Jeff Pierce

Review of MGM Resorts International (Gol...

First, I'll say we ignored some suggestions not to...

First, I'll say we ignored some suggestions not to stay here for a long dance competition weekend because it wasn't very kid-friendly. I admit fault there. But, setting that aside for a moment, here's my review of everything but the casino, which we didn't visit.
Some very nice things:
All the staff we encountered were extremely nice. The hotel/restaurants were well cared for and clean. Free valet parking, excluding any optional tipping. Lots of valets, so you don't have to wait long to drop off or pick up. The rooms are very clean and look nice. Our king bed room was a good size, even if you have an extra roll away or air mattress. The bathrooms are big, and there are separate tubs and showers. Lots of counter space on the vanity. Air conditioning worked great while we were there. Several restaurant choices in the building, so you don't have to go far for a bite to eat. The arcade was great. Lots of games, and they were (mostly) cheap ($.25-$1 per play). The nicer prizes were way more affordable (with tickets) than a normal arcade. The pool is nice and big, and there is drink service to your chair!
Now for the unpleasantness. There were several negatives that unfortunately overshadowed the positives:
Smoking. Everywhere. Around restaurants, the ice cream place, the arcade, the pool. Everywhere, except specific non-smoking floors. All the secondhand smoke and smell aggravated my wife's and daughter's allergies the entire trip. The food places are expensive. The breakfast buffet for 2 adults and 1 kid (8 years old) was almost $65. Even with just drinks and pastries at the coffee place for breakfast, we were looking at $30. For the price you're paying for the room, I expected, well, "more". Hard to say exactly what it was, but the rooms didn't seem to live up to the high price. Check-in took a while. They had 3 people manning the desks, and each guest I was behind took between 5 and 15 minutes to check-in.
The summary:
Nice, clean hotel with lots of amenities. Great staff. Expensive rooms and dining, and smoking is prevalent, even in the kid-friendly areas.