ShaunCarter.com

I attended an Everclear concert in Mount Clemens Michigan a while back and decided to stay at the new MGM Grand Detroit Hotel and Casino in downtown that night before heading back home the following morning.

This hotel is definitely a stand out in the drab Downtown Detroit skyline. I had a city view room that was less than overwhelming and happened to overlook construction work on the building across the street.

The check-in process was somewhat smooth, but the clerk at the desk did not seem very aware of my particular reservation (after pulling it up on the computer) and the special booking package I had purchased which included a dinner credit and late checkout. I’m not sure what was displayed on the computer screen he was so intently staring at, but he asked me a few questions more than once and it was mildly annoying.

After securing payment with a credit card, my room keys were handed to what I would assume was a bellhop who then proceeded to show me the way through the hotel guest lounge to the elevator before handing me my room keys and wishing me a good stay. It’s quite awkward to have someone walk me to the elevator when I don’t have any bags, and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to tip this person or not - I chose not to.

The room was a comfortable size, however for the price I would have expected a suite or some similar setup. The cost of the room package I selected with taxes included was $400 per night and included a meal at the Wolfgang Puck Grille. The room was well-appointed, but very dimly lit. One of the lights on the nightstand was not working and the rest of the room did not not have much more than small track lighting in the ceiling. If it weren’t for the glow coming from the television, the room is quite dark.

The bathroom was quite impressive, with a tv mounted onto the large room-sized mirror and a glass door entry into the shower which boasted two showerheads.

The plasma television in the bedroom was 42″ and was set to a simulated fireplace video upon my arrival. There was also a desk, couch and coffee table in front of the large panoramic window. My room was on the 8th floor I believe, in hindsight I should have requested an upper floor when asked if I had a preference. From what I could tell outside of the hotel, the river view rooms on the other side would not have been of any use except for maybe the top floor because of new construction occurring right next to the hotel that will obstruct the view.

On the morning of my departure I ordered room service which very promptly delivered my meal from the Wolfgang Puck Grill. I enjoyed pancakes with carmalized apples and vermont maple butter, brioche french toast with candied pecans and carmalized bananas, a pastry basket and orange juice. The food was delicious and hot and the server was very nice. The only problem I had was not realizing an 18% gratuity was automatically applied to my bill as well as a 10% room service charge, so the 20% I wrote in as a tip on my bill was a waste.

Overall I had a great time at the MGM and really enjoyed the action at the craps tables in the casino. The craps pit was hard to find because they tuck it in the back of the casino against the cashier area, but there were at least 16 tables and all were full or short maybe one or two players. The table minimums were high $15 and $25 for craps, $25 for blackjack. But I went home a winner and enjoyed the table games staff, they were really corteous and fun to converse with. It helped that everywhere I went where I had to show my ID or players card I was treated nice because I share the name of a famous rapper. Everyone was so enthralled with the coincidence.

Construction in and around Detroit was not much of a problem and my GPS led me right where I needed to go as did my backup directions from Yahoo!.

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