I’ve noticed that some people I talk to never charge anything to their room or are hesitant to do room charges for various reasons. Sometimes it is for their own money management. Sometimes they don’t want to leave a card on file for room charges or have the hotel put a hold on their card. Sometimes they see it as a security precaution, erroneously thinking that if they don’t charge anything to their room, nothing will be charged and they don’t have to check their bill when they check out. I charge as many of my expenses as possible to my room. This is why.
Continue reading Why should I charge things to my room?Tag Archives: Rooms
5 myVEGAS Rewards to Avoid
Using myVEGAS Rewards can help you make the most of your trip. Here are some Rewards that I’d suggest skipping, though.
Aria 1 Night Comp
The Aria Comp Room is nice, but the 2 Night Comp is actually 2,000 LP cheaper and tends to have similar dates available (if there are 2 consecutive nights available on the 1 night comp Reward, they are typically available for the 2 night comp Reward). This does assume you can see both Rewards.
NYNY Bar At Times Square $50 comp
This one was a big disappointment. I got it with what I thought were reasonable expectations. I was going solo and I wanted to get one, perhaps two really nice drinks. That was not an option. They have Johnny Walker Blue priced not to sell (about $80 for a shot was what I was told). The bartender actually said they priced it that high so that people wouldn’t use this comp for it. I didn’t need something that fancy, but the next step down was a big drop to call liquors for about $12 a glass (the same things they can comp if you are playing video poker). Even with a group there would have been no value in it.
Any Luxor Rewards you have to go to the Mlife desk to redeem
This has less to do with the Rewards themselves and more to do with the long wait times at the Luxor Mlife desk. On a few trips now, I have ended up not using Luxor Rewards I had purchased due to the long wait. Show tickets and Room Rewards are OK since you handle those online.
Excalibur Room Comps
They are easy to get, but you really don’t want to stay there. The 2 night comp costs the same number of LPs as a single ticket to the Australian Bee Gees show. The single night comp is cheaper than the brunch comp that requires a stay at Excalibur. Think about that.
And you still have to pay a resort fee (currently $35/nt plus tax).
Foundation Room Admission for 2:
I love the Foundation Room. But you can get in for free during happy hour (5p-8p every day except Saturday) and stay as long as you want. You can also get free or reduced admission just by RSPV’ing.
Park MGM Hotel Overview
I stayed at Park MGM in November 2017, during the preview stage of the remodeling and stayed there again in early 2019. I like many of the individual pieces of Park MGM, and it could become one of my favorite resorts, but it lacks any cohesion and feels like it is still trying to figure out its identity.
Rooms:
The room layout with the large table by the couch is very welcoming and less hotelish. That table was a very comfortable work and dining space. One of the more surprising non-hotelish features is the lack of the typical clock/radio … or a clock at all. I’m guessing they expect you will have your own in one form or another. The TV can be used as a Bluetooth speaker, though, which is nice. This helps with the minimalist design, but the lack of a clock seems like a mistake. They do have in interesting sliding panel that serves as the door for the bathroom and the closet. When it is slid to close the bathroom, it reveals the closet. When slid to open the bathroom, it covers the closet. The SLS uses a similar sliding panel concept for its bathroom and shower.
The room layout has one big problem, though. It has minimal storage space. There is a very small 2 drawer unit in the closet and some hanging space. That’s it. When I mentioned this in November 2017, I was told they were aware of the problem and planned to address it. As of mid 2019, that hasn’t happened.
Bars and Restaurants:
Most of the construction is completed and there as some nice dining and entertainment options. I enjoyed Primrose of my first trip (that was the only real option back then). I checked out Best Friends, Bavette’s and Juniper this time. I’ve been happy with all of those choices. One of the biggest changes is the addition of Eataly, the sprawling Italian market and food court. They made an interesting choice with the foot-traffic for this. If you enter Park MGM from the Strip, you enter through Eataly. You have to walk through it before you get to the casino. How’s that for a break with Vegas tradition?
Juniper is a gin focused cocktail bar/lounge. It is still trying to figure out its identity. The overall feel was very unwelcoming on my first attempt to visit. It was close to midnight and in nightclub mode which could be part of it (I had just gotten into town and was not in club mode). The next evening, I gave it another attempt and am glad I did. The bar staff was great. Between the staff and the 80’s/90’s R&B/Soul music playing, it was a great vibe, but it also felt a bit incongruous.
I think it wants to be a high end cocktail lounge, but it has bartop video poker machines. Playing those machines can get you the usual rail drinks comped, but none of their specialty cocktails or any of the notable gins on their menu.
The new On The Record speakeasy and nightclub is a great addition. On the weekend I was there, Questlove was performing one night and Pete Wentz the next.
Location and Logistics:
The location is really good for me. Easy access to CVS on one side and NYNY on the other. There is a Deuce bus stop just across the street (with a conveniently located crosswalk) if you want to head further into the Strip or downtown. There is also the free tram to the Bellagio. This provides really convenient access to the Botanic Garden. It is also next to the T-Mobile Arena.
Park MGM is part of the Mlife players club. You can also earn comp rooms, FreePlay and various dining and entertainment discounts for Park MGM by playing myVEGAS
For room reservations, visit : https://www.parkmgm.com/en/booking/room-booking.html
LINQ & Flamingo Bunk Bed Room Occupancy
You may have seen that The LINQ and Flamingo now have rooms with bunk beds. They advertise them as “perfect for a family, a large group of friends, or hosting a fun get-together “.
You need to check the fine print before you start making calls and planning that party weekend in Vegas, though. Those rooms are still listed with a maximum occupancy of 4 people. That includes kids. They also have an extra $30 per-person charge for more than 2 people. Those limitations and fees are normal for a regular room, but seem counter to the point of having a bunk bed room. Here are screen grabs for the same room on the same dates. One with only 2 people listed and one with 4.
Continue reading LINQ & Flamingo Bunk Bed Room OccupancymyVEGAS Room Rewards 2020
This post is for archival purposes only. Please visit the updated 2021 post here http://www.markslasvegas.com//myvegas-room-rewards-calendars-2021/
(updated April 25, 2020)
myVEGAS no longer has a site where they post all off the availability calendars, but I have been compiling availability calendars for as many Room Rewards as I can. All calendars through the end of August 2020 are up now. A few of the Comp Room Rewards include weekend comps.
UPDATE Apr 30: MGM Resorts has moved their reopening target to June 1st. The May dates on the calendars have been canceled.
They have also added this disclaimer:
“This reward may be purchased immediately and will be valid for future use. – The redemption duration for this reward is 99 days or Sept 15th; whichever comes first – Players are encouraged to keep these rewards in their wallet in order to plan their future trips once travel restrictions are repealed – All rewards and offers are subject to change without notice as we decipher the best way to support our players future redemption plans and partner resources and availability.”
When you check the Reward, the “Redeem reward by” date is the date you need to book the room by. The actual stay can still be for any available date on the calendar during the travel window.
The 1 Night and 2 Night Comp Reward Travel Windows are currently through August 31, 2020
If you have never purchased myVEGAS chips, you might not be able to see all of the comp Rewards in the app. I discuss this in my Getting More myVEGAS Rewards post.
For additional information on redeeming the Rewards, visit my myVEGAS Reward Redemption Processes post. Also check out the 3 in 30 post and Comp Reward Limitations posts for important details. It may be helpful to read my Mlife Players Club info as well.
