Our visit to Las Vegas had us testing out the newly signed partnership between MGM Resorts and Marriott Bonvoy. Elite members of both programs are offered elevated benefits from each host loyalty program. Returning to the Signature at MGM Grand after almost sixteen years, we tested out the facilities of this familiar MGM Grand condo hotel property. Read on to see what the property is like under the new arrangement.

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This post is one chapter on a weekend trip from Canada to Las Vegas Nevada, United States of America. This trip was enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status, and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For parts of the trip, please see this index.

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Review: The Signature by MGM Grand – MGM Collection by Marriott, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America

“MGM Resorts only strata condo hotel building, the Signature at MGM Grand offered a long stay suite hotel alternative to Las Vegas Strip accommodations, with lacklustre benefits under the new Marriott Bonvoy – MGM Collection partnership”

This review is of The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection.

For reviews of other Las Vegas properties, please see our reviews of:

• Aria Sky Suites One Bedroom Penthouse – Las Vegas
  • Aria Sky Suites Pool and Resort – Las Vegas
• The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas
• Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – Las Vegas
• Marriott Grand Chateau – Las Vegas
• Las Vegas Marriott

While looking for a short mileage run for Alaska Airlines MVP status for next year, I needed just under a thousand Alaska Mileage Plan Elite Qualifying Miles. With the current Marriott Bonvoy MGM Collection promotion announcing the new partnership between Marriott Bonvoy and MGM Resorts, it made sense to give some properties in Las Vegas another try.

MrsWT73 ended up being targeted for a promotion that offered her 5 extra Marriott Bonvoy Elite Qualifying Nights per paid stay. Per the terms and conditions, she was able to repeat this offer twice, which would push her over the edge into Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status for next year.

With that offer, it made sense for a little mattress run between properties in order to score twelve elite qualifying nights. As a result, we switched properties mid trip to gain the extra qualifying nights.

About MGM Collection and Marriott Bonvoy:

MGM Collection announced a new strategic partnership between MGM Resorts and Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy Elite Members are entitled to some “light” benefits while staying at MGM Resorts. Whereas MGM Elites are able for a status match into Marriott Bonvoy’s program.

Approaching this from the Marriott Bonvoy Elite side as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium, the Marriott benefits are pretty light in comparison to a regular Marriott Bonvoy property.

Marriott Bonvoy Elite Benefits included the following:

• The ability to earn Marriott Bonvoy points
• An elite bonus based on eligible spend (including room rate, in room dining and mini bar purchases),
• a welcome gift of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per stay or a $15 food and beverage credit, per night
• An enhanced room upgrade based on availability.

While these benefits don’t rival the complimentary breakfast(s), free concierge lounge access and 4 PM check outs usually accessible to Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium and Ambassadors, in my view, any little bit helps when it comes to staying in Las Vegas.

Practically speaking, we would discover that there was only limited value between the partnership between MGM Resorts and Marriott Bonvoy. Perhaps my expectations were higher than average, but I would end up feeling a little underwhelmed overall during our stay experience.

Booking The Signature by MGM Grand:

In order to be eligible to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and Elite Qualifying Nights, travellers are required to book through the Marriott Bonvoy Hotels portal, instead of directly on MGM Casino and Resorts webpage. This was of value in order to re-qualify for MrsWT73’s Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status for next year. As a result, we booked direct with Marriott Bonvoy.

On our Wednesday night stay, we were able to locate a AAA Rate for $131 USD, which included a $42 USD Resort Fee.

We ended up booking a basic room categorized as a “Deluxe Suite, 1 King – Sofa Bed”.

Despite the inclusion of the resort fee, getting a room for $1487 USD a night in Las Vegas, is pretty good value. The Signature at MGM Grand is an all suite property. We knew we’d be getting a fairly large room, with space to stretch out in.

Like next door at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, the $42 USD daily resort fee consisted of the usual junk. It is pretty much just a base rate “add on” that went we got to the property itself, we didn’t even get a sheet outlining what the resort fee actually included.

Per the Marriott website: the resort fee included:

• In Room Wireless Internet Access
• Unlimited local, domestic long distance (the 50 United States and DC) and toll free calls
• Access to Paramount + with SHOWTIME on Demand via in room television
• Airline boarding pass printing
• Digital newspaper and magazine access

The fitness centre amenities seemed to be missing or non existent. Even the Marriott webpage didn’t show the amenities correctly, with the list running out mid column.

For interests’ sake, I did a comparison of the rates available direct from the casino. Without getting into an exhaustive research of multi combination or package rates hidden through various menus on the MGM Casino booking portal, I actually did better with the Marriott Bonvoy AAA rate.

In my experience, there was no substantial benefit for booking direct with the casino.

Marriott Bonvoy Opportunities:

The Signature by MGM Grand has variable pricing, dependent if you are travelling during the popular weekend or the softer weekdays. Rates will also vary tremendously based on whether there are special events or conventions occurring near the property.

I have never seen such variability in pricing on a hotel in the Marriott Bonvoy program. Much like up at Mandalay Bay, the cheapest that I had seen rates for were approximately 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points on a Sunday night, all the way up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points on a Tuesday night, booked eight days in advance.

As a refresher, If you value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.8 cents per point, it only makes sense to redeem points under the right circumstances. For example, it would only make sense to redeem 20,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a room valued at over $160 USD. If you are redeeming against a room that is 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, then you’d have to have a room rate over when those same points are worth approximately $1,200 USD.

It seems crazy to think of redeeming 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at a Las Vegas property when the St Regis Maldives is usually around 90,000 points per night and you happen to get a spacious over water villa. While it’s unlikely you’ll get this much value out of your Marriott Bonvoy points at the The Signature at MGM Grand, I suppose anything is possible in the eye of the beholder.

Marriott Bonvoy members get the fifth night free when redeeming five or more day stay. Keep in mind that by redeeming five nights, and getting the fifth night free, will increase the value proposition by lowering the average number of points per night.

Arriving to The Signature at MGM Grand:

We had stayed the night prior up at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.

We ended up taking the complimentary tram from Mandalay Bay up through Luxor, getting off at Excalibur Hotel. We crossed the street using the elevated walkways through New York New York casino, and rolled our way through the MGM Grand hotel over to the Signature by MGM Grand.

The Signature by MGM Grand is located about one block back from the Las Vegas Strip. The property consists of three separate towers called “Tower One”, “Tower Two or “Tower Three”.

If you are coming through the connected MGM Grand, access to the property is by moving sidewalk escalator.

It can also be accessed by vehicle through lobby areas in each of the three towers.

It’s worth mentioning that there is absolutely nothing of interest around the properties’ vehicle entrance. As. result, you’re not likely to be stepping out of the front door of the property to visit a corner store or visit a nearby restaurant.

In our case, we were able to roll our bags through the MGM Grand casino, along the travelling escalators through the MGM Grand, until we got to the lobby of The Signature at MGM Grand “Tower One” in order to complete check in.

Checking into The Signature by MGM Grand:

We arrived into the functional lobby area of The Signature by MGM Grand. Unlike the larger casino properties, the lobby was demure and simple. There were no casino slot machines throughout the whole The Signature at MGM Grand property.

We located a dedicated lane for “Owners, MGM Rewards Gold +, and Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite and above. We didn’t have anyone in this lane, and were attended to after about 5 minutes wait.

Much like our past check in experience over at Mandalay Bay, our reception agent had no idea or clue about any Marriott Bonvoy Elite benefits or elements of the MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy partnership. We didn’t get any clarity when we asked him directly, and ended up having to go look up the benefits after the fact ourselves.

Despite arriving at 2 PM, we were able to get access to our room right away. Despite being Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level, and staying on a Thursday night for one night, there was no room category upgrade that you’d typically find at a regular Marriott Bonvoy flagged property.

We didn’t get any explanation of how the Marriott benefits worked under the MGM Resorts – Marriott Bonvoy partnership. When we questioned the front desk, he didn’t seem to be particularly well trained on what was available or how the food and beverage credit worked. Unfortunately, as he was the dedicated Marriott representative, we weren’t able to go anywhere else to get clarity other than doing internet searches in our room.

At both check in areas, we were not given any explanation on the resort fee or it’s inclusions. The Resort Fee was added to the bill without any discussion. While you’d typically expect a sheet with your room key, there wasn’t any handout or description of the fee unless you happened to return to the booking portal to look up the features.

Trying for a Late Check Out – a Major Inconvenience:

During our check in, we asked for a late check out the next day. However, we were immediately put off and told to come back later, despite this being a 1 night stay. We were encouraged come back “later in the evening” to check.

We later returned at 8 PM, and were told to come back “after the accounting has logged out”. We were encouraged to stop by after midnight, but before 11 AM check out time, to see if there was any availability. On our third stop by the front desk after dinner, we ended up getting a 2 PM check out time. Having to stop by the front desk three times became a pain and more of an inconvenience, than any partnership designed to compliment the guests’ convenience.

The Room: Deluxe Suite – 1 King, Sofabed:

The Signature at MGM Grand was built in the year 2005. It consists of 1750 rooms across a three tower configuration. The property is now almost twenty years old. Given it’s age, it’s not looking as sparkling new as it did when it first opened.

The Signature at MGM Grand is a strata hotel with all units being owned by individual owners. Each unit is decorated in the same manner for brand consistency.

We were assigned suite #14 – 603 for our Deluxe Suite – 1 King, Sofabed.

We passed a physical security check point by the guest elevators and headed up to the fourteenth floor.

Unlike the decor at the Mandalay Bay, the colour scheme at The Signature at MGM Grand was a little more endearing. With colours of terra cotta. dark blue and grey, the combinations seemed to flow a little more harmoniously.

We entered into our room. The Deluxe Suite room we booked was the lowest in the inventory spectrum with rooms ranging from Deluxe Suite, Deluxe Suite Balcony, One Bedroom Suite, One Bedroom Suite Balcony.

The Deluxe Suite we booked isn’t actually a suite with a separate sitting space, unless you consider a partial privacy screen snore board area as a suite. The Deluxe Suite is spacious, coming in at 550 sw ft or 50 sq meters, making the space having plenty of room to stretch out.

The space was highly functional and would be comfortable for a longer 10 + day stay, as a result of the amenities the room offered.

The bedroom offered a bench at the base of the bed, which became the home to our rolling suitcases. There was plenty of space around the bed, and the room didn’t feel compact at all.

The room featured a small sofa bed that was actually comfortable to sit on. The privacy screen didn’t add all that much privacy, but it did mark and separate the space. The coffee table was of the glass variety, which wasn’t all that functional for putting glasses on or other items.

The room offered an oval desk, which offered chairs on both sides. It doubled as a dining space, for those that were staying longer term.

The room offered some living space, which was more than you’d typically expect in a hotel room.

The room featured a rail kitchen that was equipped with a microwave, a small hot plate, a half refrigerator and small sink. I have always appreciated longer stay hotel properties that offer this type of arrangement, as it makes for stays to be more comfortable.

Unlike the Mandalay Bay, which offered a number of pre-stocked drinks that were chilled and awaiting your arrival, the fridge was presented empty.

It is also worth mentioning that the Signature at MGM Grand has removed all the plating and cutlery from the room. It is available “on request”, which is a slightly less convenient move. My guess is that much of it ended up disappearing and became more difficult for property management to control and inventory versus the number of guests that actually used them.

The property also does not offer room service, which is more consistent with the property being aligned to a longer stay property.

The Signature at MGM Grand offered a large bathroom that easily fit two people. The counter featured a double vanity sink with a split make up screen. There was also a small relic sized television set located in the bathroom, allowing you to get ready while watching some cable television.

The bathroom offered a small tub, along with a spacious stand up shower.

I was impressed with the size of the bathroom, as it was much larger than expected for a hotel room of this size.

The entry hall area offered a dry bar. This place was marked with an ice bucket, a “no marijuana sign” and a few pay bottles of Signature Branded MGM Waters.

The room offered a view of the nearby parking structure towards the Las Vegas strip. There were views of the Marriott Grand Chateau Las Vegas property (pictured right), the Polo towers and the Park MGM /Aria properties in the far distance.

In terms of sleep quality at The Signature at MGM Grand, they are arguably the quietest rooms I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying in Las Vegas. The Signature by MGM Grand is located well off the strip and away from the strip action. With less than thirty rooms per floor, you’re not likely to get many loud patrons frequenting this space. We didn’t have any hallway noise during our stay. Our sleep was pleasant and uninterrupted.

The Signature at MGM Grand offered a longer stay hotel type option which was only a few more steps away from the Las Vegas Strip. In exchange for losing a variety of restaurants and room service, you’ll end up with a few hundred more square feet to your room, allowing for greater personal space.

Around the Hotel Property:

The Signature by MGM Grand offered a few building amenities. Being attached to the MGM Grand, the property shared many amenities with the MGM Grand, which was located 3 travelling sidewalks away through an air conditioned concourse.

The MGM Grand Pool:

The Signature by MGM Grand offers access to the main pool at the MGM Grand. Like with most casino hotels, the concept is to offer a smaller pool because the resort would rather see you gaming than spending time by the pool. However, since the MGM Grand property offers 5,044 hotel rooms, the pool area has to be reasonably large enough to accomodate all these visitors.

The MGM Pool deck is split into several smaller pool areas, which allows the property to expand or shrink the pool deck areas consistent with demand.

The pools were mostly oriented towards quenching during the warm 38 degree weather that we experienced during our visit, instead of any actual swimming.

MGM Lazy River:

The large winner for this particular property was the MGM Lazy River. Unlike the Mandalay Bay that offered a giant beach area, the MGM lazy river offered a large snaking self-propelled lazy river that was tons of fun.

After finding an inflatable tube, which was not provided, we were able to float our cares away for several hours on end.

It’s worth mentioning that the MGM grand sells durable inflatable Floaties for US$40. They are cheaper Intex floaties available for purchase at ABC stores across from the Park MGM for $4.99 USD plus $1 USD for inflation; making them much cheaper option. For those visiting on a multi day day, you might try your luck at picking up someone’s abandoned floatie when they close the river at 5 PM.

Food and Beverage:

Aside from a Starbucks outlet and a small bar entitled “The Lounge” (which is only open in the evening), the Signature at MGM Grand doesn’t have a lot of food options. Instead, the property relies on the next door’s MGM Grand food options, which are quite substantial.

While there are a number of restaurants at MGM Grand, including one by Wolfgang Puck, I won’t go into reviewing them all. The two primary restaurants worth highlighting are the Joël Robuchon restaurants.

L’ Atelier de Joël Robuchon:

Joël Robuchon was a French chef and the most awarded French chef in history. During the course of his career, he had received the thirty two Michelin Stars over the course of his career, the most of any chef in the world. He was awarded the “Chef of the Century” by Guide Maillau in 1989. Joël Robuchon was named the chef of the On this visit, we visited the L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

L’Atelier Robuchon is described as being all about absolute culinary excellence and the immersive entertainment of the guest. It’s a highly refined mix of the freshest, finest ingredients, paired with new ideas and a new approach to dining. Guest at L’Atelier Robuchon are presented with three principles of excellence in all that is delivered, simplicity in creating uncomplicated flavours and consistency at every level. The outcome is an eclectic chef’s workshop (the very translation of L’Atelier) that dazzles the senses and taste buds in equal measure and takes the guest on a journey through Robuchon’s genius and absolute pursuit of perfection.

Chef Anthony Taormina has recently joined at the helm of the kitchen at The MGM Grand Las Vegas.

We would end up visiting L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon on this particular visit. As usual, L’Atelier presented a world class meal filled with complex layers and perfectly executed. Please see our post on hearing more about this adventure:

• Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Joël Robuchon.

The Joël Robuchon Las Vegas restaurant is located inside Le Maison at the MGM Grand Las Vegas Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The Joël Robuchon restaurant was rated 3 stars in the year 2009 by the Michelin Guide. The Joël Robuchon Las Vegas also has been awarded 5 stars by the Forbes Travel Guide, and has been ranked by Wine Spectator and Travel and Leisure to be among the finest restaurants the world. As if that wasn’t enough, it was ranked as one of the Top 5 best restaurants in the United States by Gourmet magazine.

Immediately next door to L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is the storied Joël Robuchon fine dining adventure. I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited this restaurant previously.

• Review: Dining at Joël Robuchon – Las Vegas
• How Much Does it Actually Cost to Eat at Joel Robuchon – Las Vegas?

Either way, you’ll likely end up being really satisfied with either of these restaurant choices.

Bottom Line: The Signature at MGM Grand

The Signature at MGM Grand represented an alternative option to staying at MGM Grand hotel. While I’ll always choose the Signature at MGM Grand over the MGM Grand hotel, the distinction isn’t as clean cut as it used to be.

The only negative point about staying at this property is the longer walk from the Las Vegas strip. The hotel is also not looking as new with some general wear and tear. Getting a late check out was a major inconvenience, with a property that didn’t seem interested in accommodating this benefit at all.

While the property offered a pretty good stay experience, the MGM Resorts – Marriott Bonvoy partnership is pretty much an “after thought”. The partnership doesn’t offering many real Elite benefits other than the ability to earn points & elite qualifying nights, and the chance of a late check out which required 3 stops by the front desk to formalize. The partnership was arguably the most underwhelming part of the stay experience.

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If you have stayed at MGM Resorts – The Signature at MGM Grand did you get value out of the Elite partnership ?

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