I love going to Vegas, and go about every other year. This trip we stayed at the Grand, in the Emerald tower section. Definitely spoiled our vacation experience. My husband made frequent references to "The Shining" because of the extremely long hallways. The self-parking area and the Emerald tower elevator are as far as they can be apart from each other in the property. If you've seen the MGM Grand, then you know that is an exceptionally long way - about a mile. Once you've reached the elevator, then you have the long hallway to contend with to get to your room. Our room is a minimalist hotel room. Two beds, TV with a 19 inch screen, no coffee pot, no small refrigerator, no food/drink bar. While we don't go the high-end route staying in suites, we always stay in rooms that offer in-room coffee and refrigerators. It is not an option in the low-budget room in the Grand Emerald tower. We were on the 8th floor, so I don't know if all rooms on all floors are like ours, or if there are other options available. Definitely inquire before you book your stay.

On the plus size, I was not aware of any noise outside of my room - it was very quiet. Be sure to put your "do not disturb" sign up, because housekeeping did barge in.

As far as the gambling experience at the MGM - not so great, either. There were 4 of us gambling, and we couldn't win at the hotel more than $100 on one machine at one point in time. We had a 4 day stay there. Evidently Studio 54 is doing exceptionally well, as it was very hectic within all areas around the club. The lines of people trying to get in were long and spilled out into the gambling area. All slots were "tight" during the club hours - our opinions were because of the tons of kids just hanging about waiting to get into the club and putting a buck or two into the machines. There were too too many people just standing, looking, and blocking access to the slots and to the through-paths during club hours - not fun for a person there to gamble.

For those interested, we gambled (mostly slots) at MGM, Excalibur, New York, Aladdin, Venetian, Treasure Island, Mirage, Rio, and Palace Station. Our best experience was at The Mirage - we went back to it a second time and came away winners both times. Unless I missed something, NY, NY had the smallest casino of all the hotels. All of the casinos at night were packed, and really hopping, with the exception of the MGM.

I had a massage and foot appt at the Grand Spa during my stay. For the spa alone I would stay at the MGM again, although NOT in the Emerald tower. It was the most luxurious experience I've had and highly recommended.

Recommended: No