leave a trail of breadcrumbs to mark your path,
they clean the place constantly. And don't forget about
ATM's, they are everywhere. You'll need it in this casino.
The slots are tight!
Didn't see many jackpots or good video poker anyplace.
We did see a whale in the high roller area that was
surrounded with a possee of black suits from the hotel.
In the few minutes we watched this guy play we know
he lost a half a million smackers. Later on, he was
winning. He was an older man with some young "nieces".
Wink, wink.
The pool complex is huge. There are 5 pools and a lot
of lounging areas. It is always crowded, so arrive early.
Not my favorite place to stay, but definitely not the
worst place to stay on the strip. If you love night
life and clubbing, you'll love the MGM. If you
want a quieter place to hang out, you'll do better
to book elsewhere.
