The Monte Carlo on the Vegas strip is now the Park MGM. The hotel gets its names from the nearby park, uniquely called “The Park”, which isn’t really a park at all in the natural sense but a series of shops, restaurants, and live music venues within walking distance to the t-mobile arena.
I booked this hotel cheaply off of Priceline because it was discounted due to some ongoing construction and renovation, however my room looked completely finished and new. The Lobby also looked very interesting with a terrifying large tree root system on the roof. Are we supposed to think we are currently under a forest? The check in process can be completely automated thanks to the dozens of touch screen kiosks around. I was able to go through my entire stay without talking to a single concierge, which was fine since I didn’t have any problems. There is a desk with live humans you can talk to and check-in, which is likely for the technology impaired geriatrics preparing to deposit their social security checks into the slot machines.
The casino was large and pretty typical for a Vegas strip hotel. There really didn’t seem to be anything setting it apart from any of the other hotels, let alone other MGM hotels of which it looked more or less identical. I didn’t do any gamble here because let’s face it, you’re just throwing money away. I also didn’t visit any of the restaurants due to construction but I was intrigued by the new EATaly which is like a mall food court but for delicious gourmet Italian food.
Despite the hotel name, I wouldn’t recommend parking at The Park. The days of free parking seem to be long gone on the Vegas strip and that includes at this new hotel. Self-Parking is $15/day and valet is $24/day. Both terrible deals that would take up a significant percent of your expenses if you’re trying to keep your costs low. The nearest free parking is at Planet Hollywood, which is across the street and further up the strip. It’s a 15-minute walk from there but can save you a ton of money. I didn’t have any trouble parking there overnight. Follow the signs to the Miracle Mile Shops parking garage on Harmon Ave.
The pool at the Park MGM looked acceptable. It was 3 smallish square pools spread out among many loungers and umbrellas. I didn’t check it out in person since it really didn’t look that remarkable. I could see the pool from my hotel room and it seemed to get a fair bit of use.
Overall, if you’re looking for decent lodgings in the heart of the Vegas strip you can definitely do worse, such as the Excalibur or Circus Circus. The Park MGM costs just a little more and certainly feels much newer after the renovations and is a fairly quiet clean place to stay. Especially if you wanted to see a game at the T-Mobile Arena as it is across the street.