We stopped at the MGM on our way to AC. First thing we encountered was $45/day for valet parking. Parking in the garage is free (for now). It is a long walk though the entire casino to get from the garage to the check-in area. Platinum & Noir get free valet parking. Check in was swift because it was a Wednesday. Since it is a very small area, with only a maximum of 4 available check-in stations, it must get very backed up on weekends. There is a 2-story atrium with a themed flower display....think Bellagio conservatory. Since it is almost Chinese New Year, there were many Chinese symbols displayed. Nice.
The hotel room was not configured very well. The bathroom had 2 sinks but was so narrow that it had a sheer curtain instead of a door. Not very private. There is a shower but no tub. The water closet is separate....with a door. No coffee pot and no refrigerator. You can get a Potomac view or a Washington, DC, city view. On our return from AC, we were given a suite. This was much nicer. The bathroom was MUCH bigger with a large vanity separate from the sinks. No tub, if that's an issue for you. There was a wall of windows, but it is difficult to appreciate the view, since the windows have stripes in them.
There is a very large marketplace (food court) where you can order and eat at a table (outside if the weather permits) or take the food to your room. They have burgers, crab cakes, pizza, sushi, Vietnamese food, tacos, gelato, and many more that I didn't get to see. They also have some fine dining, but we didn't sample any of those restaurants. There is a pastry shop called Bellagio Patisserie for coffee and great desserts and pastries near the atrium.
The VP paytables were not good, as we are seeing in most of the casinos lately. My game of choice, BP, was 7/5 and $35 for a point. There is a large bar with VP, but it is difficult to see the cards because of the glare from the overhanging lights. I did not see any VP in the High Limit room. There is another area with quite a few MG/MD VP machines. There is a screen that appears while you are playing that shows your point total that takes up 1/4 of the total screen. Because of that, the cards are not lined up over the buttons. You can exit from the point screen, and the cards will stretch across the screen and be more playable. Otherwise, it is very easy to hold the wrong cards if you are playing quickly.
This is a no smoking hotel/casino. You must go outside of the building to smoke. Also, there are no free alcoholic drinks in Maryland casinos.
