Planning a labor day trip and I keep getting told the dates I picked are "blackout dates" cause of the holiday weekend, even from the places I usually stay and get comp offers from. So I've called around and basically narrowed it down to MGM or T.I. I've stayed at MGM a few times before, love it. Never stayed at T.I. before, gambled there a tiny little bit. They have good $10 double deck BJ. For the four nights I'm looking at, MGM would be $455 total (that includes taxes & resort fees). T.I. would be $325 for those same four nights, that includes taxes but not resort fees because they are optional. Things that are important to me: Room quality/customer service/housekeeping/potential for upgrades Casino quality/vibe (good blackjack is important) Decent places to eat nearby Things I don't care about: Location (I like south strip, but I like north strip too so it's a draw between these two) Pool Clubs So - should I try out T.I. or stick to what I know and love and stay with the MGM Grand?
If you plan staying on property and Pool MGM... TI is nice because its on the main part of the strip to wonder, gamble and drink. TI's pool isn't as nice though
I stayed at TI for 2 nights last November, it was a last minute add on to the trip. I had a standard room, it was nice and clean, but not knock your socks off. I thought the bathroom was small as well. I never found the TI casino to be all that, it always seems dead in there, but that could be just me. I only gambled a little bit in TI, however I seem to get a lot of offers from them, I am not sure why.
I'm thinking TI. Cheaper, close to several high end restaraunts in multiple casinos, and a decent vibe. MGM has alot of food options within the casino, but you have to walk quite a bit to get to another one with good food options whereas you can hit up Wynn/Encore/V/P pretty easily from TI.
MGM and you have NYNY, Excalibur, Luxor, M Bay and Trop within an easy walk ot free ride. 20 minutes to B May and it's not all walking. That's why I would choose MGM.
I like the location of TI better as I love The Mirage, Flamingo, Quad, Cromwell, Caesars, etc. But if you plan on being a frequent Vegas visitor, I always suggest either staying with Total Rewards or MLlife simply because you'll have more and cheaper options for your next visit. But then again, I'm always planning for one trip ahead.
It can take 20-30 min to go from a room at MGM to Excal/NYNY let alone MB. You could reach W/E V/P etc. within 15 min. from TI, so that's why I went that direction. Plenty of good eats at both sections of the strip, just further in my opinion when on the South strip.
Again, location is not a factor for me. I know what is located where. I'm more just wondering about the quality of the hotel & casino. I know T.I. is a step down from MGM, but it is $130 cheaper for the four nights. So is it worth it or should I not risk it?
I've stayed at both in the last couple of years. TI's rooms are nice. I was pleasantly surprised. I, like you, wondered if it would be worth the savings. It was. I've stayed at MGM plenty and TI was a nice change (smaller, close walk to everything). One thing to consider maybe the construction going on outside TI right now. Just a thought.
If location is not important,MGM is easily a nicer property. They may have been close when they were under the MGM umbrella but not anymore. TI has a Frontier feel about it.
Room quality at MGM is probably going to be a bit better as they've all been recently remodeled, but I thought that TI was "fine" when I was there last year. No complaints about service or housekeeping. I like the TI casino more than MGM, but that's pretty subjective. Also, you can catch the SDX to go downtown at a stop in front of Wynn, so you've got some options there for better blackjack games. As others have already mentioned, there are tons of great dining options nearby at Wynncore, Palazzo/Venetian, etc. If you think you want to spend a fair amount of time @ south strip casinos then you should stay down there. If not, I think TI is a fine choice.
TI or MGM I've stayed at TI x3 and have absolutely nothing but good things to say about it. Clean room, super comfy bed, convenient on the strip. I say go with TI and spend that extra $100 +/- on something else!!
I'll be staying at T.I next week for the first time. Have stayed at most other strip properties, including MGM. The reasons I picked T.I were: Location - less crowds in the immediate area than the south strip generally and my play (if not downtown) is at Wynn/Encore and Mirage. No nightclub - really sick and tired of the crowds/noise from the clubs when I am based in a property that has one. Room - looks decent for the price and you get an empty refrigerator for drinks/snacks. Size - doesn't have that 'warehouse' feel. I can't actually go in MGM since they changed the casino perfume. It gives me face ache as soon as I walk in. Yes, they have renovated their rooms more recently, but IMO they aren't worth the extra $$$. If you pick the cheapest room there you'll likely get put in one of their West Wing rooms (broom cupboard). Good luck!
That MGM scent is a killer. Literally hits you as you walk in and burns your nose...especially from the walkway connecting to NYNY. If you play slots, just FYI I had much better luck at TI. Got totally slaughtered at MGM. At night the TI area of the strip is really congested and crowded to walk in - down near MGM and NYNY seemed much quieter this past weekend. Really depends upon what is going on. If I ever get another worthy offer from TI, I will jump on it. We stayed there in our early Vegas days before it was bought from MGM. It was nice then and probably still nice now!
TI is actually starting to beat out ballys/riviera as my home base casino/hotel. The casino is actually pretty exciting but not as exciting as Mgm of course. The rooms to me are better than MGM. Keep in mind I haven't stayed at the MGM since about 2011. I go to their casino all the time though.
I wouldn't put one above the other as far as room quality goes. I thought they were both more than adequate and didn't run into issues at either, I was able to get a much better view at TI so there is that. I didn't run into a "dead" casino at TI like many on here mention when TI comes up but that might be because I stayed during the first week of March Madness. MGM's atmosphere was fine too, but I just didn't "feel" it at MGM, couldn't quite put my finger on it. When I stayed at TI the large majority of my gambling time was spent there, when I stayed at MGM the large majority of my gambling time was spent at other casinos. If I had to pick, costs held equal I'd pick MGM (location) but with the $130 price difference I would go TI, no contest.