We checked in late (1:30am with notice given to the hotel) on our arrival date August 17th and were told that their room inventory system was down. After we told them we were hungry they gave us $50 credit for food at the cafe. They told us to come back in an hour to get our room once the issue was resolved. We ate and came back at 2:30am, an hour later, and were told that the system was still down. They then told us we were going to have to stay across the street at the NY NY Hotel for the night and then come back at 11am to check in there. We were given $20 for cab fare and were upgraded to a small suite instead of our standard room for the remainder of the stay at MGM. I expected to get the room comped for the night as well, however it was not. We finally got checked in at the NY NY Hotel and into the room at 3:30am. We were told they would have all of our info for the reservation when we got there but they didn't. We checked back in at 11am at the MGM Grand because they told us our room would be ready at that time when we came back. It wasn't. We had to store our bags and an hour or so later the room was ready.

The room was nice and large (King Bungalow suite). It wasn't kept up very well...Some missing hardware on furniture and leaky and noisy plumbing. The housekeeping was good and timely.

The shows, both Crazy Horse and KA are excellent. There are many restaurant choices however many were closed seaonally, between Aug 17-25 or so...the whole time we were there. There were a couple we would have liked to go to but could not because of this. We ate at the buffet one night and it was one of the best we ate at on the strip, which was about 5 of them. There are a couple of starbucks in the hotel for quick breakfast and coffee as well as a McDonalds in the Studiowalk section of the resort. It was a cheap way to get breakfast, however get there early (before 8:30am) or face a line about 10 deep.

The pool complex is nice and seats are plentiful but the drink prices are outrageous ($7-$20). We spent a nice afternoon there during our stay. We bought drinks to keep in our fridge at a store around the corner and saved quite a bit this way. We could go back to the room and get a beverage whenever we wanted. The only downside to the pool was the walk through the hotel casino and restaurant section to get there. You feel out of place walking by 4 diamond restaurants in a bathing suit.

The gift shops are plentiful and you can pick up small things here and there but the prices are expensive for basic necessities. There was a small store near the elevators that had all of the basics.

The casino is large, one of the largest on the strip, so you should be able to find a game you like. Take some time getting familiar with the map because there are numerous shortcuts around things to make it less walking.

Checkout was easy on the tv but I noticed a charge on my bill from room service for $70 that I did not make. I contacted them and was routed to a few people before they could tell me what was going on. We received a gift basket from the front desk for the inconveniences of the check in and they had charged it to the room. I was told that it was going to be credited later that day automatically although I think that had I not brought it to their attention I may have been hit with it once I left the hotel. Why they charge and credit the room for a complimentary gift basket is beyond me: It should never show up on the bill at all, just seems like a confusion maker to me.

All in all a nice resort with some downsides and a bad check in experience. Had we not been exhausted (up for nearly 24hrs straight by check-in) we may have been a little less easy going about the process. Be ready for long lines at the front-desk and bell services unless you arrive at off times (between 11am and 3pm were bad). Keep an eye on your bill and hope for the best. Location on the strip is a bit far down the line. You can get to NY NY and Excalibur, Mandalay Bay and Luxor easily, but the monorail station at the MGM is convenient if you want to fork over the dough for the tickets. We chose the Deuce bus on the strip and got an all day pass to go downtown. We recommend that choice.

Arrived in Vegas Sunday PM after driving from Lake Tahoe. Had booked 2 rooms in Grand Tower for 4 nights.

Start with the positives. Check in was a breeze - about 315 pm. Walk from parking lot wasnt too bad (although parking lot is sooo hot). Staff were very polite. As we had 3 young children, requested rooms on high floor, near lift with strip view and got all of this.

MGM is imposing hotel - you need to work out how to get round it. There is more than one exit so you can end up opposite Hooters instead of opposite NY NY as you leave hotel.

Rooms were great, lots of room. 129 USD plus tax per room so good value. Walked everywhere although did get monorail to Hilton once and then walked back. Ate at Hooters, Blondies (in PH) and House of Blues - all of which were great and reasonable value. Most expensive meal we had was in hotel at Rainforest Cafe. Yes it is great for kids but at a price.

Pool was very good - especially Lazy River. There is a charge for inflatable rings but you can usually find them lying around unwanted.

Had a few drinks in Centrifuge bar which was excellent.

Now the problem - one afternoon we returned to the hotel and my 2 youngest children went to the bathroom. My wife went in 5 minutes later and found a half empty can of Red Bull which had been left behind by the maid. My youngest child had drunk out of it (he is only 3). On complaining to the hotel, they didnt want to know - only concerned about us not suing them (Risk Management department got involved) rather than customer service.

Sean from Risk Management actually told me 'if your child gets ill, you will have to prove that he got ill from drinking Red Bull'. That isnt the point - the issue here is personal hygiene of the staff in MGM. Would have expected better from them. This was the only problem we had but it was a major one and I think this lack of concern from MGM towards the health of children needed to be pointed out.

Getting to MGM Grand was a little frustrating for us. We arrived at the porch in our rented SUV, only to realise that the valet service were available on the lanes that were segregated from those that we were in. We had to step down of the car, ask for directions and make one huge loop before we got into the correct lanes for valet.

Apart from that, our celebrity spa suite was great and value-for-money (coz we got the room at an amazing price of USD125 per nite)! Spacious room (694 sq ft) with sofa, nice comfy bed and absolutely amazing bathroom. Bathroom was really big, with a huge spa bathtub, separate shower cubicle, dual-sink luxury.

The only few things i would pick on should be the decoration. It's somewhat dated and the conditions of the furniture are a little old, especially in comparison to some other upscale LV hotels. TV is also quite old (I think it's still a CRT?!).

Overall, we enjoyed our stay in our luxurious celebrity suite, but would love the room more if it can undergo some renovation :)

My husband and I stayed at the mgm from 7/31/08-8/3/08. Overall out stay there was very pleasant. We were celebrating our one year wedding anniversery. We arrived early in the morning vegas time. We opted to not do the airport check in because we just wanted to get on the strip quickly.
CHECK IN:Once we arrived at the hotel (about 10:30 am) we attempted to check in but were told to come back in an hour which was fine because we wanted to get lunch anyway. We ate at a small little cafe next to the sports betting place inside the casino and the sandwhiches were great, very fresh. We went back and checked in exactly an hour later. The check in lady we had sucked she was probably the most unfriendly person on the planet, so needless to say an upgrade was out of the question. We got a room on the 16th floor facing the airport and the monorail. Not a bad view even though we wanted a room with a view of the strip but were told no due to "construction" Whatever we didn't really care.

THE ROOM: great!. No complaints at all. Bed was way comfy. Not a lot of hallway noise. Elevators were not as far as people make them seem.

THE CASINO: wow!, The mgm's casino was by far my favorite in Vegas, We visited the casino's at the Bellagio, the Venetian, Harrahs, New York New York, and The Flamenco. In my opinion the MGM was the best. It had the best crowd, and the best tables and most slots. When i say the best crowd let me be more specific...The crowd was very diverse, not all uptight and super rich like at the bellagio, and not complete trash like at harrahs. the perfect blend of both. Good payouts on the slot machines.


DINING: We ate mostly at the mgm, EVERYTHING was expensive, the buffet at dinner time was about $30.00 per person, but there was nothing on that buffet that wasn't delicious. there is also a very good 24 hour cafe type restaurant in the middle of the casino with great food and $$ prices. We didn't do any of the high end restaurants. Instead for our anniversery dinner we went to the Venetian and ate at the restarant that overlooks the canal and the gondolas. (zeferinos)It was $$$$$, but the food wasn't all that. TIP: for breakfast or even a quick lunch check out this little cafe downstairs below the lobby that sells mrs. fields cookies. we had great breakfast sandwhiches there at a fraction of one of the sit down restaurant's cost.

SHOWS:We saw cirque du soleis "zumanity" it's an erotic show. no strippers or anything but for a mature audiance. it was very good and it was right across the street at New York, New York. We also saw a comedy show at Oshea's with Vinnie Faorito. THIS GUY WAS HILARIOUS. YOU WILL PEE IN YOUR PANTS. We went on the advice of several trip advisor reviews and we are so glad we did. He may not be at o'sheas any more though because when we went he had said he would now be doing his show from the flamingo. So check before you go.

POOL: There are way too many pools here. You have to be an idiot to not be able to find a chair here. The main pool does get a little rowdy because it's mostly young 20 YEAR OLDS drinking their faces off and singing along to party music tunes like Baby's got back, but if you are not into that scene there are plenty of other quieter spots.

TIPS:
1.Do not attempt to walk the strip in high heels unless you are a professional street walker, it will be ok for a couple of bocks but then you will want to die.

2.Do not bother bringing jackets for the "night air" It is not cool by any stretch of the imagination. and don't let the whole "it's dry heat" thing fool you. it is fu%$!ng HOT! We went out on the strip the first night at midnight and it was 106 degrees!

3.Do not play the slot machines in the airport. you will never win

4. Buy your vegas trinkets at the hotel or on the strip... the airport is a rip off. Again check ut the basement below the mgm. there is a whole walkway of stores down there.

5. If you are planning on going to the pool everyday. Bring a cover up with you. It is a long walk through te hotel to the pool from the rooms.

Hope my lngthy review Helps! Email me if you have any questions!!! Have FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!