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MGM Grand
During my recent Vegas trip, I split my stay between two hotels–MGM and Harrahs. By most people’s standards, MGM is the superior hotel. Going into my trip, I knew the two hotel stays would be very different, and they were. But not in the way I thought. Overall, I actually enjoyed my stay at Harrahs more. How can this be, you ask? What kind of heresy is this? No heresy, just personal preference. Here’s how they matched up in various categories.
Price:
Harrahs
My two nights at the MGM Grand were had for the low, low rate of $69/night, which is practically unheard of for this hotel. So of course I had to take advantage of it.
Harrahs offered $45 and $49 a night, respectively, also a screaming deal.
Customer Service:
MGM Bathroom Sink
Customer service at both hotels was very good. I have no complaints. At both hotels, the bellmen and check-in clerks were helpful and friendly. I can’t speak for maid service because I never used it. (Since I was only staying 2 nights at each hotel, I preferred to leave the Do Not Disturb sign on my door at all times and make my bed myself.) At both hotels, I got most of what I wanted in a room (I had asked for king, nonsmoking with a view, and at both places, I got two queens nonsmoking with a view)–and without having to bribe the clerk.
Harrahs Bathroom Sink
Safety:
They did not check room keys at either hotel. However, the deadbolts and locks on the door worked just fine, and I never ran into any shady characters. I felt perfectly safe as a solo traveler in both places.
Room:
Beds at MGM
My room at the MGM (an MGM Grand room, as opposed to West Wing or Signature) was on the 25th floor, #302, with a prime view of New York, NY, Tropicana, and Mandalay Bay. The room was plenty big enough for me, and the bathroom was quite nice. It had nice toiletries, though I found the bath towels a little stiffer than I’d hoped for. The room safe was sizable and located in the closet. I assume there was a mini-bar, but I never noticed it. TV was in the wardrobe.
Beds at Harrahs
My room at Harrahs was in the Carnaval Tower on the 28th floor, room #43, which had a great view of the Mirage, Venetian, Treasure Island and Rio. I thought the room was quite as nice as what I had at MGM, with some exceptions: The bathroom was smaller and not as nice-looking, but it was fine for my purposes. The bath towels were actually a little nicer, but the toiletries were cheap. The wall safe was located right behind the door (an odd location) and because of this, it was narrow. You wouldn’t be able to fit much in there. I never used it. There also were no hangers in the closet. I could have called housekeeping to bring some up, but chose not to.
Technically, I’d have to give a slight edge to the MGM room, but very slight.
Pool:
One of MGM Pools
I spent one morning out at MGM’s pool. Or, I should say, one of the pools, since MGM has several. I can’t remember which one I was at–either the Academy or Director’s Pool. As far as pool areas go, MGM’s is fantastic. Gorgeous, lush landscaping, lots of palm trees, plenty of sun for the sunworshippers and plenty of shade for us ghosts. Quick cocktail service, comfy towels (I was given 2, one for the chair and one to dry off with, which was thoughtful) and more than enough lounge chairs for everyone. There is a lazy river here, which many people were enjoying, though I chose a quieter pool. This was the only time during my trip when I allowed myself the leisure to just kick back and relax. It was very nice.
MGM Lazy River
Harrahs might as well not even have a pool. Okay, I’m exaggerating. Pretty much any cool body of water works wonders when it’s 100 degrees Fahrenheit out. But it’s just a large, rectangular pool with no landscaping to speak of. I’ve looked at it many times and never had the heart to sit out there. It’s just too depressing.
Location:
View of NYNY from MGM Room
Prior to the trip, one of MGM’s strong suits for me was that it is the only South Strip hotel on the monorail going to the North End of the Strip. I thought this would make it easier and cheaper to get north on the Strip from there than from its neighbors. However, a monorail ride is only slightly less expensive than a cab ride and involves a whole lot more walking (through the very, very big casino, downstairs, through the shops, and out to the monorail station). Overall, though, I hated the location of the MGM. I’ve never really cared for the South End of the Strip, and this trip confirmed it. I thought about visiting some of the other hotels down there, but I just couldn’t find a compelling enough reason. Shark Reef? Sure, I’d have enjoyed it, but it’s a heck of a hike to get there–and I’ve seen it before. With all the de-theming going on at the Luxor, the thought of going there just depressed me. Excalibur holds no appeal, nor does the Tropicana or Monte Carlo, and I knew there was construction going on in the New York, NY casino, which I wanted to avoid. I couldn’t wait to head North to Harrahs.
View of Venetian from Harrahs Room
Harrahs is located at exactly the location on the Strip that I prefer, and it is also a monorail hotel. I love everything up there–Harrahs itself, the Mirage, TI, Caesars; the Venetian/Palazzo and Wynn are all easy walks away, as are Flamingo, Ballys, Paris, Bellagio and Planet Hollywood. The minute you walk outside of Harrahs, there are things going on, including Carnaval Court. I was very happy there.
Size:
The MGM, as anyone who has been there knows, is a behemoth. There is a lot of walking to get from any point A to any point B on the property. I enjoy walking, but all the walking got to me after awhile–especially since I got lost more than once in the casino. The casino, by the way, was much smokier than I would have expected, given its size and the height of its ceilings.
Harrahs, by contrast, is small enough that it never takes long to walk anywhere. The room elevators are close to the lobby, to the Cafe, and the casino; and it’s a short walk through the casino to get to the Strip, or an equally short walk through the hotel to get to the monorail. I had an easier time finding machines in my preferred denominations. In fact, I had an easier time finding everything (though, to be fair, I have stayed here three times before). The only downside is that it is smokey. But as I said, so was MGM.
Gambling:
I am a Video Poker and Slot Machine player. I haven’t quite worked up my courage for the table games, even though I know they have better odds. I did play roulette once, and loved the social nature of the game, but it has terrible odds compared to blackjack, for instance. As far as gambling at the MGM goes, I had no luck. In fact, machines would eat my $20 bills in 10 minutes or less, with no small hits to keep me going. At that point, gambling just isn’t fun. You might as well light the bills on fire and watch them burn. I wasn’t the only one. Every time I ended up in the elevator with someone, the topic of conversation would inevitably be “How are you doing?” (Which, in Vegas, translates to: Are you winning?) Everyone would roll their eyes and groan and complain about how much money they were losing.
By contrast, I had a couple of great sessions of video Poker at Harrahs. One where I got enough little hits to keep playing for more than half an hour on the same $20, and a second that was the best VP session of my life. Alas, I did not hit a jackpot, but I walked away with $100 after playing for over two hours on the same $20 (and hitting several four of a kinds, flushes, and straights), which meant I didn’t have to spend my entire gambling bankroll this trip, which made me happy. Now that is my kind of gambling.
Dining:
Emerils at MGM
I will review the various restaurants where I dined under a separate post. MGM certainly has more upscale establishments, but since I’m always on a budget, I don’t eat at places like that every night anyway. This trip was a little different, since I had a $275 credit I needed to spend at MGM, and the room wasn’t going to even make a dent in it. So I made sure I ate all the meals I could during my stay at MGM within the hotel, including a couple of “splurge” meals. By contrast, when I was at Harrahs, I ate just breakfast there, while eating wherever I happened to be for lunch and dinner (not at Harrahs). MGM also served better coffee in its coffee shop and buffet. I give the edge to MGM on this one, with one exception: I had both breakfast and lunch at MGM’s buffet, and was very disappointed both times. Harrahs buffet, Flavors, was much better.
Entertainment:
NYNY and the MGM Lion
In my opinion, Harrahs wins this one, hands down. It has more entertainment options that appeal to me. MGM has Ka. It has a lion habitat. It also has some nightclubs, but I am not the clubbing type. It has Crazy Horse Paris, but, as a heterosexual female, I have no desire to see women pole-dancing, let alone pay $50 for the privilege. Naturally, because it was Labor Day week, there were no big name acts playing. The lounges had no live music. One lounge was hosting a DJ of the Year party which drew a lot of twenty-somethings. I’m not twenty-something. I should have gotten a ticket to see Ka, but somehow, I thought I’d make the trek over to one of the other South Strip hotels to see some live music. That didn’t happen. About all I did that night was get some nice nighttime photos.
Harrahs, on the other hand, had a great band playing in Carnaval Court, the dueling piano and karaoke shows in the Piano Bar, Toby Keith’s restaurant, plus Rita Rudner, Mac King,and the Improv to choose from. Not to mention it’s such an easy walk to neighboring hotels to see what’s going on there. I didn’t have to worry about keeping myself occupied there.
Clientele:
During this trip, at least, MGM skewed much younger than Harrahs. There were more families with children at MGM than I expected to see in early September. (Don’t those kids have to be in school? ) On the other hand, there was one morning in Harrahs coffee shop where I looked around and thought “Oh my God, I am the youngest person in this room.” Luckily, a few other 40s-and-younger types showed up right after that, to my relief. But other than that, I felt very comfortable in both hotels, in terms of the clientele.
Solo-Friendliness:
Both hotels receive a thumbs-up from me on the solo-friendly scale. I never felt awkward or unwelcome for being a solo traveler in either place. (Restaurants were another story. Stay tuned on that….)
And the winner is….:
Harrahs
MGM has a lot going for it, no question. I still think it does–and should–rank as a superior facility to Harrahs. But my favorite is Harrahs. It’s not that I don’t appreciate upscale hotels. My favorite all-time hotel in Vegas is the Bellagio. I just really don’t like the South End of the Strip, the size of the MGM, or the vibe. And I guess that’s what ends up being the deciding factor for me. A hotel’s vibe, which isn’t something you can necessarily quantify; it’s a feeling, a gut instinct, a comfort level you can’t quite pin down. For me, Harrahs has it; MGM doesn’t. Next time I stay at an MGM-Mirage hotel, it’ll be Bellagio, Mirage or TI. I’ll definitely consider staying at Harrahs again, but no more staying on the South End of the Strip. I’m glad I tried it once, though. No regrets.
