World Traveller 73 
On a recent trip back from Las Vegas, USA, through a stroke of luck, we happened to enjoy an upgrade into Alaska Airlines new First Class. Alaska Airlines has installed their latest new First class product into their Boeing 737-9 Max product. Since they offer this configuration on only 70 aircraft (at the time of writing), and Alaska tends to swap aircraft on a regular basis, it can be a little challenging to count on flying in this particular cabin. Read on to see how our adventure was when we tested out the new cabin.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Review: Alaska Airlines New First Class B737-9 Max: Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport
Our return flight ended up being upgraded to Alaska Airlines new First Class on their Boeing 737-9 Max product. Alaska Airlines files a Boeing 737-900, a Boeing 737-900 ER and a Boeing 737-9 Max product; all of which can be used interchangeably with a similar seat configuration.
We purchased this flight paying cash, and received an upgrade to First Class approximately twenty hour hours prior to travel, courtesy of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold status. We credited these flights to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
Checking into Alaska Airlines First Class in Las Vegas:
We departed the Las Vegas Marriott hotel after a quick visit to wonderful snack tacos’ at Tacos El Gordo. With an evening flight time, I wasn’t exactly sure when, or where, we would be getting dinner.
We took an Uber Black up to Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport. Alaska Airlines is located in Terminal Three. The Alaska Airlines First Class and Elite check in area is bright and spacious.
Despite travelling in First Class, we were directed to a kiosk for check in. Alaska Airlines doesn’t seem to like international tickets on kiosks or on line check in. With no mechanism integrated into the systems to validate passports, we attended to a counter to complete the check in.
Our checked bags full of shopping were accepted courtesy of both Alaska Airlines First Class ticket and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Gold & MVP Status.
Unfortunately, with the demise of the Canadian MBNA Alaska Airlines Credit Card, we lost our usual free checked baggage benefit. As a result, we now have to rely on Alaska Mileage Plan Elite status on the rare occasions when we check bags.
Locating the Gate:
We proceeded through TSA pre-check security screening which had a minimal line.
After arriving to the secure side, we found ourselves in the “E” Gates area of Harry Reid International Airport.
Our Alaska Airlines First Class ticket didn’t offer any complimentary lounge access. There is no Alaska Lounge at Las Vegas Harry Reid International airport, which would have been the free Alaska Airlines solution on paid first class tickets.
Instead, we ended up visiting the American Express Centurion Lounge – Las Vegas after taking a short tram ride out towards the “D” Gates. If you hold an American Express Platinum Card, you’ll have access to the following lounges at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport:
- American Express Centurion Lounge – Las Vegas
- The Club at LAS – Las Vegas Terminal 1 – “D” Gates
- The Club at LAS – Las Vegas Terminal 3 – “E” Gates
Since I’ve reviewed these lounges in the past, I won’t get into the details of them again. We didn’t have any wait at the American Express Centurion Lounge. After a short stay, we took the tram back to the “E” Gates and located our departure gate E15.
Gate E15 was located at the far end of the concourse. Since we arrived just prior to the boarding time, the gate was pretty full of travellers waiting to get on board.
Our flight tonight was on Alaska Airlines’ newest aircraft, the Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft. It arrived to the gate about 10 minutes later than scheduled, which resulted in a slightly delayed boarding time.
While we were waiting for the flight to board, I checked the upgrade list on the Alaska Airlines app. Alaska Airlines does pro-actively upgrade its Mileage Plan elites in advance, and we had cleared the upgrade list into First Class based on MVP Gold status. Despite this, there were an additional 11 on the upgrade list with some having cleared into a premium class cabin.
While unlimited domestic first class upgrades courtesy of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan status can occasionally happen, it helps to travel during periods of low demand. We were travelling on a Saturday night departing Las Vegas, when most business traveller elites are likely at home with their families.
Alaska Airlines
AS 711 – First Class (U)
LAS – SEA (Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport)
October 5, 2024
7:19 PM – 9:45 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-900
Flown: Boeing 737-9 Max
On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:
Boarding was announced after they quickly turned around the aircraft. After the pre-boarding announcement for elderly needing extra time to board, and the usual military pre-boarding, Alaska Airlines First Class boarded with Group 1.
After getting on board, I was really surprised to discover that we were flying in Alaska Airlines brand new First class product on their Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft. While this would mark my first time flying in Alaska Airlines New First Class, it’s been difficult to pin down since Alaska Airlines tends to substitute their Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft with their comparably equipped and sized Boeing 737-900 or Boeing 737-900 ER aircraft.
Alaska Airlines New First Class features the usual 2 – 2 configuration in upright seats in First Class. First Class is stretched across 4 rows of seating, allowing for sixteen seats in the cabin.
The new Alaska Airlines First Class seats are slim line seats. The seats are generally more comfortable than the older blue puffy leather seats, as a result of the seats being slightly more contoured to your back and seat.
The seats offer a reasonable amount of leg room, although you won’t be blown away by end of the space. It’s much more than you’d expect in economy or premium class.
We settled into our seats in 2D and 2F. The seat consoles and seat pockets have been re-designed and are more modern. Each seat now offers a sturdy retractable foot rest, that seems to be fairing well on Air Canada’s First Class Max 8 product.
In some welcome news, the new Alaska Airlines First Class cabin has eliminated the irritating under the seat box that was found under select seats within it’s first class cabins. There is now much more fulsome room under the front seat to store luggage or purses.
The full sized magazine seat back pouch has been eliminated. Instead, there is a small netted pouch that’s barely large enough to fit a passport.
The new Alaska Airlines First Class seat offers in seat Empower with USB – B charging. The plugs are more conveniently located on angles facing the travellers. This is marked improvement from the old power plugs that were facing outwards at the bottom of the centre console, and otherwise harder to see from the passenger seat.
The centre console offers an indented cup holder similar to what you’d expect on a Chevrolet Suburban Sport Utility Vehicle. Since it can conveniently store smart phones, or a large bottle of water, it more convenient than a flat surface that can can have drinks and phones skid around mid flight.
The seat offers a retractable table from within the armrest. The table offers a convenient tablet or smart phone holder, making it easy to view your entertainment.
Along with most Boeing products, the Alaska Airlines New First Class Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft offer individual seat nozzles for air. I always appreciate having the ability to adjust my own airflow. It makes the flight much more comfortable, in my humble opinion.
In summary, I was really impressed with the Alaska Airlines New First Class. It’s about time that Alaska Airlines modernized it’s First Class experience as the old puffy blue leather seat was looking a little dated.
The new First Class cabin has eliminated that irritating under seat box in favour of better storage and ergonomics. The seat is much better designed, with consoles that are more oriented towards smart phones, viewing entertainment devices and accessing in seat power.
Pre-Departure Services:
It is never reliable on whether you actually get offered a pre-departure beverage on Alaska Airlines.
On todays flight, we didn’t get anything offered. This was likely due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft.
In Flight Entertainment:
Alaska Airlines offers in phone flight entertainment. This is accessed through the Alaska Airlines home page on the wifi sign in screen.
Instead, I ended up bringing entertainment with my on the iPad, which was conveniently propped up using the table holder.
Alaska Airlines offers free messaging and texting, which is a nice addition for those that need to stay connected with friends and family. Alaska Airlines also offers $8 Wi-Fi for those that need to stay connected throughout a flight.
Alaska Airlines has done away with the complimentary tablets previously offered in First Class. If you don’t bring your own device, you’ll be without any video entertainment for the flight.
Departing Las Vegas:
We had a quick departure out of Las Vegas in order to get the aircraft back on schedule. Since we were departing at night, I had the wonderful opportunity to see the Las Vegas strip at night with all of it’s dazzling lights. It’s a wonderful part of flying at night when leaving Las Vegas.
The Meal: A Dinner
Once we had reached cruising altitude at about one hour into the flight dinner was served.
Before my flight, I pre-ordered through the Alaska Airlines app. In my experience Alaska airlines does run out of your preferred dish. As a result I always make the effort to pre-order.
Alaska Airlines First Class Las Vegas – Seattle
Today’s choices included the familiar and MrsWT73 favorite “Signature Fruit & Cheese Plate”. In other main course items, Alaska Airlines was offering a Black Bean Burger and a Korean BBQ Beef Sandwich. I ended up pre-ordering the Black Bean Burger, which was a healthier option than the Tillimook Burger I enjoyed on my last Alaska Airlines First Class Anchorage – Seattle flight.
Alaska Airlines also offered an inseat back pocket menu that outlined all the drinks and wines on offer.
The wine list featured wines by Gen 5 from California. In terms of spirits, the usual whiskies were offered, in addition to Aviation Gin and Tito’s Handmade Vodka. There were also Straightaway canned cocktails, which I found to be quite sweet for my tastes.
Dinner service started with a beverage service. Tonight’s service started with a Aviation Gin and Tonic, served without limes, in a proper heavily weighted highball glass with ice.
Tonights dinner entrée was the Black Bean Burger. The Black Bean Burger was described as a chipotle black bean burger on a soft hamburger bun with lettuce. tomatoes and red onions. The burger was exactly as described, with a generous serving of red onions to accompany. There were also a small snack sized Idaho real potato chips with rocky mountain salt, alnd Cooper Twice Baked Brownie Chocolate cookies as the dessert item.
This was the first Alaska Airlines flight that I’ve had in recent times where they’ve relied on pre-packaged snack items to fill the both accompaniment and dessert items. It’s an easy way for the airline to offer accompaniments, but it’s a bit of a low rent touch, in my humble opinion.
Overall, dinner was perfectly satisfactory and about what I might expect from a flight that was eight hundred miles in length and two hours forty minutes in duration. Since United Airlines doesn’t even offer meal service on flights under nine hundred miles in distance, I certainly appreciated the opportunity to get something to eat.
Arriving into Seattle:
We arrived into Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Our flight arrived to the Seattle Tacoma North Satellite terminal. It was quiet when we arrived with minimal flights departing late on a Saturday night.
We headed off on a connecting flight back to Vancouver on Alaska Airlines First Class Seattle – Vancouver.
My Thoughts on Alaska Airlines New First Class:
Alaska Airlines is slowly introducing new First Class onto it’s Boeing 737-9 Max product. While these planes aren’t located throughout the entire system, they are gradually being introduced onto their flagship routes.
The Alaska Airlines New First Class features a much more ergonomic seat, a foot rest and the removal of the box located under neat many first class seats. The seating arrangement is a much more spacious and comfortable environment.
If you travel on Alaska Airlines, have you experienced the new Alaska Airlines First Class ?
A nearby hotel stay had us discovering Tacos’ El Gordo, a small chain of seven restaurants operating through the southern United States. A family run business, Tacos El Gordo offered up fresh tasting tacos with your choice of toppings. The visit was an exceptionally enjoyable experience and the perfect combination for those looking for a little authentic Mexican cuisine when visiting Las Vegas, USA.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Review: Tacos El Gordo – De Tijuana Baja Californa – Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America.
While staying in uptown Las Vegas at the nearby Las Vegas Marriott, we happened upon Tacos El Gordo located at the north end of the Las Vegas strip. We came across Tacos El Gordo which was absolutely packed with visitors. We ended up trying the restaurant on a whim, and really enjoyed the experience.
About Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana BC:
Taco’s El Gordo remains a family owned and operated company. Initially opening in 1972, they have been in operation in Mexico for over 40 years. In 1998, Tacos El Gordo opened its first location in San Diego, California, and in 2010 opened its first location in Las Vegas. They are currently running seven restaurants in the United States, with three locations in Las Vegas, USA.
The Tacos El Gordo restaurant offers an authentic Tijuana taco experience with handmade corn tortillas, top grade meats and the freshest ingredients. Most notably, Tacos El Gordo make their guacamole and salsas from scratch daily.
Discovering Tacos El Gordo Las Vegas:
We happened across Taco’s El Gordo as a result of staying at the nearby Las Vegas Marriott. It you happen to be staying at the Las Vegas Marriott, I highly recommend that you visit Tacos El Gordo for some authentic food that’s reasonably priced.
While there are two other Tacos El Gordo locations in Las Vegas, we ended up visiting the South Las Vegas Boulevard (Las Vegas Strip) location. Our visit ended up being a seven minute walk from the Las Vegas Marriott hotel.
Tacos El Gordo happened to feature “regular” Las Vegas pricing. This was a welcome break from all the elevated casino resort pricing of food and beverage. Our meal of four tacos would end up costing less than twenty dollars.
Locating Tacos El Gordo:
Tacos El Gordo is located in the shadow of the Encore / Wynn resort and casino property complex toward the north end of the Las Vegas strip. Given that it’s not located inside a hotel casino property, it’s relatively easy to find from Las Vegas Boulevard.
During our visit, the Taco’s El Gordo Las Vegas strip location was open from 10 AM to 2 AM. The restaurant operates on a “walk in” basis and does not accept reservations.
Inside Tacos El Gordo:
Taco’s El Gordo is a walk up to counter experience. Visitors queue for a specific taco meat, which is freshly prepared for each visitor. Needless to say, our afternoon visit on a Saturday at 2 PM, resulted in a long amount of lines.
Tacos El Gordo offers all different kinds of meat selections. While there are the familiar and traditional taco offerings such as asada steak and adobaba pork, there was also substantial interest for the more exotic meats. I found people lining up for lenguna beef tongue, cabeza beef head and tripa beef guts.
Given we were flying out on Alaska Airlines First Class Las Vegas – Seattle in a few hours, I didn’t have the time to try a whole smorgasbord of different tacos like I had hoped. Instead, I ended up with some adobada pork tacos, which were very reasonably priced at $4.12 USD, per taco.
I ended up getting in line. The lines didn’t move all to fast. I ended up waiting for about seven minutes in line with new found friends. Given that the lines weren’t moving as quick as I would have liked, I ended up sticking with pork tacos only. I didn’t end up lining up for additional steak tacos, which I would have loved to have tried.
After getting to the front of the queue, I placed my order. I watched as the taco meat ended up getting carved pork, sliced right off the rotisserie. It certainly doesn’t get fresher than that.
After receiving four pork tacos, I ended up in line having to pay for the tacos’ before taking a seat. I had another small line to get to the cashier.
Seating at Tacos El Gordo:
The seating at Tacos El Gordo is first come first serve. Given the amount of visitors, there was quite a bit of turn over in the seating. Unlike many other faster food restaurants, there was no outside seating at this location.
I sent MrsWT73 to get a red booth and she was able to get one fairly quickly. The food and seating areas have a certain element of stickiness to the experience. While this wasn’t a comment on the restaurant’s cleanliness, it was more of a comment on the jovial and overall nature of the restaurant environment.
The Food: Adobado Pork Tacos:
We had ordered four adobado pork tacos. The adobado pork tacos were presented as piced pork on soft corn torillas with your choice of toppings. We had a full load of toppings, which included a cilantro aioli, along with a great amount of peppers and other toppings.
These pork tacos were pretty spectacular. They were definitely a memorable meal for Las Vegas. The pork had a balanced amount of savoury spice, which was well contrasted with the crispness of the toppings.
MrsWT73 gave these tacos very high ratings. Usually a finicky eater, she described them “as the best” and would be happy to return. There’s saying something for how the food was prepared.
I would love to try the steak tacos on my next visit. However, these were well assembled with the perfect harmony of flavours and tastes.
Closing Thoughts:
Our bill for four pork tacos at Taco El Gordo came to a very reasonable $17.86 USD after taxes. This was a relief from some of the Las Vegas Casino Strip resort restaurant prices that often offered this price level for a single beverage.
With a price point of under twenty dollars, this made for a terrific value oriented meal.
The Bottom Line: Tacos El Gordo Las Vegas
I was pretty impressed with this surprise discovery of Tacos El Gordo.
Located just steps from the Las Vegas Marriott, a visit to Tacos El Gordo offered a terrific value snack with ingredients that were freshly prepared and authentic to the southern United States and Mexico.
I would very happily return to thos location for some tacos anytime I was looking for a snack or lighter meal towards the north end of the Las Vegas strip.
If you have visited Tacos El Gordo, what keeps bringing you back ?
With a spike in weekend hotel room rates, I ended up looking towards the Las Vegas Marriott in order to save a few hundred dollars on a room rate for a recent Friday night in Law Vegas. Having never stayed at this property before, I’d discover a terrific old school Marriott property that offered all the inclusions that you’d expect from a full service Marriott property, including a great Marriott Bonvoy Elite breakfast and a wonderful 4 PM late check out. What a great surprise find just steps from the north Las Vegas strip.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Review: Las Vegas Marriott, Nevada, United States of America
“Perfectly oriented to business Marriott travellers and Marriott Bonvoy Elites that are looking for a better stay experience that what you’d find on the Las Vegas strip with the MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy partnership “
Booking the Las Vegas Marriott:
Our visit to Las Vegas had us staying over in Las Vegas on a friday night. Given that room rates in Las Vegas are tremendously variable dependent on demand, I found that the room rates at most of the casino properties had spiked quite considerably during a Friday or Saturday night stay.
During our visit, most of the rooms were averaging over $450 USD a night at the Aria, and upwards of $630 USD a night at our favorite The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Instead, I ended up taking a break from the casino properties and heading uptown to the Las Vegas Marriott. The property was located in the Las Vegas convention centre district and somewhat accessible by monorail.
By making this decision, we’d end up saving at least $250 USD for a little travelling inconvenience. It’s fair to say that this detour ended up paying off. We ended up being really happy with our stay by switching to the Las Vegas Marriott.
I ended up locating a base level “King Suite – 1 King Bed, Guest Room” at the Las Vegas Marriott. All rooms at this property are suites, and we’d enjoy a 380 sq foot / 34 sq m room.
As with other hotel stays on this trip, our booking strategy was to book the cheapest room possible and hope for a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium level upgrade to a better room.
As always, I booked through the Marriott Bonvoy website, which as a Marriott Titanium Member, entitled me to a complimentary upgrade to the best available room, including select suites, and a complimentary late check out up to 4 PM.
Marriott Bonvoy Opportunities:
The Las Vegas Marriott has variable pricing, dependent if you are travelling during a period of high demand. Rooms can be found for as little as 37,000 Marriott Bonvoy points with variable pricing up to 59,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. It is worth checking out to see whether there are any Marriott Bonvoy point redemptions available in order to maximize value.
It was interesting to see that the property did not seem to follow the outrageous points grab of the other MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy partnership properties. For example, I was able to find nights at the Las Vegas Marriott during Las Vegas Grand Prix from as low as 59,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, compared to the Bellagio at 150,000 points for the same night. While there obvioously a difference in location with The Beallgio being in a prime location, the Las Vegas Marriott seems to offer some value if you’re willing to travel for your room.
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 37,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for a room valued at over $296 USD. If you are redeeming against a room that is 59,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, then you’d have to have a room rate over when those same points are worth approximately $472 USD. While it’s unlikely you’ll get this much value out of your Marriott Bonvoy points, it is possible that room rates could get this high during a peak travel season.
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.
Getting to the Las Vegas Marriott:
We were staying the night before at the The Signature at MGM Grand.
We ended up taking the slightly shabby Las Vegas Monorail from the MGM Grand station to the Convention Centre station. It was pretty convenient to get there from The Signature at MGM Grand, and we’d end up using the monorail later in the day to re-position to entertainment venues during the day.
Upon arriving to the Convention Centre station, it was a short 7 minute walk rolling suitcases across two long blocks to get to the Las Vegas Marriott. While it was a little longer than expected walking through empty parking lots in “no mans land”, we didn’t have any problems locating the property.
The Las Vegas Marriott offered a traditional vehicle entryway, which was a marked difference than all the casino hotels that typically have an entrance way that’s miles away from the front desk.
The Las Vegas Marriott hotel is located acorss the street from the Las Vegas Convention Centre. It’s in a “no mans land” of sorts, surrounded by vacant lots, empty parking spaces and in a neighbourhood with a definite lack of personality.
The only bright spot is that the property is within short walking distance to El Gordo Taco’s, which in my humble opinion, is a must visit for taco’s if you find yourself staying over at the Las Vegas Marriott.
Checking into the Las Vegas Marriott:
The Las Vegas Marriott is due for a renovation. We had received a cheeky pre-arrival email informing us “we are having a little work done”, which has started in the lobby. In Marriott tradition, the lobby and rooms are representing the usual beige and red Marriott themed colours; which will be a familiar feel for those that are on the Marriott business travel circuit.
Our pre-arrival email also indicated that an upgrade charge for a City View or a Sphere View would be available for an additional charge. We were also encouraged to provide our arrival time, along with directions or a request for special occasions.
The reception for the Las Vegas Marriott was immediately located across from the front door of the property. There was no door man working when we arrived. We rolled up to the front counter and checked in without any line.
We were warmly welcomed with an efficient check in that represented the best that Marriott had to offer. We were thanked for our Marriott Titanium level loyalty. We were explained that breakfast was made available in the 325 Lounge on the 17th floor between 6:30 AM and 11 AM (weekend hours).
We didn’t negotiate or argue for a sphere view room. We weren’t expecting to spend much time on the property and just accepted the room assignment offered. In this case, it was an eighth floor convention centre view room. We were given 4 X 250ml bottles of water as the usual thank you for being a Marriott Bonvoy Elite.
Unlike the desperate haggling we had at other MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy resorts on this trip, we were also given a complimentary Marriott Titanium late check out guaranteed at 4 PM without any dispute.
While we didn’t get to spin the roulette wheel, I was pretty impressed of what the hotel had to offer. Our reception at the Las Vegas Marriott was much warmer and more personalized than our past stays in Las Vegas to date.f
The Las Vegas Marriott hotel is not a casino hotel. As a result, there aren’t any slot machines or other gambling devices on the hotel’s property.
The Room: 1 King Suite – 1 King Bed –
We found our way up to the 8th floor. With all rooms at this property being compact suites, we didn’t receive any further upgrade as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium. We located our assigned room #819, which was located at the far corner of the floor well away from any hallway noise.
The King Suite at the Las Vegas Marriott is a compact suite that is 380 sq feet or 34 sq meters. The room features a small living space that offered a sofa bed, two small occasional tables disguised as stools, and a red occasional chair that could only belong to a Marriott hotel.
The living area featured a 32 inch flat screen television. While the space was quite small, I did manage to set up a luggage rack in the corner for our shopping suitcase.
The living area offered a small working desk that was a little on the compact side. Despite this, the decor fit the room perfectly with an occasional lamp on the desk.
The living space of the King Suite offered a wet bar. The room also featured a complimentary drip coffee maker, along with an ice but and paid water.
Moving to the bedroom, the King Suite offered a King Bed in a smallish compact room. There wasn’t a lot of extra space around the bed, making this room a space for sleeping.
The bedroom featured a direct view of the Las Vegas Convention Centre West Hall. With nothing happening at the convention centre during our stay, the architecturally inspiring building looked pretty quiet.
The Las Vegas Marriott offered an older bathroom that featured a bath and shower combination. The shower itself was a little on the compact side, consistent with many Marriott’s I’ve stayed in over the years.
The bathroom sink featured a single vanity. The space was a little compact for two. As a result, we found ourselves alternating bathroom sink time during our stay.
The storage space in the King Suite was located across from the sink. It was a little difficult to get access to the closet when the sink was in use. However, a suite is still a suite and with a living space to relax in, we made sure not to cross paths during our time.
In terms of sleep quality, the Las Vegas Marriott was exceptionally quiet with no hallway noise or noise from other Las Vegas revellers. We had a great sleep and didn’t have any neighbourhood noise or other distractions during our sleep.
Around the Hotel Property:
The Las Vegas Marriott is an urban business hotel with amenities that you would expect under this category.
While we didn’t get upgrade to a Sphere view room, we were able to get in a few glances of this attraction while waiting for the elevators when coming to and from the property.
Marriott Concierge Executive Lounge:
The Las Vegas Marriott is unique in that it is a property without a dedicated Marriott Concierge Executive Lounge. While we don’t normally see Executive Lounges at Marriott Resorts, this marks the first Marriott city property that I’ve visited that is without an M Club or an Executive Lounge.
Outdoor Pool:
The Las Vegas Marriott offers a small outdoor pool. The pool was located at ground level and has a nice outdoor orientation on the west sunny side of the property.
The pool isn’t large enough for a whole group of people, but might be a respite on a weekeday when its not overtaken by large families.
Exercise Room:
The exercise room is located on the second floor. At times, we see exercise rooms that are located without any natural light. The Las Vegas Marriott offered a large day light gym area that was much larger than I was expecting for an exercise room.
The fitness centre is open seven days a week on a twenty four hour a day basis.
Food and Beverage:
The food and beverage at the Las Vegas Marriott is probably, if pressed, the hotel’s weakest spot. With world class restaurants a few miles away, the Las Vegas Marriott has a limited food and beverage footprint.
The Garage:
In what is probably among the most unique food and beverage locations that I’ve seen in a Marriott, the Las Vegas Marriott offers a unique outdoor bar space called “The Garage”.
The Las Vegas Marriott has taken space located underneath it’s sloped parking structure and turned it into a bar and lounge space. As a result of Nevadas’ warm desert weather, this space seems to work all year round.
The place is anchored with flat screen televisions which are great for watching sports. The menu items are ordered by phone from the hotel’s Café 25 restaurant.
Café 325:
The sole on property restaurant is Café 325, which was located on the hotel’s seventeenth floor at the very top of the Las Vegas Marriott. During our stay, the Café 325 was not open for lunch.
The Café 325 did offer a happy hour cocktail setting that offered great city views over the Las Vegas Convention Centre West.
I snooped around up here looking for the Marriott M Club Executive Lounge, but didn’t find anywhere to take away any snacks or drinks. Instead, there were a few dinner menu items that were of the traditional hotel fare.
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Breakfast
Durng our visit, we enjoyed a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Breakfast. Returning to Café 325 at around 9:30 AM, I discovered that the Cafe 325 was actually set up on roof top convention space of the Las Vegas Marriott.
As Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level members, we were given full access to either the buffet or the a – la – carte menu. While there weren’t many boutique surprises on the menu, there was more than enough items to choose from for breakfast.
For ease of convenience, I ended up going with the buffet. There were ample hot and cold items which included various meats, along with cereals and continental items.
The buffet offered an egg station. As a result, I had freshly made bacon and eggs. I really appreciated this resort like experience, as it elevated the breakfast offering.
We were presented with a cheque at the end, which provided the full value of the breakfast at $62.86 USD on a complimentary basis. The staff we encountered were really positive and welcoming, which was a marked change from some other Las Vegas resort staff at other properties.
Overall, I was really satisfied with the Café 325 breakfast offering. The complimentary breakfast marked a high point of the property.
Bottom Line: Las Vegas Marriott
The Las Vegas Marriott represented terrific value for this Marriott Bonvoy Elite traveler.
In addition to saving about $250 USD from a casino strip hotel on a friday night, we had a great complimentary Marriott Bonvoy elite breakfast. While the rooms are ready for a renovation, they are clean and quiet.
I would happily return again to this property under similar circumstances.
If you have stayed at the Las Vegas Marriott, did you get value out of your stay ?
Chef Michael Mina remains among the most popular Las Vegas celebrity chefs, helming approximately five restaurants through Las Vegas and forty restaurants worldwide. Our recent trip to Las Vegas would allow us the opportunity to try out Chef Mina’s contribution towards classic french bistro styled cuisine at his Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina restaurant at the Aria Resort and Casino – Las Vegas.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina Brunch Restaurant Las Vegas, Aria, Nevada, United States of America.
After experiencing terrific brunch experiences at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon – Las Vegas, it was time to branch out and try something new. On this trip, I happened to discover Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, which represented Chef Mina’s entry into classical french bistro styled cuisine. Hoping for a great breakfast, we ended up visiting for a breakfast brunch.
About Michael Mina & Bradot Brasserie:
Chef Michael Mina is a celebrity chef whom runs a small empire of restaurants that mostly span across the United States and the United Arab Emirates. Originally immigrating to the United States from Cairo, Egypt, he grew up in Ellensburg, Washington, United States of America. During his upbringing, he ended up working in french restaurants, in addition to working at the Space Needle restaurant in Seattle, Washington.
Chef Mina attended the University of Washington, before formally entering culinary training at the Culinary institute of America in New York, USA. Michael Mina’s approach to cooking is said to revolve around balancing four basic elements: spice, sweetness, acidity, and richness.
Turning to today’s visit, Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina – Las Vegas opened in January 2015. After his lease on his restaurant “American Fish” expired at this location, the Aria Resort and Casino proposed a different concept to Mina, whom wanted to open a restaurant with french food.
The restaurant “Bardot Brasserie” was named after Brigitte Bardot; known for being a fashion icon, a sex symbol of the mid-20th century and a centre piece of European film.
Booking a Brunch at Bardot Brasserie Las Vegas:
It was pretty easy to get a booking at Bardot Brasserie. After accessing the Aria Resort and Casino website, I was able to select a time using the reservations systems operated under “Seven Rooms”
If you’re hoping to come for dinner, the restaurant is currently open Wednesday – Sunday. It’s worth mentioning that Bardot Brasserie only does “weekend” brunch on the mornings of Friday’s, Saturday’s and Sundays starting at 9:00 AM.
I ended up locating lots of availability about three weeks before my visit, with a full choice of times available. The restaurant does not seem to be super popular based strictly on reservation availability. I found lots of seats on Fridays’ and Saturday nights throughout the evening time slots, in addition to ample seating available during weekend brunch periods.
Arriving to Bardot Brasserie:
I was staying nearby at the conveniently located Signature by MGM Grand – Las Vegas. We walked over to the restaurant, which was located in the Aria Hotel and Casino.
The restaurant was located in the restaurant precinct, which was up the escalators at the rear of the Aria Casino on the second level.
When we arrived to Bardot Brasserie on a friday morning, the restaurant was almost completely deserted. It’s worth mentioning that Bardot Brasserie appeared to have lost the popularity contest next to the other Aria American breakfast restaurant: Salt and Ivy.
It’s always a little unsettling when you arrive to a restaurant, only to find it deserted. It makes you second guess your choice, when a different restaurant across the hall is lined up, while your choice sits nearly empty. Regardless, since we had committed to a reservation, we stuck with our original plan and continued on with our visit.
Bardot Brasserie has a circular entrance with the restaurant located up a short flight of stairs.
The Bardot Brasserie also has a faux sidewalk for dining, similar to a Parisian café. It’s a nice touch but it seems a little “out of place” in a dead end commercial restaurant space. Sitting outside, wouldn’t necessarily be my first pick of seats.
On arrival, we presented ourselves to the side walk podium. We had no wait validating our reservation. We were shown to our table immediately.
Inside Bardot Brasserie:
Bardot Brasserie has done a terrific job reflecting a contemporary french bistro space. The Bardot Brasserie colours are in black with patterned white tile, along with a patterned ceiling representative of a bistro in old Europe.
After entering the restaurant, you’ll pass by the bar. It reportedly took six months to fully design and complete the bar. The bar featured an elevated brass shelf allows the spirits to be suspended from the ceiling.
The Bardot Brasserie restaurant features an open kitchen which is tucked behind glass. With both a main dining area and a small side dining room, we ended up being tucked into the side dining area.
The appearance and decor of the Bardot Brasserie is contemporary and modern looking. There’s no mistaking that you’re in a modern french bistro as the whole restaurant has showy and modern fixtures.
The Menus:
We were attending Bardot Brasserie for weekend brunch. We had a great number of of breakfast specialities that you might expect on a french breakfast menu.
The Bardot Brasserie Brunch menu featured escargot, caviar devilled eggs, croissant and lox sandwiches. The appetizers were adventurous and offered all your french favourites.
The main courses featured specialities such as french omelettes with gruyère cheese, crêpe madames with paris ham and mornay sauce, duck waffles with orange glazed duck confit belgian waffles, and terrific looking steak frites with duck fat fries. All of their breakfast items looked appealing and attractive.
Bardot Brasserie prices were about as expected, with most starters pricing at $14 – $26 USD and most main course entrées pricing at $25 – $35 USD. A bit strangely, the prices were not shown on outward facing menus on the hotel website (unlike fellow sister restaurant Salt and Ivy), and only shown in the restaurant menus themselves.
Bardot Brasserie offered a full featured drink menu. The drink menu offered a host of signature cocktails, a champagne cart, along with six white wines and six red whites from France; all of which were available by the glass.
Unfortunately, Bardot Brasserie has previously cut it’s “all you can drink” sparkling breakfast feature. Never ending bubbles over Bardot Brasserie’s brunch breakfast is now priced as $65 USD per person, which is remarkably uncompetitive for this class in Las Vegas. During our visit, most competitors were offering this at a far more reasonable $30 – $35 USD per person. This was a bit of a disappointment, especially considering that the restaurant does not appear to be all too full or attracting many visitors during brunch on our friday visit.
On a brighter side, the restaurant did offer us two complimentary glasses of sparking wine, as a result of our reservation profile notation that our visit was in honour of a wedding anniversary.
The Meal – French Omelettes and Seafood Benedict:
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with a Michael Mina branded breakfast. We’ve previously enjoyed his Michael Mina – Bellagio restaurant, having had an excellent meal there. On today’s Bardot Brasserie experience, we ended up with a quality breakfast that was a little on the heavier and filling side.
MrsWT73 went with the french omelette with gruyère cheese, a potato pavé and french greens. The omelette was immersed with french parsley throughout. The omelette was exceptionally prepared. It was lightly folded with just enough softness to the texture, with eggs that remained fluffy and light.
I ended up with the seafood Eggs Benedict. The smoked salmon was presented over top of french croissant, two potato pavés, along with a side of ketchup. The hollandaise was exceptionally thick and heavy. The eggs were poached to medium hard, which was a little more than my ordered “medium”.
Overall, the food was enjoyable. However, I wasn’t as impressed compared to when I visited Thomas Keller’s – Bouchon Bistro. I found that the food and Bardot Brasserie was a little heavier than I might have expected, with a little less excitement that I might have been hoping for. While there was nothing specific that was lacking, I just found the meal to be very good, without being outstanding and memorable.
The service at Bardot Brasserie was much along the same lines. The service was professional, pleasant but unremarkable and a bit “assembly line” in nature. Coffee refills arrived promptly and frequently.
While I wouldn’t expect the most personalized service from a higher volume property located in a casino hotel with four thousand hotel rooms, there wasn’t much to report on the service other than it was timely with a minimum amount of interaction.
Ending Brunch & Closing Thoughts:
The brunch offering was a prompt affair. While we lingered a little bit, there wasn’t much need to stay longer than necessary.
Our check came to $62 USD, with two entrées, a $6 USD drip coffee with several refills, and two complimentary glasses of sparkling wine.
I ended up putting this on my American Express Platinum Business Card for a 1.25 earn rate to Membership Rewards for some future adventure.
The Bottom Line: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina
This marked my second visit to a Michael Mina restaurant in Las Vegas and my first breakfast experience with them.
While the food was relatively solid, and the decor of the restaurant was world class, I found the experience to be a little more showy over substance. The highlight of the meal was the french omelette with gruyère cheese and two complimentary glasses of bubbles.
I’d easily return again if I happened to be staying in the Aria Resort and Casino. I’m just not sure if I’d make the trip across town, in order to visit again.
If you have visited Bardot Brasserie, did you find the visit worth your effort ?
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon represents Joël Robuchon’s most accessible restaurant. The workshop represents an opportunity to experience one of the world’s most celebrated chefs that included earning 32 Michelin Stars and being awarded the “Chef of the Century”. The contemporary Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers a different experience than the fine dining restaurant of Joël Robuchon. However, what does it really cost to dine at the Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant? Read on to see our analysis and where the Atelier de Joël Robuchon compares to others in this elevated category.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
How Much Does It Actually Cost to Eat at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant Las Vegas, USA?
This post is about how much it actually costs to eat at L’Atelier Joël Robuchon – Las Vegas. If you’d care to read about our review of dining at L’Atelier Joël Robuchon, please see my other post on Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant – Las Vegas.
This compliments our other post featuring Joël Robuchon’s fine dining restaurant:
- Review: Joël Robuchon Restaurant Las Vegas.
- How Much does it Actually Cost to Eat at Joël Robuchon – Las Vegas
On a recent trip to Las Vegas, and in honour of a wedding anniversary, I took Mrs WT 73 and myself to the Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant. As I indicated in my other post, my experience dining there was an enjoyable dining experience with an approachable menu for all, filled with complexity, layered tastes and solid execution.
But how much does it cost to eat at one of the most elite and prestigious restaurants in the United States? In this post, I’ll aim to tackle the other side of the equation, how much it costs to enjoy a dinner at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.
About L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant:
Mr 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.
The Joël Robuchon restaurant was rated 3 stars in the year 2009 by the Michelin Guide, whereas the L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas had also been awarded a single Michelin star the last time inspectors visited.
It’s flagship Joël Robuchon fine dining restaurant had 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.
That sort of pedigree alone should be enough for any chef to command reasonably high prices.
Quite cleverly, Joël Robuchon menus and prices are not displayed on forward facing websites for their restaurants. It’s only when you arrive to the front doors, are you able to take a look at the displays to see what is on offer. At this point, or perhaps with some intense research on the internet, the price points are slowly revealed.
Looking at the displays, The Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers a hint of its price point(s). Immediately outside the Atelier de Joël Robuchon, there is a menu table that offers some insight into most of of the dishes available on order.
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant proudly displays its tasting and a – la – carte menus and its awards listed on complex looking menus. All of the door posted menus are priced upon display in 10 point font on elaborate lists of menus. It’s your first indication of how much things may cost.
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon Menus:
Once seated at the counter bar of the Atelier de Joël Robuchon, menus are presented. There is both a Seasonal Tasting Discovery menu, and an a – la – carte menu.
If you have made special arrangements at the time of your reservation, there is also a Vegetarian Tasting Discovery Menu offered at the same price point as the Seasonal Tasting Menu. Much like next door, this is when the serious math and decision making trees start.
In our visit post pandemic, the Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers a simpler approach than the fine dining version next door of Joël Robuchon restaurant.
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon menus offer both A – La – Carte or Seasonal Discovery Tasting Menu options a variety of price points and range as follows, from least to most expensive:
- $33 – 75 USD a course – Les Entrées – Appetizers
- $54 – $149 USD a course – Les Plats – Main Courses
- $21 – $28 USD a course – Les Desserts – Desserts
Followed by the flagship:
- $255 USD – Seasonal Tasting Menu – Nine Courses (Amuse + Appetizer + Main + Desserts)
While there are not the same bread cart or dessert cart inclusions found next door at Joël Robuchon, each Atelier diner receives a presentation of Atelier’s small bread basket with 3 types of freshly baked bread accompanied by french butter flown in from France.
Each option has advantages and disadvantages, with most visitors opting for the Seasonal Tasting Discovery Menu.
Choosing Atelier de Joël Robuchon A La Carte Menus:
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon A La Carte Menus are available for individual ordering for those looking for the lowest price points or are time constrained. While its hard to imagine rushing through this experience, it’s nice to know there are options.
The A La Carte menus offer access to some of the more popular Robuchon dishes that don’t usually turn up on the Seasonal Tasting Menu. These include Le Burger (wagyu burger sliders with foie gras), le Tartare (Westholme wagyu tartare with fries), les Spaghettis (squid ink spaghetti with lobster, caviar and sauce americane) or La Calette (quail foie gras, soy glaze and potato puree).
There is also a dessert menu available. Consistent with the avant garde theme of the Atelier de Joël Robuchon, the desserts are modern. It’s also worth mentioning that the A – La – Carte dessert menu is usually the only place where french cheese is offered. The Seasonal Tasting Menu usually doesn’t incorporate cheese into the tasting; a critique of some restaurant diners looking for a typically french haute cuisine experience.
There is quite a large price band range of the starters and main courses. Desserts are mostly priced the same across the spectrum.
An “A – La – Carte” Menu summary:
- The average price of Atelier’s appetizers are $45.75 USD
- The average price of Atelier’s main courses are $105.14 USD
- The average price of Atelier’s desserts are $23.71 USD
Adding up a three course meal consisting of an appetizer, a main course and a dessert will run approximately per $174.60 USD person.
During my most recent Atelier visit, I happened to see only one couple during our entire three hour stay ordering off the a – la – carte menu.
Choosing Atelier de Joël Robuchon Seasonal Discovery Tasting Menu:
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon Seasonal Discovery Tasting menu is the restaurant’s flagship experience. After the restaurant’s re-opening after the pandemic, the nine course menu is now priced at $255 USD.
The Seasonal Discovery Menu clearly represents a better value than A – La – Carte, as you get the inclusion of an additional six courses for an additional $80 USD.
During our visit, there was a $45 USD offer to upgrade to Kagoshima A5 Rib Eye, and and the seasonal off menu $189 USD Truffle Risotto with parmesan regianno cheese. Otherwise, the Seasonal Discovery Tasting menu is all inclusive.
Clearly, the Atelier de Joël Robuchon Seasonal Tasting Menu offering nine courses represents the best value from the Atelier combinations. On a dollar cost average basis, the Seasonal Tasting Menu offers each course at about $28.33 USD per course.
Choosing The Tasting Menu Wine Pairing:
If nine tasting menu items weren’t enough to navigate through, you’ll then need to decide on wines. While you can opt for a bottle (or half bottle) from the extensive wine list, the Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant also offers three levels of wine pairings to accompany the Seasonal Discovery Tasting Menu:
- $175 USD – Village Wine Pairing
- $295 USD – Premier Cru Wine Pairing
- $575 USD – Grand Cru Wine Pairing
Much like my experience next door at Joël Robuchon, even the village wine pairing tasting that I enjoyed was excellent in quality. Visitors can expect a fully french series of wines, representing the best viniculture regions of France.
With access to a Wine Spectator award winning wine cellar, it’s easy to do some serious damage at this restaurant.
What it Actually Costs:
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon is a much more approachable version of the fine dining Joël Robuchon restaurant next door. Like with any experience, the costs can escalate upwards quite considerably if you’re not careful.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that a gratuity is not included in the displayed pricing. A gratuity is generally expected between 18 – 20% of the total menu cost.
As inspired by others, we’ve enhanced this table that represents the current post pandemic prices:
| Atelier de Joël Robuchon Menu Cost (A La Carte Items Cost Averaged) | Base Cost | Add Las Vegas, Nevada Restaurant Tax at 8.1% + Gratuity at 20% | ||
| For One | For Two | For Four | ||
| A La Carte Menu Main Course – Dessert | $128.75 | $140.25 | $280.50 | $561 |
| A La Carte Menu Entreé – Main – Dessert | $174.60 | $226.50 | $452.92 | $905.96 |
| A La Carte Menu 2 Entreés – Main – Dessert | $220.35 | $285.84 | $571.68 | $1,143.35 |
| A La Carte Menu 2 Entrées – 2 Mains – Dessert | $325.49 | $422.23 | $844.46 | $1,688.90 |
| $255 Tasting Menu 12 Courses | $255 | $330.79 | $661.58 | $1,323.16 |
| Add Tasting Wine Pairings to base $255 Atelier Tasting Menu | ||||
| +$175 Village Wine Pairing | $430 | $557.80 | $1,115.60 | $2,231.18 |
| +$295 Premier Cru Wine Pairing | $550 | $713.46 | $1426.92 | $2,853.84 |
| +$575 Grand Cru Wine Pairing | $830 | $1,076.68 | $2,135.35 | $4,306.70 |
It’s pretty easy to do some serious damage here without much fore-thought. Some highlights from the above chart:
- The cheapest possible meal combination for two is $280.50 USD (without wine / drinks).
- The cheapest tasting menu, with the lowest level wine pairing for two, is $1,115.60 USD.
- A Single Diner can spend up to $1076.80 USD on a tasting menu, paired with a top level Grand Cru Tasting wine pairing.
- A Tasting Dinner for 4 of your Favourite Friends, with a top level Grand Cru Tasting, will cost $4,306.70 USD.
These prices become much easier to swallow if you come in knowing what to expect.
How does this compare to other Michelin Starred restaurants that offer tasting menus?
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant Las Vegas is around the same or underneath the most expensive restaurants in the United States today.
Next door at the fine dining of Joël Robuchon, a tasting menu will now run you $525 USD for eleven wonderful courses. This makes nine courses at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon a near bargain in terms of value, provided you can settle with countertop seating.
We did a little comparison of Michelin starred restaurants that offer tasting menus throughout the United States. This is what we have come up with:
- The French Laundry, Yountville, California, USA: $350 USD (13 courses without wine)
- Per Se, New York, New York, USA: $355 USD (13 courses without wine)
- Eleven Madison Park, New York, New York, USA: $365 USD (12 courses without wine)
- Joël Robochon Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: $485 USD (12 courses without wine)
- Guy Savoy Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: $615 USD (7 courses – including wine pairing)
- Masa Omakase Menu, New York, New York, USA: $750 USD (26 courses – including gratuity)
Based on our list, in this post pandemic world, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon represents value and access into the world and cuisine of Joël Robuchon. It is priced a step point well under Guy Savoy’s Las Vegas dining (that includes wine in its prices), and Masa that offers Japanese tasting at a staggering 26 courses, along with an optional $200 corkage.
Clearly, Joël Robuchon is near the top of its game and is among the pinnacle of French Restaurants in America. Clearly, to eat wonderful food, you have to pay to play.
The best part is, the food is well worth the price of admission. The food structure, service and attention to detail are world class and the experience will most certainly be a very memorable evening.
My Thoughts on How Much it Costs to Eat at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon:
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas represents the most inexpensive entry point into the world of Joël Robuchon. Like the fine dining at it’s elevated Joël Robuchon restaurant. the whole experience has been calibrated by one of the worlds most acclaimed chefs.
The Seasonal Tasting Menu represents the best value of the menu price points. You can expect to have a variety of complex flavours presented in a world class manner. For those like me, it helps to have a plan of attack coming into the restaurant. At least, you’ll be able to see what dishes and menus are of interest to you, and adjust your tasting or general wine budget accordingly.
It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to dine like this, so make sure you make the most of it, through a little advance research.
If you have visited Joël Robuchon or other Fine Restaurants, how do you prepare for sticker shock ?
Black Friday is just around the corner. As a result, it’s time to announce some promotions that add value to any Air Canada Aeroplan E – Store Black Friday purchase. With that special date, we have seen Air Canada Aeroplan co-branded credit cards announce earning promotions. The Toronto Dominion Visa Aeroplan credit card has just announced it’s earning structure for Black Friday 2024. The most recent offer appears to be quite generous.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Targeted: Air Canada Aeroplan offering up to 10x points on Black Friday via Aeroplan E Store.
In an exclusive offer to Toronto Dominion Air Canada Aeroplan Visa card holders, Air Canada Aeroplan has announced that they will be offering up to 10 times the Aeroplan points for purchases made on the Aeroplan E Store. In addition, Toronto Dominion Visa Infinite will be offering an additional fifty percent (50%) more Aeroplan points on every point earned via the eStore (to a maximum of 40,000 points).
The offer appears to be targeted and registration is required through the link provided within the email.
The Deal:
This is a targeted offer to Toronto Dominion Aeroplan Visa Card Holders, although Air Canada may have also targeted it to other co-branded credit cards such as the CIBC Aeroplan Visa series credit cards.
Toronto Dominion Aeroplan Visa Card Holders are being offered the ability to earn up to 10x the points via the Aeroplan E Store, and up to 50% more Air Canada Aeroplan points as a TD Aeroplan Credit Card holder.
The Terms and Conditions listed on the Email are as follows:
110 Aeroplan points/$1 CAD on eligible spend via the Aeroplan eStore
Offer valid from November 28, 2024, at 12:01 AM NT until December 2, 2024, at 11:59 PM PT (“Offer Period”). During the Offer Period all Aeroplan Members will earn up to 10 Aeroplan points for every $1 CAD spent on eligible Aeroplan eStore purchases with select eStore retailers through Aeroplan eStore or via the Aeroplan Shopping Button. The number of Aeroplan points that can be earned vary by eStore retailer and are based on both the base points and bonus points offered during the Offer Period by the eStore retailer, (excluding taxes, shipping fees, custom duties or any other types of surcharges). For details on purchases that are not eligible for this Offer, refer to the Terms of the respective retailer for exclusions and restrictions. See the full list of participating retailers. Participating Aeroplan eStore retailers subject to change without notice. Returned items, refunds, rebates, or other similar credits will reduce or cancel the Aeroplan points earned. Members will be credited points between 6‑8 weeks after the Offer Period. No Aeroplan points will be awarded for transactions that initiate directly with any retailer, without going through the Aeroplan eStore. Open only to Aeroplan Members in good standing. Terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. This Offer is non‑transferable and is not redeemable for cash. If this Offer is not running as planned for any reason, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, pandemic or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of Aeroplan which corrupt or affect the administration, security or proper conduct of this Offer, Aeroplan reserves the right at its sole discretion to, without advance notice, terminate or suspend the Offer, in whole or in part, or modify it in any way. Aeroplan also reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual from this Offer and to ban the individual from any future offers that it finds or believes to be tampering with the process or the operation of this Offer. See the Aeroplan eStore Terms and Conditions.
250% more Aeroplan points via eStore as an Aeroplan Credit Cardholder Terms & Conditions (the “Offer”)
Offer starts November 28, 2024 at 12:01 AM NT and ends on December 2, 2024 at 11:59 PM PT (the “Offer Period“) and is only available to Primary Cardholders of a TD® Aeroplan® Visa Platinum* Credit Card, TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, TD®Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Credit Card or TD® Aeroplan® Visa* Business Card (each an “Eligible Account”) who register for this Offer through the email or the landing page during the Offer Period (each, a “Participating Cardholder“). Under this Offer, Participating Cardholders will earn 50% more Aeroplan points for every point earned on eligible purchases made through the Aeroplan eStore. Aeroplan eStore purchases must be charged to the Participating Cardholder’s Eligible Account to be eligible. There is a maximum of 40,000 bonus points that can be earned per Aeroplan member regardless of card issuers and credit card products under this Offer. A Participating Cardholder’s Eligible Account and Aeroplan account must be open and in good standing at the time the Aeroplan points earned under this Offer are awarded. For details on purchases that are not eligible for this Offer, refer to the terms of the respective retailer on the Aeroplan eStore for exclusions and restrictions. The 50% more points are based on the awarded Aeroplan points earned on eligible purchases made through the Aeroplan eStore, for each $1 spent, excluding taxes, shipping fees, custom duties or any other types of surcharges. Returned items, refunds, rebates, or other similar credits will reduce or cancel the Aeroplan points earned by the amount originally charged to your Eligible Account including bonus points earned through this Offer. No Aeroplan points will be awarded for transactions that initiate directly with any retailer, without going through the Aeroplan eStore or via the Aeroplan Shopping Button. Additional cardholders spend is not eligible for this Offer. Bonus Aeroplan points will be credited by Aeroplan by January 31, 2025 to the Participating Cardholders’ Aeroplan accounts. Bonus Aeroplan points earned with this Offer are not eligible for Everyday Status Qualification (EDQ). Offer is only available to the recipient of this communication, is non‑transferable and is not redeemable for cash. This limited time Offer will be in addition to any other offers available to your Aeroplan Account. This Offer may be changed, withdrawn or extended at any time. TD is not responsible for the fulfillment of this Offer or the terms of use. This Offer may be revoked if you appear to be manipulating or abusing it, or are engaged in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by Aeroplan in its sole discretion.
For Aeroplan Terms and Conditions, please visit: aircanada.com/Aeroplan-termsandconditions.
eStore earn and TD Cardholder eStore promotional earn as illustrated below:
| Purchases initiated via eStore | 10x on lululemon via eStore | If member is also an Elite member (2x) | 50% TD Offer (Requires registration) | Total Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 on lululemon Purchases | 10,000 points via eStore | 2,000 points as an Aeroplan Elite member | 6,000 points via eStore as a TD cardholder | 18,000 Points |
| $1,000 on lululemon Purchases | 10,000 points via eStore | 5,000 points via eStore as a TD cardholder | 15,000 Points |
Registration:
Registration is really easy, and involves navigating to a dedicated promotion page, where you’ll have to enter your Aeroplan number.
You don’t actually have to sign into your account, or face spinning wheels of airplanes waiting for servers to register.
If you’re successful, you’ll be taken to a screen that indicates that you’ve been successfully registered for the offer.
I also received a confirmation email from Air Canada Aeroplan, confirming I had registered for the offer.
As always, there are a number of terms and conditions that are in place with any Air Canada Aeroplan promotion. This offer is limited to the four days of Black Friday, which is probably the most limiting of the terms and conditions.
These terms include:
- Offer starts on November 28, 2024
- Offer ends on December 2, 2024
- Points will be credited by January 31, 2025; about 8 weeks after the end of the offer period.
What I think of this deal:
This deal couldn’t have been any more worse timed. With a federal Canada Post delivery strike currently ongoing, many parcel shippers will stressed to ship packages in time for the holidays.
This targeted offer has the potential for customers to earn a substantial amount of miles. This is something I would certainly take advantage of if you were purchasing a new computer, or making an expensive purchase you’d otherwise normally be making.
As always, check the fine print when redeeming the offer. Air Canada’s Aeroplan is notoriously slow at advancing these bonuses. They’ve previously been a little weak at customer service as well for missing miles. As a result, I’d adjust your expectations accordingly.
The Bottom Line: Aeroplan Points are Up for Grabs During Black Friday
There are a number of Air Canada Aeroplan points available for qualifying purchases on Black Friday when using the TD Aeroplan Visa Credit Card. You’ll have to act fast however, since these offers are only around for 4 days.
Happy Shopping!
If you are a TD Aeroplan Visa Card Holder, will you be taking advantage of this promotion ?
Joël Robuchon was one of the world’s most celebrated chefs. His legacy included earning 32 Michelin Stars and being awarded the “Chef of the Century”. With a collection of Joël Robuchon and his more contemporary L’Atelier du Joël Robuchon restaurants located around the western world, his dining experience was on my list of experiences to enjoy for quite some time. Read on to see how my experience was dining at his Atelier Joël Robuchon Las Vegas restaurant.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant Las Vegas, MGM Grand, Nevada, United States of America.
This post is about my experience dining at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas.
If you’re interested in Joël Robuchon’s experiences, you might be interested in the following:
This would mark my second visit to L’Atelier doe Joël Robuchon and my first review of this particular Atelier location. I was looking for an experience that I could enjoy with MrsWT73 that wasn’t too over the top, but fun, approachable and enjoyable all at the same time.
About L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Restaurant:
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.
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas restaurant is located next to Le Maison at the MGM Grand Las Vegas Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. The Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant was rated with 1 stars in the year 2009 by the Michelin Guide. While it hasn’t shared the same accolades as the Joël Robuchon restaurant next door (5 stars by the Forbes Travel Guide, and a ranking by Wine Spectator and Travel and Leisure to be among the finest restaurants the world), it offers a more introductory experience to the world of Joël Robuchon.
There is a bit of a conversation going on that the Joël Robuchon restaurant has “lost” it’s Michelin stars. It’s worth noting that The Michelin Guide last visited Las Vegas in 2009, and hasn’t returned to Las Vegas since then. The unconfirmed reason is that the Las Vegas Michelin Guide did not sell many copies of the Las Vegas edition, and as a result, the raters haven’t returned.
The Michelin Star is typically only valid in the year that it is earned, so in some senses it’s a bit of a mirage to suggest that this is a Michelin starred restaurant. However, it is also a circumstance impacting every other Michelin starred restaurant in Las Vegas, so it’s not something that can be applied to this restaurant exactly.
The Atelier concept:
L’Atelier Robuchon describes itself as being all about absolute culinary excellence and the immersive entertainment of the guest. It describes itself as a highly refined mix of the freshest, finest ingredients, paired with new ideas. It’s probably easier to describe it as French “haute cuisine” served in a stylized environment.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon aims to deliver 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.
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas restaurant represents one of fifteen current Atelier de Joël Robuchon locations worldwide. At press time, there were Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurants operating in:
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Hong Kong,
- Miami & Las Vegas, USA
- Shanghai, China
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Tokyo, Japan
- Etoile & St German – Paris, France
- St Barth, St Barthélemy
- London, United Kingdom
- Madrid, Spain
- Ayia Napa, Cyprus
Booking a Dinner at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon:
My experience getting a reservation here was smoother than my experience dining next door at the fine dining Joël Robuchon restaurant.
Unlike many fine dining restaurants where the demand for reservations exceeds the supply, I didn’t have any challenges getting a table.
I ended up going to the MGM Grand hotel website restaurant webpage, and linking through to the reservation tab. The reservation system operates under the SevenRooms reservation’s platform.
I ended up locating lots of availability about three weeks before my visit, with a full choice of times available. If you’re desperate to visit and you didn’t have a lot of notice, I had been able to find availability right up to twenty hour hours prior to visit during off peak times.
At time of reservation, I was required to provide a credit card number with caution of a $75 USD cancellation fee or if I failed to show up to claim the reservation.
The dress code for L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is business casual; a softer version than next door at the formal Joël Robuchon Restaurant. The Atelier de Joël Robuchon does not permit sportswear, beachwear, sweatpants, flip flops, shorts, hats, and loungewear. Most attendees were in smart dress casual or suit jackets for the men, and cocktail dresses for the women.
Where to Sit at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon:
The L’Atelier Joël Robuchon has most diners sitting at high back dining seats along a slender counter top dining space. There are four tables of four and one table of six located in the restaurant opposite the counter space.
Unless you arrive first, there isn’t typically the opportunity to request a specific seating location. All countertop seats have terrific views into the kitchen, making almost any countertop seat guaranteed to have a great view.
Several days before arrival, I received an email request to confirm my attendance. I was further reminded of the dress code and of the cancellation policy. I was also reminded that being over 15 minutes late may result in the cancellation of my reservation.
Arriving to L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon:
I was staying nearby at the conveniently located Signature by MGM Grand – Las Vegas. We walked over to the restaurant, which is located next to the flagship Joël Robuchon, located in a quieter part of the MGM Grand hotel casino. The front portion of the restaurant is fully glass, which allows guests to see directly into the restaurant.
If you happen to be passing by, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon offers a menu table outside highlighting almost everything that the restaurant has to offer. The menu outside does not present the hidden Vegetarian Tasting Menu, which is available on request and with advance arrangement.
Inside L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon:
On arrival, I presented myself to one of the two hosts working the front podium. I arrived about ten minutes before my 7:30 PM reservation time. I was asked to wait while they finalized preparations on our seating space.
Stepping through the front doors of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon led us into the famous red and black themed kitchen. The colour combination has been around for decades, replicated throughout it’s Atelier restaurants worldwide. It’s still pretty avant garde and exciting and marks territory that you’re in an Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant.
Our assigned seats this evening were two corner seats at the end of the restaurant counter and bar. With a 7:30 M reservation, we had a second seating time slot and were reliant on spaces coming open in order to be assigned or dining seats.
The table space is not super generous in real estate at the counter top, with limited space for cell phones or even to follow along with a menu beside your meal. Red themed water glasses along with black and red accented charger places set the tone for an exciting evening ahead.
The seating view at the l’Atelier’s countertop offered a great view into the L’Atlier’s kitchen. Diners were able to look at each station, along with a great view of chef’s quality station managing all the dinner tickets.
The countertop at L’Atelier is arguably the best view to have if you enjoy the preparation and theatrics of cooking. It’s especially a treat when you don’t have to handle any of the dishes afterwards.
Our seat mates were both single diners who both obviously enjoyed food. Both were enjoying the tasting menu. Both had arrived at different times, given where they were at within the sequence of dishes. Given the location of the tables, its natural to chat with your seat mates. We all enjoyed a few laughs and discussions together and separately.
The Menus:
After settling in, we were introduced to our waiter. The noise level in the restaurant was one of joviality and it was a marked but pleasant difference from the quiet next door fine dining environment of Joël Robuchon. Service was provided over the countertop, which make for a more prominent and vocal discussion given the sound levels in the restaurant.
The most popular option for dining at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is the tasting menu branded as the Seasonal Discovery Menu. This option normally offers eight or nine courses and was offered at $255 USD. During our visit, 90% of those seated at the counter were enjoying the Seasonal Tasting Menu, with only a younger couple enjoying an “a – la – carte” option.
The menu changes based on availability of ingredients. Tonight’s menu contained many Joël Robuchon favourites, along with a few new twists.
In a trend that I find to be a bit souring, there were additional options to “upgrade” beyond the tasting menu. There was an on menu option to upgrade to a Kagoshima A5 Rib Eye steak (with a $45 supplement), and another off menu upgrade of freshly shaved truffle risotto with parmesan reggiano cheese for $189 USD, to align with fall truffle season.
While I don’t mind the options, I do find the upgrade / upsell theme to be a little out of place for a high end restaurant. I would rather just be presented with the menu with different price points, or conversely, be offered the ingredients incorporated as part of their Seasonal Tasting Menu ingredients with a higher price point.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Vegetarian Menu:
In terms of selecting this restaurant, MrsWT73 isn’t a super adventurous eater or foodie by any means. I had a whole host of reasons why I had chosen L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. The tasting menu is typically very approachable, (exciting – without being too far out there), it would likely offer a mix of items that she wouldn’t find to be too “off putting”, while at the same time offering more adventurous diners like myself something exotic and different.
Given MrsWT73′ aversion to certain exotic food textures, I made an advance request at the time of reservation for a vegetarian option. The Vegetarian Discovery Menu was also made available, containing a more approachable option to dinner for those with delicate palettes.
Wine Pairing:
Much like next door at Joël Robuchon, there is an option to pair the tasting menu with three levels of wine. The most basic level is the Village Wine Pairing at $175 USD, followed by a Premier Cru Wine Pairing at $295 USD, followed by a Grand Cru Wine Pairing at $575 USD. Each option provides five glasses over the course of the meal. As I had experienced next door, even the basic village pairing was terrific, and I didn’t have any regrets with the wines served.
For those that were not wanting a full nine course meal, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon offered a short La Carte “a – la – carte” menu featuring their most famous dishes. The popular “Le Burger” offering small wagyu foie gras sliders makes an appearance, along with some traditional french favorites such as Le Tartare made appearances.
Given the price point of the La Carte, by the time you’ve added up an appetizer and an entrée, you’re almost better off to go with the tasting menu since it provides better value.
A dessert menu is also provided. It’s worth mentioning that the dessert menu in the “a – la – carte” zone is the only area where you’re able to get french cheese served.
When it came time to order, we had a personalized and extensive discussion with our server to accomodate MrsWT73’s delicate food preferences. MrsWT73 ended up being more interested in the Seasonal Discovery Menu than the Vegetarian Tasting Menu.
We had a discussion swapping individual dishes with a vegetarian option, but in the end, the restaurant was able to accomodate to MrsWT73’s desires. Part of this process was her observing some of the dishes coming out ahead of our sequence given that all appeared to be enjoying the tasting menu.
I asked for and was also provided a “follow along” menu, so that I could fully enjoy what I was eating. The menu was customized to our village wine pairing, containing the names of the wines being offered.
The menu presentation itself is a little intimidating as an exercise, as there are dozens of combinations to go through. As a result, it’s helpful to have a bit of a plan of attack when approaching the menu as it could be a little overwhelming otherwise.
The Atelier Seasonal Tasting Menu Meal:
After ordering was complete, it was time to enjoy the best of Joël Robuchon’s Atelier.
We had an introduction to the sommelier pouring our village tasting wines. We were given a reminder that each wine was to be enjoyed with two courses.
Bread Service:
The meal service starts with bread service. Tonight’s bread service offered three kinds of bread; a traditional french baguette, a comté cheese bread stick and a light croissant roll. Each option are baked fresh daily in house.
The Atelier de Joël Robuchon maintains its relationships with french dairies. Similar to what is served next door at Joël Robuchon restaurant, the Atelier continues to fly in it’s butter from Normandy, France. I particularly enjoyed the combination with the crusty baguette; with just the right balance of wheat and flour, giving it a pleasant sourness.
We were also presented with our first wine; a Laurent – Perrier Brut Champagne to accompany our first course.
Amuse Bouche – Leek and Potato Mousse:
The Amuse Bouche was a Leek and Potato mousse topped with caviar. The potatoes were exceptionally soft, with the freshness of the leeks coming through in this dish. It was enjoyed in about seven spoonfuls.
First Course: Le Trio
Kinmedai, Lobster, Oyster
The first course of the tasting menu was presented as “Le Trio”, which is translated as the Three. This was a combination of fish dishes that paired well with the Laurent Perrier Champagne.
The dish was presented “for two” on a simulated beach with a dry ice smoking sea shell in the upper left corner which added a little excitement to the dish.
The lobster rolls (pictured lower left), were among the favourites of this trio. They were well minced, wrapped in a light pastry that melted in mouth. The oysters were paired with an apple gelée; a break from the usual mignonettes and horseradish accompaniments. The oysters were amazingly fresh for land locked Las Vegas.
Lastly, the Kinmedai; a Japanese fish known for being presented in sushi and Japanese cuisine was presented on a delicate edible green leaf on moss like rocks in the upper right corner.
Second Course: La Bettrave
Beet, Apple, Pistachio, Fromage Blanc (White Cheese)
The second course was paired with Chablis by Jean Marc Brossard from Burgundy. The wine was wonderfully balanced and
The second course was presented as La Bettrave. La Bettrave consisted of a combination of beets, apples, pistachio and fromage blanc.
This Bettrave was presented with remarkable consistency through the pink apples, dark burgundy beets and pistachio crumble with delicate white cheese through the centre. It was paired with micro leaves over top. Each element of the dish was consistently prepared in density and texture.
The beets were organically fresh and full of textures. This dish happened to be one of MrsWT73’s favourites throughout the course of the evening.
Third Course: Le Ravioli
Foie Gras Ravioli with Chicken Consommé
The third course was presented Le Ravioli – a Foie Gras Ravioli with Chicken Consommé. While the menu presented the consommé as herb, we ended up with a chicken which enhanced the flavouring of the dish.
The dish was presented as a stand alone, with pressed greens in a whimsical plant ring presented over top.
Our chicken consommé was added table side, making this a wonderfully presented dish. The ravioli’s were delicately folded. The foie gras added the juiciest punch to every bite of this dish. Even MrsWT73 found this foie gras taste explosion to her liking, even while not being a regular foie gras connoisseur.
Although there were only three raviolis presented, I could have eaten a whole plateful of these delicious morsels.
Fourth Course: La Saint Jacques
Hokkaido Scallop, Calamansi Gelée, Uni Buerre Blanc
Our fourth course was “La Saint Jacques” presented as Hokkaido Scallop, Calamansi Gelée and Uni Beurre Blanc. It was paired with J de Villebois Sancerre- our third excellent white wine for the evening.
The La Saint Jacques dish was exceptionally technical and balanced. Each of these flavours in the scallop, the gelée and the uni paired exceptionally well with each other in a layered manner.
The dish was presented stacked tall as a stand alone with a nori crisp over top.
The uni buerre blanc was added surrounding the scallop, making for a blood seared and patterned impression.
This course presented the most challenges for MrsWT73, but she ended up finding it to her liking.
The trio of uni buerre blanc, the calamasi gelée and the Hokaiddo scallop was more than impressive. The Hokaiddo Scallop was exceptionally well cooked just a perfect temperature.
Fifth Course: Le Homard (Lobster)
Lobster, Caviar and Turnip and Red Kuri Coulis
If the presentation of the last four wonderful and elevated courses wasn’t enough, it was time for a little lobster and caviar.
Our fifth course was a butter poached lobster, served with crisp sliced turnips and kuri coulis – a thin skinned orange coloured winter squash.
The lobster tail was poached perfectly; delicious and textured without being filled with threads. A small dose of caviar topped the red kuri coulis, making for a delicious and refined pairing.
This made the second occasion that caviar appeared on tonight’s menu, demonstrating that Joël Robuchon is comfortable repeating ingredients throughout the menu.
The use of repeat ingredients is is a bit of a different approach from some other celebrity chefs such as Thomas Keller of The French Laundry or Per Se, who prefer to use each ingredient once throughout the tasting menu.
Sixth Course: L’Entrecôte
Westholme Wagyu Rib Eye, Fondant Potato, Peppercorn Sauce
The sixth course and main course was presented as Westholme Wagyu Rib Eye, with Fondant Potato and Peppercorn Sauce. While we did have the option of upgrading to the Kagoshima A5 Rib Eye, neither of us opted for this $45 USD upgrade.
The dish was initially presented with peppercorn sauce added after plating. While not presented on menu, the dish came with two potato dishes: the fondant potato and the exceptionally creamy Joël Robuchon mashed potatoes which were presented on a side plate.
The exceptionally creamy Joël Robuchon mashed potatoes are world famous. They have been famously prepared on a ratio of 2:1 potato to butter with a touch of milk added. Sinfully tasty, they are a must experience for any visitor to a Joël Robuchon restaurant.
A Château de Pez Saint – Estèphe Bordeaux French Red Wine was presented to accompany the rib eye. It was the sole red wine of the evening, and the only course where the wine was paired with one course (versus two for each of the others). The Château de Pez was nicely balanced left bank Bordeaux harvested with mostly cabernet sauvingon grapes.
I had the Wagyu dish ordered as medium rare, which was presented at a perfect temperature and cook. The Wagyu and the off plate Joël Robuchon mashed potatoes were the star of this particular dish. The Wagyu was small but exceptionally flavourful with just the right amount of fat against the protein to add a deliciously sensual taste on the taste buds.
The peppercorn sauce added some excitement to the plate, but almost appeared elementary when compared to some of the other sauces presented this evening. Although the plated fondant potato added context and contrast to the Robuchon mashed potatoes, it’s almost impossible to have another potato stand up to these world class and famous Robuchon mashed potatoes. In my humble opinion, it was like pairing fondant potato against a row of supermodels; a little plain by comparison.
Seventh Course: Les Fruits Rouges
Calamasi Posset, Berry Medley Granita
The seventh’s course was our first of two dessert courses. Intended as a palette cleanser, the Les Fruits Rouges ended up being a contrast of a light classic British posset with a berry accent.
The dessert dishes were paired with Uroulat Jurançon, Monein France; a sweet white wine. Uroulat is located at the foot of the Pyrenees in France, in the AOC region of Jurançon.
The Uroulat wines benefit from a unique terroir based on a combination of rich hillside soils, a favourable climate with the Foehn wind, the Atlantic influence which brings a warm climate rich in precious rain and an ideal altitude of 200 meters.
Eight Course: La Framboise (the strawberry)
Guayaquil Ganache, Coconut Snow, Raspberry Sorbet
Tonight’s last official course was the La Framboise. In a whimsical desert land, the presentation of this dish was upscale, complex and fairy tail oriented. Whether this was a menu typo, the sorbet ended up being raspberry instead of strawberry. Regardless, it all melded together terrifically, with fresh raspberries, coconut snow dust a chocolate spear, finished with guayaquil ganache.
A perfect way to finish a meal the berries were fresh and on point. The combination of smooth in the sorbet, the coconut dust followed by fresh berries, chocolate and cubes of sweetness made for an approachable but complex dish of sweetness that was easy to enjoy.
Bonus Round: Three dessert cake slices
I had mentioned that our visit was aligned with our anniversary. Compliments of the Atelier of Joël Robuchon, on the occasion of our anniversary visit, we were presented with an additional three slices of cake to finish the evening.
Our cakes were a chocolate espresso, a lemon meringue and a pineapple cake. We ended up taking these with us as a result of being a touch full after nine wonderful courses. All the cakes were delicious.
Ending the Evening & Closing Thoughts:
The tasting degustation meal took about three hours and fifteen minutes to finish in a relaxed and consistently paced atmosphere. While we did not have anyone re-seated after our 7:30 PM seating, we were not rushed.
At the end of the meal, I asked for and was presented the check. A Nevada 8.1% Restaurant Tax was added. There were notations on the check for “gratuity at your discretion” with pre-filled 18%, 19% and 20% markings. This answered the general question on whether a gratuity is included in the upscale pricing.
I ended up putting this on my American Express Platinum Business Card for a 1.25 earn to Membership Rewards for some future adventure.
Given the complexities in the menu, the various price points, and the mystique around what it costs to dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, I’ve authored a separate post on How Much it Actually Costs to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.
This accompanies our other popular post about fine dining next door: How Much it Actually Costs to Dine at Joël Robuchon.
The Bottom Line: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
It was my second time dining at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and my third experience dining with Joël Robuchon.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon represents a wonderful “entry” level experience when compared to visiting it’s grand fine dining Joël Robuchon restaurant next door. A visit to L’Atelier will get you access to Joël Robuchon’s terrific home baked bread and butter, his brilliant complex and structured cooking techniques, and most importantly, access to his Robuchon world class mashed potatoes.
It was nice to have been able to return to this experience with MrsWT73. Despite her more delicate palette, we found the experience to be enjoyable and best when shared.
If you have visited Joël Robuchon or the L’Atelier du Joël Robuchon, did you find the experience to be flawlessly world class ?
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.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
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
- 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:
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.
If you have stayed at MGM Resorts – The Signature at MGM Grand did you get value out of the Elite partnership ?
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 a past MGM Resort flagship property, my return visit to the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino allowed a full experience of all the features under the new strategic partnership. Read on to see what the property is like under the new arrangement.
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.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter “X” or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Review: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection by Marriott, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
“A past flagship property of the MGM Resorts collection, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino still provides some limited value under the new Marriott Bonvoy – MGM Collection partnership”
This review is of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino – MGM Collection.
For reviews of other Las Vegas properties, please see our reviews of:
- Aria Sky Suites One Bedroom Penthouse – Las Vegas
- The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas
- The Signature by MGM Grand – 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 is a big fan of warm heat. Given that Las Vegas gets great summer weather temperatures in late summer, MrsWT73 wanted to go check out the Mandalay Bay beach and pool. This would mark her first trip to the property and my third trip, having visited several times previously.
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 enchanced 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 Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino:
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 $107 USD, which included a $45 USD Resort Fee.
We ended up booking a basic room categorized as a “Resort, Guest Room – 1 King”.
Despite the inclusion of the resort fee, getting a Las Vegas room for $107 USD a night at a resort property is pretty terrific value.
The $45 USD daily resort fee consisted of the usual junk. It is pretty much just a base rate “add on”. When 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
- Fitness Centre access for guests 18+
- Amenities, such as fitness centre access are subject to availability and guest demand
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, on our stay nights, there was no substantial benefit for booking direct with the casino.
Marriott Bonvoy Opportunities:
The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino 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 at the property.
I have never seen such variability in pricing on a hotel in the Marriott Bonvoy program. 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 two 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 the Mandalay Bay 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 Mandalay Bay, 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 Mandalay Bay:
After arriving to Harry Reid International Airport Las Vegas, I took an Uber from the airport over to the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. The property commands the south western most location of any Las Vegas Strip Casino. With a large golden tower, the property is unique and memorable.
Mandalay Bay’s southern location is both a blessing and a curse. While MGM Resorts had the opportunity to carve out and design a property with a large beach and with stacks of convention space, the location makes it a little harder to access the central strip areas.
I arrived to a dedicated Ride Share entrance that was one level below the main lobby. I ended up take an escalator up to the main floor.
Checking into Mandalay Bay:
After arriving to the main casino and lobby floor, we headed over to the front counter. Being a casino property, there was a long snake maze line set up. We were arriving at about noon. Most the line was empty, except for those that had missed the 11 AM check out time, or had made alternate arrangements.
We were checked in and assigned our room. The host went through the usual process of check in. We got assigned a high level floor (33rd floor – now renamed as 53rd floor) but there was no room category upgrade that you’d typically find at a regular Marriott Bonvoy flagged property. The lack of upgrade was even on a Wednesday night, with low occupancy.
We were give a verbal caution about the mini bar and snack items being on sensor activated basis. We were cautioned that moving them would result in a room charge after thirty seconds. We were also informed not to store personal items in the mini bar.
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.
Without getting any answers, we ended up leaving the front desk. We wandered over to the Priority Guest Check In area for MGM Gold, Platinum and Noir. We ended up finding some fine print underneath the sign showing this as the check in location for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum / Titanium and Ambassador.
We entered the dedicated lounge for Elite check ins. In casino style, this was a small space similar to the dedicated host lounge at The Autograph Lounge at the Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. With two reception host points, and a small couch and seating area, it was just large enough to function, but hardly a spacious or super luxurious place.
Within the lounge, there was a small snack bar with signs indicating guests could take “only one” snack per person. This was strictly enforced through the hosts.
After a short line, we were able to get a front desk attendant that was fully trained up on the MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy partnership benefits. We were explained that the Marriott Bonvoy $15 USD food and beverage credit would be valid provided materials were charged to the room folio. We were encouraged to use the credit on the day of departure; perhaps a subtle way of discouraging use during happy hour or dinner hour.
Regular check out time at Mandalay Bay was 11 AM. We asked for a late check out of 2 PM, consistent with the Marriott Bonvoy benefits provided under the MGM Collection. Despite being a 3,209 room hotel, the latest they were prepared to offer Marriott Bonvoy Titaniums was 1 PM, despite being in a base level room. We still had access to the pool before and after our stay, so this wasn’t a deal breaker.
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 internet booking portal to look up the features.
The Room: Resort Guest Room – 1 King
The Mandalay Bay hotel recently renumbered it’s floors to eliminate floor #32. The co-located Four Seasons Hotel occupies floors #35 – 39, which is accessible through separate entrance and lobby area. Our assigned Mandalay Bay room was on floor number #58, or actual floor number #33. We found the elevator bank which was located a short walk from the lobby.
The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is spread into a three armed hotel vector with hallways meeting in the middle at the elevator bank. We easily found our assigned room #58 – 313 hallway vector. We were not offered, and did not request, baggage assistance.
I’ve spend quite a bit of time on the road throughout business and leisure hotels. The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino has an upscale upper South Seas theme. Needless to say, after stepping off on the floor hallway, you’re stuck with this theme which is a bit “different” than you may have experienced at other properties.
Personally, I didn’t find the decor to be to my liking. It was a strange psychedelic mash of colours, shapes and decor items ranging from tacky to flamboyant. Needless to say, I wouldn’t be hiring this particular decorator for my home or rental properties.
Entering the Resort Guest Room – 1 King, we found a spacious 550 sq feet, 50 sqm room. The room was larger and more spacious than expected. The space felt larger than many Las Vegas strip hotel rooms that I’ve stayed in the past.
The room offered a plush king size bed, marked by a unique looking headboard and wall accent.
The property was initially constructed in the year 1999. It’s fair to say that the room has likely gone through several evolutions of time since then. This has resulted in some different colour schemes throughout the room. The accent wall was a dark brown, followed by dark blue carpeting, gold wallpaper and blue and green curtains.
The room was accented with two individual occasional chairs for relaxing.
While no one is likely working in Las Vegas, there was a small desk and chair integrated into the cabinet. The flat screen television was smaller than class average at approximately 32 inches.
The room also featured proper wine glasses. I was a bit surprised to see actual glassware in a hotel property featuring three thousand two hundred and nine rooms. I certainly wouldn’t complain.
There were ample mini bar and snack items loaded into the room. Aligned with our caution on not to move items, there was much more prominent signage warning.
The price points for the mini bar items were “over the top”. During our stay, the in room instant coffee was priced at $16 USD a cup. A Rum 50 mL ($19 USD) and Coke ($12 USD) would run you $33.57 USD after 8.3% Nevada state sales tax.
In addition to the pricing, there were personal item storage fees of $65 USD and a Romance Kit for $70 USD for those that were desperate and didn’t plan ahead.
The bathroom itself was much more understated in decor than the hotel room. The bathroom was featured in dark tones with an upgraded mirror featuring embedded lighting.
The bathroom featured a stand up shower that was on the small side. There was also a compact soaker tub that was embedded into the ground.
The toiletries in the bathroom were MGM Resort branded. They featured contemporary combinations; the hand wash was Shea Butter and Chamomile. The MGM Resorts Body Lotion featured Grape Seed Oil and Shea Butter.
The Resort Guest Room featured floor to ceiling windows with views of the Strip, the Mandalay Beach or the Allegiant Stadium. We didn’t experience a terrific strip view like at our stay at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas and our Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status didn’t seem to help all that much. Instead, we had a peek – a – boo view of the Harry Reid Las Vegas Airport, and a view of the Mandalay Beach grounds.
In terms of sleep quality at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, the rooms were well away from the noise of the casino. The hallways require key card access from the elevator. As a result, if you happen to get hallway noise, you’re likely extremely unlucky. We didn’t have any hallway noise during our stay. Our sleep was pleasant and uninterrupted.
Despite the property being over twenty five years old, the room was in “above average” but not “very good” or “excellent” condition. There were a few signs of wear and tear throughout the room, consistent with a property that experiences a substantial amount of room turnover.
Around the Hotel Property:
The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino offers heaps of amenities signed to keep visitors gambling. The property is remarkably solid when it comes to it’s features and attractions.
The Mandalay Bay Beach:
One of the primary attractions of the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is the 11 acre pool known as Mandalay Bay Beach. The Mandalay Bay Beach features a sandy beach area with two thousand seven hundred tons of sand imported from California, USA.
The Mandalay Bay Beach is accessed from the bottom level of the hotel. Access is through escalators or by using the room elevators to descend to the bottom floor.
After passing through a security inspection that seems to be focused on making sure glass doesn’t enter the beach area, we found ourselves at Las Vegas’ best casino pool area.
The Mandalay Bay Beach offers a large space with an artificial wave machine designed to create waves of up to six feet in height. It’s worth mentioning that you need to be at least 48 inches tall in order to enter the beach area, something parents may want to know prior to visiting to prevent disappointment.
The beach itself has a gradual crest, making it a slightly hazardous shore line to hang around in. Lifeguards are always on scene, encouraging bathers to stay well within the marked wave area and not within the shoreline zone. There is no actual sand in the pool itself with the sandy beach and the pool being completely separated.
The beach seating itself is remarkably high density. While I thought the beaches of Waikiki Hawaii were close quarters, this takes things to the next level.
We didn’t have any trouble finding free lounge chairs when we arrived at 1 PM on a weekday. However, we didn’t get a whole lot of extra space with them. If personal space is important to you, cabanas’ are available on a floating dynamic price point between $300 – $750 USD per day, dependent on supply.
The Mandalay Bay has a lazy river which can be used when visiting the complex. The floating river is nice, but it’s not as nice as the floating river at MGM Grand.
While we’ve seen Mandalay Bay previously offer free floating ring use, they’ve since realized that it’s easier to charge $40 USD for a float purchase. A children’s float is $35 USD. If you have time in your schedule, ABC Stores on the Las Vegas Strip by Park MGM offers a similar but less durable Intex floating ring for $4.99 + $1 for inflation.
There are remarkably good views of the Mandalay Bay hotel and it’s sister hotel “The Delano” from the pool area, which added to the South Seas tropical feel of the property.
If you haven’t visited recently, it’s also worth mentioning that MGM Resorts has subdivided a lot of the pool space. They have segregated some of the more minor pools for use on a pay – per – use basis. This means that there’s a lot less pool deck space than when the pool was initially constructed.
Beach Bar and Grill:
While we we’re enjoying the pool, we did use the Beach Bar and Grill cafeteria restaurant that was located in the pool zone. The menu is pretty standard and fairly expensive for what you get.
The food quality was not as good as it should be for the price point. Nevertheless we were able to burn off our $15 food and beverage credit courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status included with our stay.
Mandalay Bay Casino:
In my humble opinion, The Mandalay Bay Casino is one of the nicer casino gambling spaces on the Las Vegas strip. The casino is marked with high ceilings, a spacious feel and lots of room to manoeuvre.
While MrsWT73 found it a little smoky, it was a lot less smoky than some of the other casinos on the strip such as at the MGM Grand. While I didn’t happen to gamble on this particular stay, I enjoyed passing through this area.
It’s worth mentioning that given Mandalay Bay’s extreme south strip location, you’re likely to find yourself gambling here as there are not many alternative casinos nearby.
Food and Beverage:
The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino offers lots of choice when it comes to on property food and beverage outlets. Being Las Vegas, most of the restaurants are anchored by elevated concepts, celebrity chefs and engaging eating spaces designed to deliver some form of excitement.
Most of the restaurants are located towards the rear of the property behind the casino floor near the properties convention space. Mandalay Bay has hosted several legacy restaurants that have previously included Aureole, Fleur, Lupo and Red Square. As a result, most of the current food concepts are new.
While I haven’t covered all the food and beverage outlets, the main ones are listed below.
Caramá by Wolfgang Puck:
Caramá is a modern Italian restaurant anchored by celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. The space looked appealing and new.
The Caramá restaurant featured the usual Italian themed Mediterranean delights.
The menu featured a salumi bar, a traditional pizzas ranging from Margherita, Pesto, smoked prosciutto, al fungi and vegetariana pizzas. The menu was expansive and further had antipasti , pasta, secondi, carne and side options.
Orla Mediterranean by Michael Mina:
Located across the hall, competing against Wolfgang Puck was Orla Mediterranean by celebrity chef Michel Mina. Orla is located in the place previously occupied by Aureole. Orla is Chef Michael Mina’s brand-new Mediterranean restaurant described as having stunning seafood, charcoal-roasted meats, and bright, zesty vegetables.
The Orla restaurant space also looked contemporary and exciting. It would probably be my first choice of the Mandalay Bay restaurants if pressed to try just one.
The Orla Menu offered a wide and diverse menu. The Orla Menu offered cold and hot mezze options, along with an extensive fish market along with charcoal grilled meats.
Libertine Social Gastropub:
In the fun category, Libertine Social Gastropub offered a “next-generation gastropub” with New American bar food anchored by the renowned chef Shawn McClain.
StripSteak by Michael Mina:
Celebrity Chef by Michael Mina is doing double duty at Mandalay Bay. Michael Mina also offers a StripSteak restaurant in LAs Vegas, complimenting it’s Waikiki, Honolulu, Oahu, USA location.
The StripSteak menu offered every kind of grilled meat imaginable. It’s hard not to imagine going wrong with well prepared steak at this location.
In addition to these restaurants, there was a location of the Border Grill which I had previously visited.
In summary, there are heaps of restaurants available at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
Bottom Line: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
We had about an “as expected” stay at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. The rooms were spacious and wearing well, despite them being almost twenty five year old.
The property offered a few engaging features such as the Mandalay Bay beach, along with a solid number of celebrity restaurants. In exchange for this, you get the privlege of a $16 USD coffee in the room, and hidden prices on most experiences unless you happen to read the fine print.
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 a bag of truffle potato chips at check in. The partnership was arguably the most underwhelming part of the stay experience.
If you have stayed at MGM Resorts – Mandalay Bay did you get value out of the Elite partnership ?
This story is a quick extended weekend trip. I ended up planning a mileage and mattress run trip designed to push me over the edge into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Status, and for MrsWT73 to re-qualify for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status. We were able to take advantage of Marriott Bonvoy’s newest partnership with MGM Collection, which offer Marriott Bonvoy benefits while at MGM Casino properties. While it was a fast paced trip, it met all our objectives and allowed us to get in a little fall sun along the way.
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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✈️ Read more from this trip:
- Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas on an MGM Collection – Marriott Bonvoy tour
- Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Las Vegas, USA
- How Much Does it Actually Cost to Dine at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Las Vegas, USA
- The Signature at MGM Grand – MGM Collection, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Bardot Brasserie by Michael Mina, Las Vegas, USA
- Las Vegas Marriott, Las Vegas, USA
- Restaurant Review: Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana Baja California, Las Vegas, USA
- Alaska Airlines New First Class: Las Vegas – Seattle
Trip Introduction: Spinning through Las Vegas – United States on a Marriott – MGM Collection Tour
Around fall every year, we take a close look at what is needed to re-qualify for airline and hotel status. By the fall quarter, it’s usually pretty easy to determine what work trips are expected to be completed. At times, I’ve been known to top up work travel with a personal trip to get me over the threshold, into a more comfortable travel environment.
In this case, we combined two separate travel objectives both related to airline and hotel elite status. I have to say it was refreshing doing this earlier in the season in October, versus worrying about it in late November or early December.
The Travel Objectives:
1. MrsWT73 Re-Qualifying for Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Level Elite Status.
MrsWT73 had spent much of the year 2024 commuting to work from Vancouver, Canada to Lisbon, Portugal. She ended up accumulating quite a few frequent flier miles on these quarterly trips into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. However, she ended up being a little shy of Marriott Bonvoy Elite status.
When she happened to be targeted for a Marriott Bonvoy promotion offering 5 additional elite qualifying nights per stay, up to two times, it seemed to make sense to take advantage of this offer.
Being redeeming the offer, she would earn 10 additional elite qualifying nights, in addition to two paid stay nights, and ultimately be put over the threshold into Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status. Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status remains always useful for upgrades and Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night or Nightly Upgrade Awards .
Planning Hotels:
As a result of the newly announced partnership between MGM Collection and Marriott Bonvoy, with Las Vegas having many hotels within close walking distance of each other, and with MrsWT73 being a lover of all things warm weather, it seemed like Las Vegas was a great fit for this trip.
Having previously stayed at several Las Vegas properties, including The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, the Aria Sky Suites, and the Marriott Grand Château, it was time to try something different.
With deeply discounted weekday rates on Wednesday and Thursday nights, we ended up mattress running our hotels. MrsWT73 had never visited the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. We opted for one night at this property to enjoy the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino hotel, along with the Mandalay Bay Beach at this property.
For our second night, we aimed to enjoy a dinner at the luxurious and contemporary Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant, which was located in the MGM Grand Hotel property.
On this night, we opted for convenience and stayed at the nearby The Signature by MGM Grand by MGM Collection. The Signature by MGM Grand is an all suite strata hotel property that offers comfortable long stay alternative that is relatively close to the Las Vegas strip. With a large format room, it was a comfortable stay. It’s location also made it easy to get to our dinner restaurant through covered walkways.
On our last night, we ended up staying over on a Friday night. Since we had booked this trip about three weeks out, we missed all the early booking windows. With most of the strip casino hotels offering rates between $450 – $600 USD, we ended up aiming to save a little money by venturing off strip for our Friday night stay.
We ended up staying at the Las Vegas Monorail accessible Las Vegas Marriott hotel. The Las Vegas Marriott is located near the Las Vegas Convention Centre. While the hotel is located in a bit of a no man’s land, it’s a mere half mile from the north end of the Las Vegas Strip and a fifteen minute walk to the Encore Wynn Hotel and Casino.
With a Las Vegas Marriott rate under $200 USD, an all suite property, no resort fee, and a complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Titanium breakfast, there was nothing not to like about this price point. Other hotels were almost double this amount on a Saturday night. While we did have to walk a little, it was well worth the savings.
We were surprisingly less reliant on the monorail that we expected, using it only once with our luggage to arrive to the property. It also made it convenient to visit the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets at the north end of town.
Planning Activities:
While we didn’t get up to much gambling on this trip, we ended up getting some sun by the Mandalay Bay Beach pool and the MGM Grand hotel pools. While I avoided any ecoli infections from dirty hotel pools, we did make a good re-discovery of the lazy river at the MGM Grand.
We also got the opportunity to enjoy a world class dinner at Atelier de Joël Robuchon. while it wasn’t as fancy as the Joël Robuchon restaurant that I visited two years ago, it would mark a great anniversary dinner for the two of us.
Aside from the mattress running, and the one dinner, we didn’t get up to all too much in the form of activities on this particular trip. Las Vegas is always coming up with something new, so there is never any way that you can see it all.
2. Re-qualifying for Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan MVP Status.
Our second goal of this trip was to re-qualify for Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan status. Having lost our MBNA Alaska Airlines Mastercard this year, I don’t know how much more I am going to be flying with Alaska Airlines in the future.
It’s hard to go wrong with Alaska Airlines which serves much of the United States from its’ hub in Seattle Tacoma International Airport. It was also a great compliment to Air Canada’s Star Alliance Elite status, as I could often find reward availability within One World when I couldn’t find space within Star Alliance.
I had already re-qualified for Air Canada’s Aeroplan Elite Status for the year. As a result, it made no sense to invest more money with them. Although I had future trips to San Antonio Texas, USA and Maui, Hawaii, USA on Alaska Airlines, I was short about 800 Alaska Mileage Plan Elite Qualifying miles to re-qualify for MVP status.
As a result, we ended up on Alaska Airlines for this trip. After adding a short connecting flight departing from Vancouver – Seattle, which earned the minimum 500 Elite Qualifying Miles, I was well on my way to re-qualification.
It turned out that we’d get a Alaska Mileage Plan MVP Gold upgrade into new first class, which would allow me the opportunity to try out Alaska’s Airlines New First Class Las Vegas – Seattle, on their newest Boeing 737-9 Max cabin.
My Thoughts on Planning Las Vegas:
This was a pretty easy trip to put together, made easier by the fact that we weren’t paying weekend prices that were highly elevated. With a large amount of selection of hotels, it was pretty easy to find something that met our needs.
Have you fully explored the MGM Collection partnership with Marriott Bonvoy?
My returning flight home from this particular trip was on Air Canada’s Signature Business Class Boeing 777 – 300 ER product. This aircraft offered Air Canada’s best Business Class seat that is typically used on international flights. This cabin is marketed as Air Canada Signature Class on some domestic routes. For some strange reason, this was the cheapest flight of the day, likely due to it’s first in the morning departure time outside of the usual business travel hours.
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Review: Air Canada Signature Business Class B777-300 ER, Toronto Pearson International Airport – Vancouver International Airport
My returning flight home departed early in the morning from the Toronto International Airport – Terminal One. Today’s flight was on Air Canada’s Signature Business Class on their Boeing 777 – 300 ER product. Air Canada markets its best domestic flights as Signature Class; these flights include a fully flat reverse herringbone seat.
After having a late night and early rise at the nearby Westin Toronto Airport hotel, I travelled back to the Toronto International Airport by rental vehicle. I had an early 8 AM flight leaving Toronto, so the airport was just getting going at the early hour when I pulled into Hertz at 6:05 AM.
I was pretty tired at this point, having driven over 625 kilometres across southern Ontario for a series of business meetings. I was looking forward to getting on board and relaxing all the way home.
Checking into Air Canada Business Class:
As per usual, I checked in using the Air Canada app through my smartphone about 23 hours in advance. The Air Canada Business Class cabin on the Boeing 777-300 ER is split into two separate cabins. The first cabin stretches from row 1- 7, whereas the second cabin stretches across 4 rows between row 8 – 11.
I received my pre-assigned seat (10K) on the shady “non sunny” side of the plane. I usually prefer to travel closer to the front of the aircraft in the larger cabin. This second cabin seating made for a nice change of pace.
Consistent with a paid Air Canada Business Class ticket, I was placed into boarding group 1, which was the highest possible boarding group.
After checking in through the Air Canada App, I was able to see the upgrade lists. The popular Toronto to Vancouver flight has gotten exceptionally hard to upgrade on with Air Canada E-Upgrade Instruments, unlike when I flew this route during the pandemic. Today, there are often 15 or more persons waiting for an e-upgrade; competing for a single digit handful of seats.
There were also a fair amount of standbys waiting to get aboard. As a result of this being a wide body aircraft that would be more likely to go out with empty seats.
After getting to the airport, I was travelling with my work colleague for this particular flight. We had a bit of baggage to check as a result of traveling with trade supplies. Heading over to the dedicated Air Canada Business Class check in located on the far right hand side of the airport ,we used my complimentary 2 free checked baggage allowance that was included with my business class ticket.
After dropping the bags, we headed through security. There’s typically a very large security screening line at the Toronto International Airport. Although I had priority security screening with the Air Canada Business Class ticket, and was able to use the Priority Screening Lanes courtesy of the American Express Platinum Card, there was also a Nexus Lane available in addition to the general boarding lane. The Nexus Lane ended up being the shortest of the four lanes, whereas my colleague ended up in the general line as he was flying in economy and didn’t hold any of the memberships or nexus card(s).
After security, we briefly stopped by the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Toronto Domestic to pick up a quick coffee. Since I had reviewed that lounge before, and it’s a regular stop on my travels, I won’t review it again. I had complimentary access with my Air Canada Business Class ticket, and I ended up using a Aeroplan Elite Maple Leaf Lounge one time day pass for my colleague, since I had several expire last year.
Boarding Air Canada:
At about thirty five minutes prior boarding, we left the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and headed down to the gate. Regretfully, we found a massive amount of people standing around the gate area, which quickly meant that there no plane ready to go.
We had a gate announcement that the assigned aircraft had gone mechanical. Air Canada was in the process of towing over another substitute Boeing 777-300 ER to our gate 128. Given that Toronto Pearson is such a spread out airport, this took a little time to get the aircraft towed up to the gate.
We had a further delay waiting for the ground crew to cater and load the plane with food, followed by the usual baggage delays in loading all the cargo onto the aircraft. The delays ended up being approximately 75 minutes. Given Air Canada’s on time performance being ranked lowest of the major carriers for 2003 at 63%, I’ve come to expect these sorts of delays when travelling with Air Canada.
Air Canada
AC 189 – Business Class (Z)
YYZ – YVR (Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal One – Vancouver International Airport)
Sept 20, 2024
Scheduled: 8:05 AM – 10:04 AM / Actual: 9:16 AM – 10:54 AM
Booked: Boeing 777-300 ER
Flown: Boeing 777-300 ER
On Board Air Canada Business Class:
A few times a day, Air Canada frequently flies it’s largest capacity aircraft on a domestic route between Toronto and Vancouver. Today’s flight was on the second highest capacity Air Canada Boeing 777- 300 ER. Thankfully, I was not flying in the back on the Air Canada High Density Boeing 777 – 300 ER, which is incredibly unpopular.
Like most other Air Canada aircraft, this aircraft features the Collins Aerospace Business Class seat, which offers a reverse herringbone fully flat seat. The suite offered a reasonable amount of personal space to allow for relaxing and working.
There was a pillow and blanket waiting for me on the seat when I arrived. I ended up settling into seat 10K. Given that I was in the second cabin, there were no travellers that ended up across aisle from me in 8G and 9G.
I was initially assigned into 9K, which was located in the second cabin bulkhead. Since this was close to the galley and washroom, I ended up moving myself back a row during seat assignment at purchase. I don’t particularly enjoy the bulkhead seats or the noise from the galley. I was happy to move myself away as much as possible.
The Air Canada wide body cabin still looks great after being in service for many years. The whites, blacks and greys look contemporary and professional and far better looking than United Polaris Business Class’s grey’s and blues, in my humble opinion.
The Air Canada Business Class cabin seat offers a compartment for storage and charging of devices. The compartment also contains a wired remote which can control the in flight entertainment system.
The compartment is a generous size, and it easily swallows up my wallet, cell phone and computer chargers. The compartment contains a standard empower plug in, along with USB – B charge ports.
The seat itself also offers a large 18 inch monitor, which is touch screen. It’s typically easier to control the entertainment system through the touch screen.
The Air Canada Business Class seat is super comfortable. The space is functional and fits well on an ergonomic basis. Having a spacious reverse herribone seat is much more comfortable when flying five hours on a trans continental flight than an upright barca-lounger seat. If you can find a wide body aircraft for your transcontinental flight and the price is right, I highly recommend the upgrade.
Pre Departure Services:
While most United States carriers offer an open bar pre-departure beverage, Air Canada usually offers a small bottle of Naya Water. On today’s flight, there was a small bottle of Naya water waiting at the seat.
However, given the fact that the plane was already 75 minutes behind schedule, activities were kept to a minimum. There was no further purser introduction aside from the usual menu presentation.
Air Canada has modernized the Air Canada Signature Class business class menus to make them a little more contemporary.
Given the morning hour, the menu consisted of the usual breakfast items. Air Canada is well known for it’s familiar parsley omelette, which made it’s usual appearance along with golden brown pancakes as the alternate option.
The breakfast menu also featured a number of Signature Class domestic wines. While there was no champagne on offer, there was a Crémant de Bordeaux Brut made entirely from Semillon which looked appealing. The whites consisted of Riesling from Germany and Rioja from Spain.
The list was rounded out by a Rosé from Côtes de Provence – France and two reds: a less than exciting Pinot Noir from Niagara Peninsula, Canada and a Dāo red wine from Portugal.
I can appreciate that a Canadian airline should be highlighting Canadian products but I have yet to find a Canadian wine that I’m over the moon in love with. Given the early hour of the flight being at 5 AM from my home Pacific Standard Time Zone, I didn’t get the opportunity to indulge.
The Air Canada Signature Class menu also offered a number of spirits. For the first time, there were a few very simple cocktails listed on the menu. This was rounded out with the usual soft drinks and juices. There was also a list of snack basket items.
While the wine and spirit was much larger than expected in Air Canada Signature Class in comparison to a narrow body flight, the product wasn’t over the top exciting as a result of the fairly mainstream labels.
Departing Toronto International Airport:
We departed Toronto International Airport as the sun rose up for another day. We had a pleasant cruise up to altitude without many bumps.
I can never get over how flat Ontario is when compared to my home in the Pacific Northwest. It’s always very apparent when ever I’m in a plane and I get a great view of the area.
In Flight Entertainment System:
During the climb, I fiddled with the in flight entertainment system. I located the flight map, which had us on a straightforward track across Canada.
The Meal: Breakfast
After about an hour and a level flight at altitude, it was time for breakfast.
Per the usual Air Canada service procedure, a towel service was offered. The Air Canada towels certainly aren’y luxurious and spa standard by any meals, but it’s a nice old school touch.
Given that this was a longer flight, the first breakfast tray was presented first. This consisted of mixed fruit, a warm ciabatta roll with butter and jam, and a chai seed pudding.
I was then presented with my one hundredth’ and one parsley omelette. This version was presented with pan fried chicken sausage, Parmesan cheese, spinach and roasted potatoes and tomato cumin chutney. Today’s potato cubes were pretty soft and moist with crisp being very far away on the spectrum.
The breakfast service was pleasant for a medium haul flight. As I have been travelling on many short haul flights, I appreciated the extended nature of the breakfast and not being served everything at once. The food was enjoyable, but not super memorable.
After the breakfast, I pretty much fell asleep for the majority of the flight. The early week of wake ups of being in Central Time Zone had taken their toll on me, knocking me out and wiping out my ability to stay awake.
Landing at Vancouver International Airport:
Our descent into Vancouver International Airport had us on a track over the water with a medium arc turn back towards runway 26L. It was a bright and sunny day when we landed back in Vancouver about fifty minutes off schedule at 10:51 AM.
We ended up pulling into gate 48 at Vancouver International Airport. Even while seated in row 10, I was off quite quickly.
I ended up bidding “good bye” to my work travelling colleague, with another Air Canada flight and work trip finished off in the books.
The Bottom Line: Air Canada Business Class B777-300 ER
The Air Canada Signature Business Class on the Boeing 777 – 300 ER remains an exceptionally comfortable way to fly on a transcontinental flight. Although we were given a usual delay departing Toronto, I’ve grown not to be too surprised about these delays.
The best part of the flight was the comfortable Collins Aerospace reverse herringbone business class seat. While the food was better than you might expect on a narrow body flight, and the wine list was more extensive, both the food and the wine were fairly average and not super exciting in flavour and taste.
Still, there remains no more comfortable way to fly across Canada. I would happily return to an Air Canada wide-body aircraft in Signature Class any day.
If you fly domestically within Canada, do you intentionally seek out Air Canada “Signature” Business Class?
I needed a quick overnight stay near Toronto Pearson International Airport. There aren’t many new or exciting options around the Toronto International Airport so for the sake of variety, I’ve been on the hunt for a better hotel stay. After having stayed at the Toronto Airport Marriott, the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre, and the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto Airport, I decided to change it up this time and stay at the Westin Toronto Airport. I discovered that this was the best hotel of the bunch, with comfortable spacious rooms and pleasant guest treatment.
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Review: The Westin Hotel Toronto Airport, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
After a day of running around through Ontario’s southern portion of the province, I needed a short one night stay near the Toronto International Airport prior to my flight out on Air Canada Signature Business Class Toronto – Vancouver.
The Marriott Bonvoy portfolio around the Toronto International Airport isn’t all that inspiring. While all the hotels have all been refurbished to brand standards, most of the properties are quite old and less than aspirational.
Having stayed at many of the Marriott Bonvoy properties, please see the following reviews if you happen to be comparison shopping Toronto Airport Hotels:
- Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport
- Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre
- Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel
Given that I had stayed at many of these properties, I decided that I would try something new. As a result, I booked myself into the Westin Toronto Airport for this one night stay.
Booking the Westin Toronto Airport Hotel:
I booked the hotel through the Marriott website. Initially, the pricing was what you would expect on a weekday at around $226 CAD ($167 USD). I ended up booking a base level Traditional – 1 King, and ended up getting a solid Marriott Bonvoy Upgrade into a Deluxe – Larger Guest Room, courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Level status.
The hotel primarily caters to business travellers. Accordingly, the rates during the weekdays are typically high (between $260 – $371 CAD / $192 – $274 USD), where as on the weekend the rates drop to around $175 – $250 CAD / $129 – 184 USD.
During our stay, Marriott Bonvoy redemption rates were between 21,000 to 38,000 Marriott Bonvoy points valued at approximately $168 CAD – $308 CAD at a 0.8 cent valuation. As a result, if you plan on redeeming points, you’ll have to have a close assessment to see whether your points are worth more than the posted room rates.
Getting to the Westin Toronto Airport:
The Westin Toronto Airport is located as an “off airport” property hotel, situated approximately 5 minutes drive away from the Toronto International Airport.
I arrived to the property by rental car from meetings in the southern area of Ontario via Route 401 to Route 427. It was easy to locate the property courtesy of the Dixon Road highway exit. There was also a convenient (but busy) Shell Gas station on Dixon Road that allowed me to refill the rental car, prior to returning it the next morning.
While there was a convenient unloading area at the front of the hotel property, I ended up self parking my vehicle at the rear of the property. I ended up pulling a ticket and driving into the parking lot, which was located at the rear of the hotel. Self Parking was $32 CAD a night, with unlimited “in and out” privileges.
There isn’t much within walking distance surrounding the hotel other than a Church’s Fried Chicken, a Ruth Chris’ Steakhouse and a Keg Steakhouse immediately across the street. As a result, you’ll need access to a vehicle if you plan on accessing anything other than these few limited options.
Overall, I was satisfied with the hotel’s location and proximity to the Toronto International Airport. While it wasn’t attached to the airport, it was close enough to be convenient. While the Dixon Road area of Mississauga is pretty drab and unexciting, the hotel’s location was really easy to access from the Greater Toronto’s area’s freeways. The Westin Toronto Airport also had ample gas stations around, making it an easy exercise in refilling the rental car.
Checking Into the Westin Toronto Airport Hotel:
After self parking the car, I entered the hotel through the rear hotel entrance. I had no problems self parking, with a number of spots available. Having driven over 600 kilometers in 4 days over a series of work meetings, I was pretty happy to leave the rental car for the evening.
The Westin Toronto Airport Hotel was initially built in the early seventies in the year 1971. The hotel has been completely refurbished since then, although the lobby has a feel from the era of the swinging seventies.
The lobby features large atriums, an exposed interior stairway, along with elevated seating areas that offer a grand view over spaces. It was fairly quiet when I arrived at 8:30 PM on a weekday evening.
It was very easy to find the front desk. There was no line when I arrived and I was attended to promptly.
During the check in my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status was warmly recognized. I had an explanation of the property features. I was also informed that I had been upgraded to a Deluxe Larger Guest Room, despite this not showing as my room assignment in the Marriott App.
I ended up taking the 1000 points as the Marriott Bonvoy Elite welcome bonus. I did manage to confirm that the Marriott Bonvoy Elite breakfast for Platinum and Higher was a coupon for the full buffet at Atmosphere’s restaurant.
Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t allow for this wonderful induglence. I ended up taking the points instead, figuring that I would get breakfast elsewhere at the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge – Toronto Domestic or perhaps on board my flight on Air Canada Signature Business Class Vancouver – Toronto the next day.
The Room: Deluxe, Larger Guest Room, 1 King, Airport View
I had initially booked the base level Traditional Guest Room – 1 King. Given that I wasn’t expecting to spend much time on the property, I didn’t have any expectations of an upgrade.
Despite this, my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status provided me with access to the “Best Available Room at Check In, including Select Suites“. At this property, this meant a one category upgrade to a Deluxe – Larger Guest Room – 1 King, which was greatly appreciated.
I was assigned room #1118, which was near the top floor. After I stepped off on the floor, the hallways had a bit of a dated impression, which was quickly elevated after I got into the room.
I stepped inside the Deluxe – Larger Guest Room. I was immediately struck by the larger space than the Fairfield Inn & Suites Orillia that I was staying in earlier in the week. The room space was a much nicer space than the rooms I’ve been assigned at the nearby Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel, given how much larger it was.
The Westin Toronto Airport Deluxe – Larger Guest room was generously apportioned at 380 sq feet offering a larger and spacious stay. There is nothing like a roomy hotel room to make your stay more comfortable, as you get the opportunity to just stretch out and get comfortable.
The room featured a comfortably appointed Westin Heavenly Bed. The Westin bed offered a comfortable and well appointed bedding ensemble, complete with crisp sheets, and a comforter duvet. Duvet’s are usually absent from most of my hotel stays. As a result, it was nice to see this level of home at an airport hotel on the road.
The room featured a small mini sofa, against a window that offered some distant airside views.
The room had a tiny desk space that was among the smaller desk spaces that I’ve seen in a hotel room. I wouldn’t recommend setting up shop to work at a desk like this. However, it was sufficient for an overnight airport stay.
In a further sign that things are returning to normal after the pandemic, my room had a Marriott Bonvoy welcome amenity placed inside it. The welcome amenity consisted of a nice note from management, along with a can of house made sparkling water, and a trio of tasty macaroons.
The room featured an in – room coffee maker, along with proper Westin glassware. Surprisingly, the coffee was unbranded, despite a Starbucks coffee outlet in the lobby of the hotel.
The hotel room featured a smaller bathroom, which was located just off the entrance.
The hotel room’s closet was located closer to the bathroom, making it a little inconvenient to change clothes. Most newer hotels feature a larger bathroom area; the layout of this particular closet was a little dated in comparison to modern standards.
The bathroom itself was a standard Westin variety. It offered a single vanity sink, a shower tub combination and light weight Westin robes.
There weren’t many suites available on the floor. My room #1118 was one of the larger rooms on the floor, aside from the larger suite at the end.
The room featured a distant view of Toronto Pearson International Airport airside operations. While I wouldn’t grade this as one of the best airside views (that honour goes to the Sheraton Nice Airport) this view was pretty reasonable.
Overall, I was really impressed with the extra space. While I was looking for a brief overnight airport stay, I appreciated having the extra room. The soundproofing on the room was solid, and we didn’t have much airplane noise despite being located right next to the airport.
Food and Beverage:
Atmosphere Restaurant
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Breakfast
The full service hotel offers the Atmosphere Restaurant immediately on site. The atmosphere’s restaurant was completely closed by the time I got sorted after arrival at 9 PM. I ended up crossing the street to the Keg Steakhouse, so I wasn’t able to test out the faciliites.
Crosswinds Bar and Grill:
On the other hand, the lobby Crosswinds Bar and Grill was open with a few weary travellers enjoying a drink. The seating area appeared to have a nice view over the hotel lobby. However, given a short six hour sleep planned on this visit, I didn’t end up “tying one on” into the late hours.
Westin Gift Shop:
The Westin Toronto Airport offered a small sundries gift shop. The gift shop contained a few items and was open twenty four hours. Unlike some airport hotel gift shops, this version was pretty minimal and didn’t offer a whole lot.
Starbucks Coffee:
The Westin Toronto Airport featured a small breakfast hour Starbucks Coffee outlet. I always appreciate having a coffee outlet in the hotel. This version was open when I left the hotel at 5:30 AM the next day.
Around the Property:
No Executive Lounge:
One thing that happens to be missing from this Westin property is an executive lounge. In this sense, the property is at a disadvantage from the Toronto Airport Marriott Hotel and the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre.
However, it turns out I didn’t miss the lounge as much as I thought I would. It turns out I wouldn’t end up spending any time at the property during snack time, or when I would typically expect to have used the executive lounge.
As a result, I enjoyed my stay here at the Westin Toronto Airport over these other two airport properties. The Westin Toronto Airport also features some other options around the property that add value to a stay.
The Indoor Pool:
Along with a full service hotel, the Westin Toronto Airport offered an Indoor Pool and Fitness Studio. The Westin Workout Fitness Studio and pool was located on the third floor.
During my visit, the pool was open 5:30 AM – 11 PM. It was accessible by key card.
The pool was a reasonable size for one that was located on the third floor of a building. It was empty when I visited.
Westin Fitness Studio:
The Westin Workout Fitness Studio was co – located with the pool. During my visit, the hours of operation of the gym were twenty four hours per day.
On my visit, there were a few bored teenagers looking for something to do who were hanging out in this space. However, it was pretty quiet otherwise.
Checking out of the Westin Toronto Airport Hotel:
The next morning, I checked out of the Westin Toronto Airport Hotel. I was headed for an Air Canada Signature Business Class Toronto – Vancouver flight, which was departing at 8:05 AM.
I had a terrible 5:45 AM Central Time Zone departure time, made all the more worse that it was the equivalent of 2:45 AM Pacific Standard Time zone.
Despite this early departure, everything was accurate on my bill. My check out through the front desk was pleasant and efficient.
My Marriott Bonvoy points for the stay posted as expected approximately 4 days after my stay.
The Bottom Line: The Westin Toronto Airport Hotel
The Westin Toronto Airport Hotel was a better than expected stay that I found was slightly better than my recent stays at the Toronto Airport Marriott and Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Convention Centre. While I did’t miss the lounges offered at these locations, I enjoyed the larger room that the Westin Toronto airport offered.
I would easily stay again at this property if given the choice between the three Marriott Bonvoy airport hotel locations.
World Traveller 73 
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