The Signature At MGM Grand Rating: 4.5 Pearls

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

Guests relaxing by the Main Pool

Just as the massive Mandalay Bay has the elegant, upscale THEhotel tucked into the hotel for guests who want to stay out of the fray, the massive MGM Grand offers a quiet refuge within the grounds as well. In this case, it's three luxury condominium towers located behind the casino, five pools, lion habitat, celebrity restaurants, Cirque du Soleil theater, and shopping center.

While there isn't much to do around the condos -- three small pools and one sleepy bar, but not even a full-service restaurant -- that's the idea. Guests seek out the Signature for a quiet and relaxed atmosphere that's a five-minute walk from everything that the MGM Grand has to offer. These are opulent apartment buildings next door to pure Vegas spectacle. In exchange for distance from the main hotel, you get far superior service and larger, more comfortable suites that are on par with what you find at Encore or THEhotel.

Friendly front desk attendants

As befitting a luxury hotel, the service at the Signature is first class, in league with service standouts like the Four Seasons. The white-gloved doormen and other staff members great guests by name, surname that is, as in Mr. or Ms., and ask if there's anything else you need. When I ordered extra towels for my room, a white-gloved staff member arrived at my door in four minutes with the towels on a platter. I requested a late checkout, and front desk staff offered me my room until 1 p.m. (regular checkout is 11 a.m.) without batting an eye. This of course is subject to availability.

The concierge is available every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to help make reservations for restaurants, shows and golf courses. Room service is available 24 hours.

Note: Guests who book rooms directly from condominium owners instead of the hotel don't receive the daily housekeeping services that hotel guests get, nor any extra supplies.

View on a Larger Map

The three Signature towers are behind the larger MGM Grand complex. An enclosed walkway with moving sidewalks takes guests from the towers to the casino, restaurants, shops and sites at the main hotel -- about a five minute trip. Once you reach the MGM Grand, though, you still face a long walk past the shops, casino and lion habitat to get to the lobby and out the front door. (If you're cabbing it to another casino, have the doorman at the Signature hail one.)

The 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. There's also a monorail system, which stops at MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Hilton, and the Sahara. 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, 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.

Kitchenette in the Junior Suite

The rooms, among the most luxurious Vegas room I stayed in, are reason enough to book a room at the Signature. All suites, all modern, and all elegant. The kitchens are fitted with high-end appliances from Sub-Zero, Bosch and Miele. The rooms have flat-screen TVs, including a small one in the bathroom, CD/DVD players, and iHome clock-radio/iPod docks. The TV gets about 50 channels, some in HD. All rooms have Wi-Fi, the cost of which is included in the $20 resort fee.

My spacious 550-square-foot junior suite, with a kitchette and a sitting area set off from the bedroom by a glass-and-wood divider, could sleep a small family or host a modest cocktail party. The sofa pulls out to a queen-size bed. My huge tinted windows overlooked the Wet Republic pool and the airport in the distance.

The king-size bed was super comfortable, with a pillow-top mattress, soft Egyptian cotton sheets, incredibly soft duvet cover, and padded-leather headboard. Added bonus: Electric curtain switches are in reach of the bed, so no need to get up to let in the sunlight when you wake up. The bathroom is large too, with a tub, shower and a TV on the marble vanity (fairly typical for Las Vegas luxury hotels). June Jacobs citrus shampoo and other toiletries are provided.

The room is barely bigger than a standard room at the Four Seasons, but it manages to fit in more living space. And the modern decor feels more sumptuous and luxurious.

The Signature also offers one-bedroom suites (950 square feet) and two-bedroom suites (1,500 square feet). All one- and two-bedroom suites have balconies, as do about a third of the junior suites (at no extra cost).

The Fitness Center

Among the best features of the Signature at MGM are the three quiet pools, one for each tower. At these small, serene pools, the only sound seems to be the occasional whoosh of the nearby monorail. Hot tubs sit to the side. The small crowd consists mainly of adults sunbathing and reading. While some kids spash around in the shallow ledge on the edge, children may be more interested in the lively 6.6-acre pool complex at the MGM Grand, which is open to all Signature guests. Poolside food and drink service is available, and service is fast.

The two fitness centers in the three-tower complex are similar, with about ten cardio machines, exercise balls, and free weights. Bottled water is free. The only drawback is that the fitness centers don't have full locker rooms: Guests must change in their rooms (or pay to use the fitness center at the neighboring MGM Grand). There's no spa at the Signature, but guests can use the spa at the MGM Grand, which is located close to the Signature towers.

Most big Vegas resorts charge for fitness rooms and spa facilities. At the Signature, the mandatory $20-a-day resort fee covers the gym and pools -- as well as in-room Wi-Fi (also usually an extra), a daily newspaper, coffee and tea, and two bottles of water a day.

Pull-out sofa in the Junior Suite

For families tempted by the MGM's massive pools, lion habitat and kid-friendly restaurants like the Rainforest Cafe -- but turned off by the hectic scene at that 5,000-room hotel -- the Signature is a good compromise. The MGM is a short walk away via an enclosed walkway, and the pool complex is close to the towers. But parents don't have to march kids past a casino to get to the room, and the three small pools on the property are a nice respite from the crowded MGM Grand pools.

The suites, all with kitchens, are well-suited to families. In the junior suite, the couch opens up to a queen-size bed. Cribs are free. Rollaway beds aren't available. Larger families, or anyone who wants to a separate bedroom, can upgrade to the very roomy one- or two-bedroom suites.

My room was so spotless when I checked in that I felt like I was the first person to sleep there. I could see vacuum cleaner stripes on the living room chair and the rug.

The common areas were clean too, with one exception: The trash can near the elevator was jammed with trash all the time. Perhaps guests didn't want to throw away garbage in their own rooms. Pool attendants picked up towels minutes after they were abandoned, and I saw no empty glasses or trash in other public areas.

Lunch from Delights

The only restaurant at the Signaure is Delight, a casual spot for breakfast and lunch (it closes at 5 p.m.). Guests order at the counter, and the food is delivered to indoor or outdoor tables. Breakfast choices include danishes, waffles, eggs, yogurt parfaits, and fruit. Lunch sandwiches, like the Tuscan Chicken panini I ordered, are good, if a bit overpriced ($12 or so).

Guests looking to eat out can quickly get to any one of the amazing restaurants in the attached MGM Grand complex. You will not go hungry, or be dissapointed.