I have $900 in mlife express comps. How do I apply them to my bill? Do I have to actually checkout? I usually just leave without doing anything.
you should be checking with a (your) host before checking out so they can pick stuff up. with $900 in ECs you're earning plenty of extra primary comps.
Shifter is right. But to answer your question, I just ask for them to be applied at checkout. If you leave without checking out, you can probably ask a host to apply them
You can also use them yourself at many of the quick service food joints and stores at MGM properties. Any place that has the little Mlife sign will accept them. I prefer doing that myself instead of having my host apply them.
Why would you do that yourself instead of signing the charge to the room when you do not know if your host will pick up the charges themself without using your EC's?
Usually its when I've already racked up a bunch of big charges. Little stuff like a coffee or snack I'll just take from my EC. Also had a trip where I didn't stay at an MGM but had a bunch of express comps to use up, so that's what I did. You're right though most of the time I'm signing everything.
To answer the specific question, the front desk can apply your Express Comps, so you need to check out with them as opposed to just leaving or doing express checkout. What the front desk can't do is anything regarding primary comps; those can only be handled by your host of the mlife desk.
So my host is at MB since I've been going there the last 6-8 visits. Now I'm going to Bellagio. Does the MB host handle my B stay, or do I ask for someone?
Just go down to the host offce and find someone on the morning of your checkout, or pick up your hotel phone and ask for a host. It doesn't matter if you've never had a host at Bellagio before, or your host doesn't happen to be around when you check out. As shifter said, if you have $900 in EC you likely have enough primary comps for any host to take care of nearly all of your bill without touching your EC's, and then you can save your express comps for later. You're just burning money in the streets if you use your express comps on this trip. At Bellagio the host office is just around the corner from the main cage (if you are facing the cage by the double deck tables on the corner of the walkway closest to the main cage, look slightly to the right and on the wall facing you, you'll see the door to their offices,,,it says "private offices" or something like that).