My husband and I will be in Las Vegas for our 1st anniversary in October, also our first time in Vegas. We are staying at the MGM Grand. I believe our reservation says Emerald Tower. Any comments on this hotel? Thank you.

Stayed at MGM in August, we had a great time. The room was pretty standard, clean and comfortable. We were only in the room to sleep, to much to do in Vegas. The location was great. The buffet during lunch time was not good. Bally's by mono rail has a really good buffet. The MGM is big and we got lost a few times but we did not mind, its a very nice hotel. The pools are really nice, and we had a great time at the theme park, we also saw catch a rising star, very good. I'm sure you will appreciate the location and the ambiance of the MGM. Good Luck!

Colleen

The Emerald tower is at the front of the hotel, toward the strip..You check in on the back sit, so bring your walking shoes..hehe the place is HUGE!!!! As stated before, the rooms, at least in that tower, are your standard hotel room..nothin special..but nice.
First time in vegas huh?..your going to love it!!!!
Good luck!

We stayed in MGM in 1995 (both the Emerald Tower and the one with GWTW theme) and rented a "junior suite" at a VERY reasonable price. IMO, this was more than a standard hotel room --very large, with 2 queen beds, 2 color TVs, on the bedroom end of the room and one on the living room end. There was a refrigerator, etc. The bathroom was especially nice with a separate shower and tub, very long vanity with 2 sinks. Ask about the different room choices, I think you'll find there are quite a few configurations. Agree about the size (checking in at peak times was a pain back then, I don't know if they've remedied that), pools are great, Oz theme was fun for the children as was the amusement park. We also caught a short magic show which was pretty good.

We have stayed at the MGM 20 or so times in the last 4 years. It is huge and do not rely on the signs to tell you where things are as most of the time they take you the long way so you will be tempted to keep playing. The buffet is the worst. Studio Cafe has better food. The chinese menu there has wonderful fried shrimp tempura and good entrees. The kitchen is all chinese. Breakfast and any meal is good at Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe. Sit at watch the people stroll by. The New Orleans restaurant has wonderful clam chowder and a good lunch. The gym in nice at the MGM but you won't have time. Take a taxi down to Mirage and see that area. Tell the taxi driver you want to ride on the strip or else they take you the back "quicker" way and charge you a few dollars more. Things to not miss: Mystere's Cirque Du Solei at the Treasure Island Resort. Yes it is pricey but even if you are not show people it is the thing to see. Free pirate show outside at Treasure Island is great. Look at the white tigers in the Mirage and the shark tank behind check in. NYNY is across from MGM and they have a fun piano bar and there is a lot of energy there. Make time to walk Caesars Mall. The statues talk and clouds drift by. The new Bellagio should be open. We were just there and it looks like it will open soon. They will have a water show out front I am told. At the MGM the STudio 54 is such fun. Opens at 10 and goes till 5a.m. Women free, men $20. Really nice and fun inside. Everyone is dressed there. Most people are in comfortable clothes in Vegas. Bring walking shoes. Walk the strip at night. It is relatively safe. I would also search the Las Vegas posting for more info. If you are into roller coasters take the trolley or taxi all the way down to Statosphere and ride the rollercoaster on top of the hotel tower. Oh I think the MGM Theme park will be closed when you are there so don't get to excited about that. The pool at the MGM has a river that was just opened on the weekend when we were there this month. Hair dryeres and irons are in the room. See if you can upgrade to a players suite. Much nicer. The Wizard of Oz theme they have pretty much wiped out instead bringing a classier theme in. The Rain Forrest Cafe has all these animals that move and growl and a rain storm every 30 minutes and it is in the far corner of the hotel on your way to NYNY. The food is so so but it is fun to go to. Have a great time.

We stayed at MGM Grand last christmas- Have also stayed at ExCalibur and Mirage. Liked all three. Our suite at the MGM was awesome. Like the other poster said we had an awesome bathroom, entrance hall with separate closet, sofa with its own sitting room/t.v. and another t.v. in the bedroom. I like the buffet at the Rio and the shopping at Caesar's Palace. For ease of getting around and parking I vote on Caesars!

The rooms in the Emerald Tower are disappointing - older and quite standard. The Grand Tower rooms are nicer - and we also upgraded to a suite very reasonably.

We ate lunch at the Wolfgang Puck cafe - very good and reasonable. We also went to EFX at MGM - pretty entertaining show.
Have a great time!

Another plan --- take the monorail from MGM to Bally's and have lunch at Bally's. Out Bally's front door you'll be across the street from Bellagio and "catty-corner" from Caesar's. Next door to Caesar's is Mirage and next door to that...the Treasure Island. Then you'll be ready to spring for a cabride back to MGM. Cabs are not that expensive relative to other major cities but they do charge for mileage PLUS time....so if you do ask to return via the Strip (as another poster suggested) don't do that on a weekend or during peak hours. I've sat on the strip and watched 60 or 80 cents click off at one traffic light. Actually, now that I think of it the best time for cabs is in the a.m. so you may want to reverse this plan --- start off with a cab ride to Treasure Island and work your way back towards Bally's and plan to use the monorail to get you from Bally's back to MGM.

You won't want to hear this, but be aware that the Emerald Tower of the MGM are absolutely the worst rooms. They are MUCH smaller than the regular MGM rooms, not as nice and cater to the budget-minded tours. Actually the Emerald Tower was an old hotel in which the MGM was built around. It should have been destroyed. When you get to the MGM, ask to change your room. I would bet that they will get you out of the emerald Tower and into a "regular" room without additional cost.

I am also staying at the Emerald Tower rooms in August and then saw this last comment in my search regarding how horrible the rooms there are. Since the last post of October/1998, has the Emerald Rooms been upgraded or re-done in any way. I'm nervous about my stay there now. Thanks for any comments.
Kathy

We were in Las Vegas in March for a NASCAR race and stayed at the MGM in the Emerald Towers mainly because the prices were extremely high all over town as it was a big weekend. The rooms were clean and presentable but the size was that of an average hotel room. They were perfectly acceptable rooms but they were not the special type of room that you get when you stay in the original part of the hotel.

Thanks for your comments Lynn. I'm glad to hear the rooms were at least acceptable. I don't plan on being in the room too much. I'll be there Friday! Can't wait.
Kathy

WHAT A BUNCH OF CRY BABIES.

What do you come to Las Vegas for to sit in your hotel room the entire stay? A hotel room is a hotel room, a bed, a shower, basicly what do you need? You come to Vegas to GAMBLE, see the sites, see the shows, daaaaa.... Grow up people and stop your crying.

Being "grown up" also implies an ability to see the world from a perspective broader than your own, Ms X.
Believe it or not MANY people go to Las Vegas and don't gamble at all. My wife and I included. We go for the shows, restaurants and the NICE HOTELS that allow us to break out of our home routine.
For these reasons, the hotel room IS important to us.
And whether it's Vegas or Miami or Paris, where we stay definitely affects our perception of the area, our trip and our memories of the overall experience.
If no one cared about the quality of the hotels, how could Bellagio and Venetian and Mandalay Bay stay in business?
Many of the hoteliers of LV are quite thankful that not everyone feels the way you do, though I respect your right to hold that view.