Stay Report: Mandalay Bay (Las Vegas, NV - October 2020)

Stay Report: Mandalay Bay Las Vegas 

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My friends and I had planned on spending time in Vegas back in December 2019; then the pandemic hit and every plan everyone made went by the waste side.  In September 2020, it looked like Las Vegas was opening back up a little so decided to move forward with my trip.  It had been over 10+ years since I had last been Vegas so I did not know the best place to stay, location, etc.  My friend had been to Vegas many times and enjoyed staying the Four Seasons, which is on the top 4 floor of the Mandalay Bay; so I decided to stay at the Mandalay Bay so that way we could all just meet in the lobby if we wanted to go anywhere.  It was easy to book the room on the Mandalay Bay website, but the prices kept changing so I constantly had to check back and forth to get the best rate; luckily all the rates booked were able to be cancelled and refunded as all rooms required a deposit (which they did charge to the credit card at the time of the booking).  Each rate included access a resort fee, which included certain perks which I will detail below.  It was not easy to modify or manage the booking online, and any changes needed to be made by calling the hotel, which required pushing too many buttons and being on hold for too long. 

The hotel is located at the end of the strip and there is a grand entrance - there are two entrances, one to

the casino and one to the resort.  Also, there are two hotels connected to the resort - the Mandalay Bay and the Delano (as well as the Four Seasons); its one big maze, not a lot of signage and lots of confusion.  The check-in desks were located at the end of the lobby and there was long roped off area in which to line-up for the check-in desks – like a check-in line at the airport.  The type of service received at check-in depended on which representative you received – some were good at providing details while others only provided the basic information; at check-in I only received the basic information but at check-out I received all the information, some of which would’ve been helpful at the beginning.  I checked, received the key, and proceeded to my room.  Regarding Covid-19 protocols, there were markers placed on the floor to remind guests to social distance while in line, but this was not enforced and it was left up to each individual to their discretion.  There were also masks and sanitizers stations placed each door entryway.

There were different elevator bays depending on which floor your room was located, and each bay had about 8 different elevators so in theory it would be easy to social distance given there is a lot of option; however, again it was left upto the individual to make this decision as the hotel did not provide any guidance or signage regarding this fact.  My room was on the 11^th floor and as you get in, the room was bigger than I expected.  As you walk inside the door, you walk down a mini-hallway to get to the room.  The room has two beds against the right-side of the wall and along the left was a desk connected to a chest with drawers on the bottom, coffee-maker and paid bottle water on top, and then a mini-bar below (which was weight sensitive so even if you picked it up and put it back down, it automatically charged to the room).  Against the opposite wall were the two beds which were large, comfortable and provided a good night’s sleep; again the bed and sleep quality was better than I expected.  In the middle was a nightstand with a lamp and outlets and there were outlets on either side of the beds (which was convenient.  One wall was covered with windows which allowed for lots of light to come inside – and our view was of the airport, which was great for an aviation lover as you could see (but not hear) planes take off all day.  The entrance to bathroom was located next to the beds, and there were individual closets on either side of the bathroom entrance.  The bathroom was huge, and again, bigger and better than I expected.  There were double sinks with lots of counter space, a full jacuzzi tub, a shower, and a covered toilet.  There were also plenty of toiletries including soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and towels and if you requested more tons were provided.  Overall, it was a spacious and comfortable hotel room with plenty of room to move and rest.

As it was a resort, there were plenty of amenities for guests to enjoy including many pools, business

center, shows, an aquarium, restaurants, casinos, spas and a man-made beach inside the resort.  Because of the 'resort' status, the hotel included a daily resort fee which covered internet, local calls and other non-essential items; to me, and reviewing what was part of the fee, it was a fee that was designed to gain more money from the guests as it covered nothing and guests were still being charged for other items.  The resort did include complimentary wifi, but the wifi was open to everyone so there was no need for a login so, again, not sure what the fee was good for?  The resort did include many pools, a man-made beach, and lots of cabanas for guests to enjoy (these were not included and had to be paid for).  Because of the pandemic, certain cabanas and chairs were not utilized and staff went around asking guests who were not in the pool to keep their masks on - so that was a pleasant point.

Overall, it was a mixed experience at Mandalay Bay.  The rooms were nice, spacious and comfortable so that was on the plus side; there were also many amenities for the guests to enjoy so that was also positive; negative was that customer service was not great, the resort fee seemed inconsequential, and there was a lack of signage and direction (it was not well laid out).  The size of Mandalay Bay was large and if comparing it to a Disney Resort or a resort in the Caribbean, it was less organized and less friendly - so why go to Vegas if I could get the same thing elsewhere?