text: This is a backdated review for MDW13 - here goes:\n\nI booked this reservation through Expedia so I got an email that the reservation was guaranteed until midnight of the first day of the reservation.  Seeing as my flight was going to come in at 11:50 I decided to give MGM Grand a call since I didn't want my room to be given away.\n\nIt was a 15 minute or so wait on hold to reach the correct person, but she was very polite and wrote a note on my reservation so the room wouldn't be reissued.\n\nOur flight came in around 2AM local time (Spirit Airlines, that's a 1 star review for another time).  The check in people were nice and we got our room keys quickly without a hitch.\n\nOnce we got into our room, it was a little weird.\n-The soaps were already opened. Not sure if they are just really trying to make things easy on me or didn't change them out. I found a hair in the soap...\n-There was still trash in the trash can.\n\nEhhh.\n\nNo matter, we brought our own soap anyway and trash is trash. We were tired.\n\nThe rest of the stay was uneventful.  The buffet was okay since it was included in our stay, but if you're looking for a Vegas Buffet worth talking about with friends, head up the strip to some of the newer casinos.  The MGM Grand buffet reminded me of dorm food. Since I just got out of college it's not a big deal, but if your palate is more refined then you might be better off paying more and going elsewhere.\n\nThe casino is cool. Again, there's better on the north end of the strip, but nothing is terribly bad or exceptionally good.\n\nMy one regret about being at MGM was not going to Hakkasan. It had just opened and we were busy with other venues so we didn't check it out.  But after reading other reviews it seems like I missed out on a golden opportunity.  I'll be sure to check it out next time.\n\nSome final notes -\n\n-MGM is in a good location since you can hit a bunch of casinos thanks to the rail that is connected to Excalibur down the road. One can easily hit up Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Luxor, and NYNY.\n-The pools are great and check out Wet Republic if you get a chance.\n-Weekday rates are pretty reasonable.\n-There is a $25/day resort fee that gets added on. It includes WiFi so bring a computer or tablet since you're already paying for access.\n-There is a foodcourt between the hotel and pools if you are trying to save some cash.