MGM Grand

MGM Grand review Rate it

There is a spa here, of course. Not to mention a pool, a convention centre and a kid-friendly animal attraction (the popular Lion Habitat). However, the MGM Grand really comes alive after dark, when this immense resort is at its vibrant, buzzing best.

For a time, the largest hotel on earth (with, it should be said, one of the ugliest exteriors) aimed itself squarely at families. When Vegas fashion started to move back towards the adult market, the MGM was by no means quickest to react. However, it's since thrown itself into the grown-up market with commitment and smarts, building an unlikely but deserved reputation as one of the liveliest resorts on the Strip. Billing itself as 'Maximum Vegas' takes the point a bit far, but there's little doubt that the MGM balances the needs of cash-happy big spenders, easygoing middle Americans and youthful club kids as well as any resort in the city.

Accommodation
The 5,044 rooms (including 751 increasingly plush suites) in the main building are mostly done out with art deco-styled furnishings, designed to evoke backlot bungalows from Hollywood's glamour age. They manage it pretty well, too, though you suspect Clark Gable and Louise Brooks would sooner be down the street at the Wynn. A fourth-floor guest services desk functions as an additional concierge, a massive plus in this huge hotel.

However, the real luxury is elsewhere on the lot. First to arrive was the Mansion, which contains 29 handsomely appointed and even more handsomely priced villas. In 2005, the hotel added 51 Skylofts, vast and chic two-storey accommodations designed by Tony Chi that remain among the town's more fashionable temporary addresses. And then there's the Signature, a luxurious condo-hotel development with three 576-suite towers. Rooms have jacuzzi tubs and balconies; guests also get access to private pool areas, among other perks.

Eating & drinking
Quietly, steadily and with great savvy, the MGM Grand has spent the last ten years reinventing its once-moribund dining to the point where it now contains the best and most varied range of restaurants in the city. Many casinos make the 'something for everyone' claim about their eating options; the MGM comes closer than any to fulfilling the brief.

You can't move here for all the celebrity chefs, or at least the assistants who quietly do their bidding for them. The flagship operation is Joël Robuchon, devised by the notoriously inventive French chef; those diners unable to stretch to the $360 16-course tasting menu may prefer the fractionally more casual L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. Among the high-end options are Tom Colicchio's Craftsteak, where the focus is on meat, fish and fowl from small farms; Fiamma, an Italian trattoria imported from New York; Japanese restaurant Shibuya and the all-Chinese Pearl; and two Michael Mina operations, Californian-style eaterie Nobhill and seafood haven Seablue.

Other star names with a toe in the MGM's restaurant pool include Cajun specialist Emeril Lagasse (Emeril's) and Wolfgang Puck (at the laid-back Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill), both of which are very good options. Meanwhile, Diego deals in excellent Mexican food, while there's slightly more casual fare at the 'Wichcraft, Colicchio's Tabú, the Stage Deli and the Grand Wok & Sushi Bar, which shares a kitchen with the 24-hour coffeeshop. The buffet is one of the best on the Strip.

Like its nightclubs Studio 54 and Centrifuge, the MGM's bars tend towards the hipper end of the scale. The splashiest is Kà, with a large central bar upon which dancers sometimes do their thang. Zuri, a cigar bar of sorts, and the open-plan Rouge are more sophisticated options.

Entertainment
The entertainment options at the MGM are led, as is fast becoming customary in Las Vegas casinos, by Cirque du Soleil. The fourth Cirque production to launch in the city, Crazy Horse Paris is a spectacular, high-concept piece of dramatic fluff that plays in a vast theatre accessible towards the rear of the main casino floor. The other full-time resident piece is MGM Grand Garden Arena, an adult show that nonetheless aims at a rather different audience than the Crazy Horse Too strip club on Industrial Road.

The 740-seat Hollywood Theatre hosts perhaps half a dozen acts on regular rotation for runs of anywhere from a week to a month. Ticket prices are high, but you're paying a premium for the privilege of seeing such big names as David Copperfield and Tom Jones in intimate confines. Intimacy isn't a word generally associated with the 16,800-seat Studio 54, which stages a mix of concerts (the Police, Rush, Justin Timberlake and the like) and sporting events (boxing, ultimate fighting).

The nightlife here is strong and relentlessly fashionable. Tabú lacks the cocaine, celebrities and gay hookers that defined the New York original, but it's still a popular spot. Centrifuge continues to consolidate its reputation as the Strip's coolest lounge, though you'll pay for the privilege of sitting in it. Diego hosts Vida!, a Latin club, every Friday and Saturday.

Gambling
The MGM has four gaming areas (Entertainment, Hollywood, Monte Carlo and Sports) in which you'll find all the games, including Spanish 21. It's the largest casino in Las Vegas and boasts hundreds of tables. Table minimums can go down to $10 on weekdays, but most are higher; in the pit, you'll find $25 minimums and $15,000 maximums. There's also a large race and sports book with floor-to-ceiling screens, one of the best poker rooms in town, and 3,700 slots, from a nickel to $500.