Until you’re seeing a present at one of many MGM Grand’s venues, this lodge on the Las Vegas Strip most likely isn’t going to be a prime place to remain. Certain, there are eating places by celeb cooks Masaharu Morimoto and Emeril Lagasse, plus a on line casino. However in comparison with different Strip resorts, just like the Bellagio Las Vegas or Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand lacks an actual id. The on line casino feels like all commonplace Vegas spot, and a lot of the lodge’s inside seems to be like all massive lodge that caters to enterprise conferences.

However in the event you don’t care about staying someplace with iconic picture ops, the MGM Grand has a really massive pool advanced that may doubtless sway anybody whose ultimate trip includes sipping a margarita by the pool.

I visited the lodge throughout a press journey in early Might hosted by Go to Las Vegas. My lodge keep and meals had been coated, however this evaluate is my very own opinion and never influenced by MGM or Go to Las Vegas.

The most affordable choice, the Studio King room, typically prices round $150 to $200 however can go as much as $450 throughout peak season or as little as $59 throughout gradual durations. Additionally, you will must pay a $50 resort price on prime of those costs.

For those who don’t need to pay money, you possibly can redeem rewards from two factors currencies at this lodge. MGM Rewards might be redeemed at MGM properties, and factors are value 1 cent apiece regardless of how you employ them.

MGM additionally has a partnership with Marriott, so you may also redeem Marriott factors in direction of your keep. I noticed nights on the MGM Grand going for 20,000 factors an evening. At a nightly value of $125, that may web you a worth of barely greater than 0.6 cent per level. NerdWallet values Marriott Bonvoy factors at 0.9 cent a bit, so until you may have a stash of factors you gained’t in any other case use, it’s most likely going to be a greater worth to pay with money.

For those who do determine to e book with factors, each MGM and Marriott have bank cards that may enable you earn factors in direction of your keep.

The MGM Grand is positioned on the south finish of the Strip, a couple of 10-minute drive from the airport. It’s an important spot if you wish to go to any exhibit or present at New York, New York, nevertheless it’s a couple of 20- to 30-minute stroll to the Bellagio or Caesars Palace. The lodge does have a monorail cease, although, so you possibly can simply get to that a part of city with out strolling or driving. A single trip will value you $5.50.

The MGM Grand presents commonplace rooms with a king mattress or two queens and several other suite choices. In addition they supply StayWell variations of a few of these rooms, which function air purifiers, reminiscence foam mattresses, important oil aromatherapy and unhazardous cleansing merchandise, for roughly $10 to $50 extra per night time. StayWell rooms are additionally “guaranteed non-smoking.”

I’ve bronchial asthma and love when a lodge presents rooms like this that basically decrease the prospect of one thing triggering an bronchial asthma assault. However in keeping with the web site’s FAQs, all rooms on the lodge are alleged to be non-smoking. I don’t like probably having to pay extra to ensure the earlier visitor didn’t smoke in a non-smoking room.

I stayed in a Grand King which usually prices $30 to $60 greater than the Studio King. The lodge is at present being renovated, and my room was not too long ago up to date. Older rooms will look a bit completely different. My room featured a cushty king mattress, desk and seating space by the window.

Once I’m working from a lodge, I don’t need the mattress to be my zoom background, so I actually appreciated that the desk didn’t utterly face the mattress. However the artwork within the background doesn’t fully scream “professional zoom meeting.”

The lavatory has a big walk-in bathe and an enormous lighted mirror, which was a pleasant contact. Having your entire mirror mild up supplied excellent lighting for doing make-up.

Total, I appreciated the room, however my room solely had a single air vent by the window, and the thermostat was on the wall a couple of foot beneath it. You additionally couldn’t set the thermostat beneath 65 levels Fahrenheit. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a difficulty. However with the thermostat so near the one vent, it hit 65 levels properly earlier than the remainder of the room had an opportunity to chill down.

There was additionally no rest room fan. So after showering, the steam made the toilet downright sweltering. If a number of individuals wanted to bathe back-to-back, I’d think about your entire room would begin to really feel highly regarded and humid.

I’ll admit I maintain my thermostat at dwelling set to frigid, and folks much less emotionally hooked up to central AC most likely would have been rather more comfy. However, I visited in Might earlier than the peak of summer season. I’d be involved about room temperature come July or August.

The MGM Grand has 28 locations to eat on web site, together with sit-down eating places and late-night to-go spots, plus two Starbucks to get your morning repair.

One of many latest additions to MGM’s restaurant roster is Netflix Bites, a one-year pop-up restaurant impressed by the streaming platform’s unique exhibits. To be sincere, I used to be anticipating the “Stranger Things” model of Rainforest Cafe, with gimmicky decor and subpar meals. However the meals was good, albeit slightly uninspired. Whereas there are some meals pulled straight from Netflix exhibits (shoutout to “Try Before You Deny” pizza with pineapple), the menu is generally easy American fare with punny names, like “Orange is the New Mac” and “Eggs Benedict Bridgerton.”

I loved the Nachos Nevermore, which had been commonplace nachos that had a very good mixture of toppings and chips that didn’t get too soggy. However the one actual differentiator to maintain it on theme was a blood-red salsa impressed by Wednesday.

Nonetheless, in the event you’re eager for a enjoyable meals picture op, the “Red Bite, Green Bite” was a very inventive idea, even in the event you may get the precise meal (hen nuggets with a number of dipping sauces) at virtually any quick meals place on the Strip. It comes with three dipping sauces: a spicy crimson, mustardy yellow and herby inexperienced. A spinning wheel straight out of Squid Recreation helped you determine which dipping sauce to eat.

There was one standout for me, although, that was distinctive, scrumptious and proper on theme: the Thoughts Flayer, a bourbon-based cocktail with lemon juice, blackberries and ginger syrup with a cotton sweet cloud on prime. The blackberry items floating within the drink, plus the cotton sweet cloud actually made it really feel such as you had been within the Upside Down, the darkish, parallel dimension from “Stranger Things.” I attempted the mocktail model, and it was scrumptious. Usually I’m not a mocktail particular person as a result of the shortage of alcohol tends to make drinks too candy for me, however I didn’t miss the alcohol within the Thoughts Flayer. The flavors had been properly balanced and the ginger added a pleasant kick.

Late-night meals is a should for me, particularly in Vegas, so having eating places which might be open 24 hours or a minimum of shut after midnight is a large perk. This isn’t uncommon in Las Vegas, however I used to be impressed with what number of eating places stayed open late on the MGM Grand. I attempted a slice of diavola pizza from Luchini Italian Restaurant’s slice store that stays open till 11 p.m. throughout the week and 1 a.m. on weekends. It made an important late-night snack.

To me, the largest draw of the MGM Grand is the sprawling 6.5-acre pool advanced. It’s a reasonably far stroll from the on line casino and lodge rooms, however when you’re outdoors, it’s straightforward to neglect you’re at a lodge on the Strip. It was actually the right palate cleanser after battling the Strip crowds for a few days. You possibly can swim in a number of swimming pools, float the lazy river or go to the lodge’s new Palm Tree Seaside Membership. And in the event you’re hungry, the Cabana Grill serves breakfast and lunch.

We had a cabana, which ordinarily prices a minimum of $500 for the day (some days may value you upwards of $1,200). It comes with a sofa, TV, fridge with non-alcoholic drinks, towel service, and meals and bar service. You’ll nonetheless must pay for any meals or drinks you order. The associated fee may be very steep, however the cabana can seat 10 individuals. Fifty {dollars} an individual wouldn’t be too dangerous in the event you’re celebrating an important day.

If you wish to be proper within the motion, you’ll most likely have a greater expertise at a lodge additional north alongside the Strip, for the reason that MGM Grand is almost a mile south of the Bellagio, the place you possibly can watch a watch a fountain present set to music, go to a advantageous artwork museum and stroll via a conservatory. It’s even additional away from the Linq Promenade the place you possibly can trip a zipline or take within the views from the a big Ferris wheel known as the Excessive Curler.

However in the event you plan on spending quite a lot of your free time on the pool, it’s actually laborious to beat the MGM pool advanced. Simply bear in mind, in the event you’re visiting in the midst of summer season, your room would possibly get slightly sizzling. For those who like a chilly lodge room like I do, that could be a very good cause to remain elsewhere.