MGM Grand Hotel & Casino Rating: 4.0 Pearls

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

Wet Republic

This place truly is grand. Its 5,000 rooms are the second most of any single property in the world -- but that's not the half of it. Rather, what makes the MGM Grand extraordinary is that virtually everything here is big and spectacular and over-the-top -- the casino is the biggest in town; the pool complex is vast; the entertainment options range from big-time boxing matches and arena concerts to adults-only cabaret and Cirque du Soleil; and so many of the restaurants are headed by celebrity chefs that you practically need trading cards to keep track. There's even a lion habitat on site.

Standard rooms are an exception to the over-the-top rule: They're comfortable but boring. But, as is typical of the MGM Grand in general, if anything here doesn't suit your needs, there's likely another option that will. In this case, anyone who's unsatisfied with the generic-looking standard rooms can upgrade to one of the eight kinds of suites available.

To some extent that's also true of the service, which is generally mediocre. Given the enormity of the place, it's not surprising that you don't get much in the way of personalized attention. And long lines at the check-in desk are to be expected. But the staff isn't very efficient even when it comes to handling specific requests. And they can't keep up with mess. But, again, those who demand a higher level of service can get that too at the MGM -- by staying at The Signature at MGM Grand, the resort's all-suites, luxury offshoot.

All that said, this is a solid candidate for those looking to find all the extravagance and variety of Vegas, and comfortable rooms, under one roof. It's worth comparing rates at Mandalay Bay, which offers a similar everything-but-the-kitchen experience, only in a less-desirable location. However, a $150 million renovation is in store for the casino that will significantly spruce up its digs. MGM Grand President Scott Sibella notes that a big budget attempt to revamp the entire facility is in the works. This will include the remodeling of 7,000 rooms, updated slots and carpets along with more restarants and casual dining spots.

Service at MGM is fairly typical of the mid-level mega-resorts on the Strip: Impersonal -- you simply can't expect individualized attention at a place this big -- but efficient when it comes to replicable services like check-in. Indeed, the front-desk staff has a fine-tuned system for welcoming massive numbers of guest, processing them, and getting them to their rooms with speed. Even with 30 or so people in line in front of me, I was on my way to the room in just a few minutes.

Service was less efficient when I made special requests, however. A request for extra towels, for example, wasn't fullfilled for more than 40 minutes.

The concierge desk is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and room service is available 24 hours a day.

View on a Larger Map

MGM Grand is located at about the midpoint of the southern half of the 3½-mile-long stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Las Vegas Strip, across from New York, New York and just north of the Tropicana.

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the Strip. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night. A generally less expensive option is the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and costs $3 to ride. There's also a monorail system, which stops at Bally's, Caeser's Palace, Harrah's, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara, in addition to the MGM Grand. A single ride ticket is $5; a one-day pass is $13. If you're traveling along the Strip with at least one other person, however, a cab is often the least expensive option.

Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport; the ride typically costs about $15.

The Deluxe Room

It's hard to find much to complain about in the MGM Grand's standard rooms -- but it's hard to get excited about them either. They're clean, comfortable, and handsomely decorated with contemporary wood and wood-accented furniture, leather chairs, fresh white duvet-covered beds, and white marble bathrooms. The beds themselves are quite comfortable, with heavy duvets and pillow-top mattresses. At about 450 square feet, the standard rooms are also reasonably spacious, if by no means very large by Vegas standards. Framed black-and-white photos of classic film stars evoke the hotel's subtle Hollywood theme.

If you had to point to shortcomings you'd note that the televisions aren't flatscreens, and that there's no iPod compatible device. But those aren't serious issues. Instead, the only real disappointment here is the general lack of character -- the utterly conventional layout, the beige-on-beige color scheme, the impression that this room could be found in any modestly upscale hotel anywhere. In short, the room just isn't much fun.

That said, guests do have a choice of more than 10 room upgrades, including nine different kinds of suites, many of which do up the ante in terms of design, special amenties, and, yes, fun. These more expensive rooms include hot tubs, terraces, and in-room bars. The one-, two-, and three-bedroom Skylofts come with 24-hour butlers. No news yet on what the $150 million dollar, 7,000 room renovation will look like, but its bound to be splashy.

In-room Wi-Fi costs $14.99 per day.

The casino

This clean, spacious, well-equipped fitness center has rows of elliptical machines and treadmills, high ceilings, and natural light from large windows looking out over the expansive pool area.

The MGM Grand Spa facilities include hot tub, sauna, and steam rooms. A full range of treatments is available; 50-minute massages start around $100.

Gym-only passes are $15 per day Mondays through Thursdays. Passes to both gym and spa facilities are $25 a day. On the weekends, the only option is to pay $35 for access to both.

The Wet Republic pool

• Like almost everything else at MGM Grand, the pool area is huge: 6.6 acres, to be exact. The area has five pools in total, one of which is a long winding river for inner tubes that puts the lazy-river pools at Mandalay and Monte Carlo to shame. Palm trees lend a tropical vibe.
• The pool complex closes during the winter months
• There's an adult pool, and a party pool, called Wet Republic. When I checked out Wet Republic on a Friday afternoon, entertainment included a bikini contest and a live performance from LMFAO. There's a $20 cover for men; women get in for free. It's easy to get discounted tickets -- employees hand them out all over the casino -- but you have to go before 2 p.m. to get the discount. The party is definitely raucous.
• Cocktail service is available; servers are attentive and speedy.
• One word of warning: The MGM pool complex can get seriously crowded in the afternoons; the pools at the MGM Signature are much mellower.

At 171,000 square feet, the casino is the biggest in Las Vegas. It has all the options of the best Strip casinos: tons of table games, a race and sports book, thousands of slots, and particularly active craps tables.

The Lion Habitat

Nothing here is designed especially for kids, but loads of reasonably priced (among some not-so-reasonably priced) dining options, a huge pool area, and the lion habitat, make the MGM Grand a solid option for families.

Cribs and roll-aways are available for $35 each.

Kid-friendly restaurants include the Rainforest Cafe, with animatronic gorillas and a misty rainshower every few minutes (don't worry, guests stay dry).

The pool area features five pools, including one extremely long "lazy river" for relaxed inner tube rides.

The hotel

My room was very clean. And I didn't see any evidence of serious cleanliness problems. But not even the army of staffers constantly picking up after all the gamblers and partiers are able to keep the MGM Grand neat and tidy. I saw discarded food wrappers in the elevator, beer bottles next to garbage cans in the hallways, and carpets that obviously needed to be vacuumed.

The pool area also gets messy, which is understandable given the number of people who spend the day drinking and hanging out there. By the end of the afternoon, empty beer cans are discarded under lounge chairs, and wet towels are everywhere.

Steak

With some 14 restaurants, many operated by celeb chefs like Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Joel Robuchon, and Michael Mina, the hotel is a destination for foodies who are not even guests of the hotel. Only the Wynn's collection of brand-name chefs compares.

My favorite was Nobhill, where Mina prepares high-end versions of American tavern fare. Shibuya has amazing decor and fantastic sushi. Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill is popular, though guests won't have a hard time getting a table. Joel Robuchon is the hautest of the haute, and most expensive; but guests can visit L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon to taste smaller plates of the chef's creations.

Craftsteak is a high-end steak house. Right next door is Emeril's New Orleans Fish House, which is worth a trip just for a po-boy. Fiamma serves Italian.

The list goes on and on.

The only disappointment was the Buffet, where the $30 I spent for dinner seemed expensive. By contrast, the buffet at Treasure Island is better and costs just $17.

Room service is available 24 hours a day, natch.