Las Vegas

[PandaBear]

Dh and I have been to Vegas a few times. We are not big gamblers (although we do like slots) and generally see a show or two, eat at lower end restaurants and do some activities.

In August, we took our dd and her boyfriend to Vegas for a 3 day weekend. We went to a Raiders preseason game (what an amazing stadium) and stayed at Mandalay Bay, primarily just enjoying the pool all day.

It was a big surprise to me that the MGM rewards card (what we used to use for gambling) can now be used to track spending for purchases at the hotel (shopping), restaurants, bars, shows, and the hotel rate itself.

So we looked at offers after coming home and stayed this past week (T-F) at the Park MGM for the resort fee and taxes. Ended up being about $140 for three nights.

We gamble a little (only slots) and ate at the less expensive restaurants. Saw a couple of shows. There was a promotion for December giving double points so we were able to make it to the next level up (Pearl).

Looking when we got home, we could go again, with the same basic deal, as long as we go midweek. Well, now that we’re both retired, midweek is just fine with us.

So if you like Vegas (for whatever reasons), I really recommend a players card and trying to get some status. It’s not that hard (as I said, we play penny slots, eat at the lower end restaurants, went to less expensive shows) and there can be some good perks.

I had no idea they were now rewarding spending beyond gambling (it very likely has been for a while, for all I know) and it can really add up.

 

[MuirWannabe]

It’s all true. Been doing this for about 3 years now. Love the Park MGM. Smoke free casino is wonderful. Location is great. Pool is nice. Restaurants good. And free stay after free stay. What’s not to like.

 

[Car-Guy]

If you gamble enough, the hotels (suites), all meals and airfare are zero... Notice I didn't say free since they collect their money at the tables. .

Always use your players cards, get to know your executive host(s) and the comps just keep adding up... One year I was offered the [-]free[/-] comp'd use (lease) of a new Mercedes.

 

[cathy63]

Thanks for the tip. Last time we went to Vegas we got a great deal at NoMad, which is the hotel-within-a-hotel on the top few floors of Park MGM. It's a good location, smoke-free, has a monorail to City Center and Bellagio, and we loved Eataly.

We'll definitely stay there again, though our visits are more like every 2 or 3 years, so I'm not sure a players card is that useful for us.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

+1 on signing up for and using a rewards card if just for the initial sign-up perks and marketing offers for discounted or comped rooms.

MGM rewards has affiliations with other companies like Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruiselines and will do a status match. You have to call in annually but it's pretty painless. It's handy because you keep your cruise level status for life versus having to earn it annually with MGM Rewards or other hotel programs. We match to Gold status which gets the dreaded resort fee waived.

You can also status match with other programs.

 

[gravy train]

Vegas great restaurants and shows. But what turned me off was the pretty consistent smell of pot. Before any one jumps on me for not being with the times, I also hate cigarette smoke.