MGM Grand Review: Great Pool, but Otherwise Underwhelming

Unless you’re seeing a show at one of the MGM Grand’s venues, this hotel on the Las Vegas Strip bably isn’t going to be a top place to stay

Sure, there are restaurants by celebrity chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Emeril Lagasse, plus a casino

But compared to other Strip hotels, the Bellagio Las Vegas or Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand lacks a real identity

The casino feels any standard Vegas spot, and most of the hotel’s interior looks any large hotel that caters to conferences

But if you don’t care staying somewhere with iconic photo ops, the MGM Grand has a very large pool complex that will ly sway anyone whose ideal vacation involves sipping a margarita by the pool

I visited the hotel during a press trip in early May hosted by Visit Las Vegas

My hotel stay and meals were covered, but this review is my own opinion and not influenced by MGM or Visit Las Vegas

How to bookNerdWallet rating NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team

The scoring formula incorporates coverage options, customer experience, customizability, cost and more

If you don’t want to pay cash, you can redeem rewards from two points currencies at this hotel

MGM Rewards can be redeemed at MGM perties, and points are worth 1 cent apiece no matter how you use them

MGM also has a partnership with Marriott, so you can also redeem Marriott points towards your stay

NerdWallet values Marriott Bonvoy points at 0. 9 cent a piece, so unless you have a stash of points you won’t otherwise use, it’s bably going to be a better value to pay with cash. 🤓Nerdy TipThe Grand King, a step up from the Studio King, cost the same amount of points when I looked

If you plan on upgrading to a nicer room, you will ly get a higher value out of your points

If you do decide to book with points, both MGM and Marriott have credit cards that can help you earn points towards your stay

Statement credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite

LocationThe MGM Grand is located on the south end of the Strip, a 10-minute drive from the airport

It’s a great spot if you want to go to any exhibit or show at New York, New York, but it’s a 20- to 30-minute walk to the Bellagio or Caesars Palace

The hotel does have a monorail stop, though, so you can easily get to that part of town without walking or driving

I felt totally fine with my group, but if it had been alone, I bably would have preferred to get an Uber or Lyft back to the hotel

RoomsThe MGM Grand offers standard rooms with a king bed or two queens and several suite options

StayWell rooms are also “guaranteed non-smoking. ”I have asthma and love when a hotel offers rooms this that really minimize the chance of something triggering an asthma attack

But according to the website’s FAQs, all rooms at the hotel are supposed to be non-smoking

I don’t potentially having to pay more to guarantee the previous guest didn’t smoke in a non-smoking room. 🤓Nerdy TipIf you’re sensitive to smoke, the nearby Park MGM is completely smoke-free, even in the casino

The hotel is currently being renovated, and my room was recently d

Older rooms will look a bit different

My room a comfortable king bed, desk and seating area by the window. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)When I’m working from a hotel, I don’t want the bed to be my zoom background, so I really appreciated that the desk didn’t completely face the bed

But the art in the background doesn’t entirely scream “fessional zoom meeting. ” (Photo by Caitlin Mims)The bathroom has a large walk-in shower and a huge lighted mirror, which was a nice touch

Having the entire mirror light up vided perfect lighting for doing makeup. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)Subpar air conditioningOverall, I d the room, but my room only had a single air vent by the window, and the thermostat was on the wall a foot beneath it

You also couldn’t set the thermostat below 65 degrees Fahrenheit

Ordinarily this wouldn’t be too much of an issue

But with the thermostat so close to the only vent, it hit 65 degrees well before the rest of the room had a chance to cool down

There was also no bathroom fan

So after showering, the steam made the bathroom downright sweltering

If multiple people needed to shower back-to-back, I’d imagine the entire room would start to feel very hot and humid

I’ll admit I keep my thermostat at set to frigid, and people less emotionally attached to central AC bably would have been much more comfortable

But, I visited in May before the height of summer

I’d be concerned room temperature come July or August

DiningThe MGM Grand has 28 places to eat on site, including sit-down restaurants and late-night to-go spots, plus two Starbucks to get your morning fix

Netflix BitesOne of the newest additions to MGM’s restaurant roster is Netflix Bites, a one-year pop-up restaurant inspired by the ing platform’s original shows

To be honest, I was expecting the "Stranger Things" version of Rainforest Cafe, with gimmicky decor and subpar food

But the food was good, albeit a little uninspired

While there are some meals pulled straight from Netflix shows (shoutout to "Try Before You Deny" pizza with pineapple), the is mostly simple American fare with punny names, "Orange is the New Mac" and "Eggs Benedict Bridgerton. "I enjoyed the Nachos Nevermore, which were standard nachos that had a good mix of toppings and chips that didn’t get too soggy

But the only real differentiator to keep it on theme was a blood-red salsa inspired by Wednesday. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)However, if you’re keen for a fun food photo op, the “Red Bite, Green Bite” was a really creative concept, even if you could get the actual meal (chicken nuggets with multiple dipping sauces) at almost any fast food place on the Strip

It comes with three dipping sauces: a spicy red, mustardy yellow and herby green

A spinning wheel straight out of Squid Game helped you decide which dipping sauce to eat. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)There was one standout for me, though, that was unique, delicious and right on theme: the Mind Flayer, a bourbon-based cocktail with lemon juice, blackberries and ginger syrup with a cotton candy cloud on top

The blackberry pieces floating in the drink, plus the cotton candy cloud really made it feel you were in the Upside Down, the dark, parallel dimension from "Stranger Things. " I tried the mocktail version, and it was delicious

Normally I’m not a mocktail person because the lack of alcohol tends to make drinks too sweet for me, but I didn’t miss the alcohol in the Mind Flayer

The flavors were well balanced and the ginger added a nice kick. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)Late-night food Late-night food is a must for me, especially in Vegas, so having restaurants that are open 24 hours or at least close after midnight is a huge perk

This isn’t rare in Las Vegas, but I was impressed with how many restaurants stayed open late at the MGM Grand

I tried a slice of diavola pizza from Luchini Italian Restaurant’s slice shop that stays open until 11 p

During the week and 1 a

It made a great late-night snack. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)Pool complexTo me, the biggest draw of the MGM Grand is the sprawling 6. 5-acre pool complex

It’s a pretty far walk from the casino and hotel rooms, but once you’re outside, it’s easy to forget you’re at a hotel on the Strip

It was honestly the perfect palate cleanser after battling the Strip crowds for a couple of days

You can swim in multiple pools, float the lazy river or visit the hotel’s new Palm Tree Beach

It comes with a couch, TV, refrigerator with non-alcoholic drinks, towel service, and food and bar service

You’ll still need to pay for any food or drinks you order

The cost is very steep, but the cabana can seat 10 people

Fifty dollars a person wouldn’t be too bad if you’re celebrating a special occasion. (Photo by Caitlin Mims)Is the MGM Grand worth it

If you want to be right in the action, you’ll bably have a better experience at a hotel further north along the Strip, since the MGM Grand is nearly a mile south of the Bellagio, where you can watch a watch a fountain show set to music, visit a fine art museum and walk through a conservatory

It’s even further away from the Linq menade where you can ride a zipline or take in the views from the a large Ferris wheel called the High Roller

But if you plan on spending a lot of your free time at the pool, it’s really hard to beat the MGM pool complex

Just be aware, if you’re visiting in the middle of summer, your room might get a little hot

If you a cold hotel room I do, that might be a good reason to stay elsewhere

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