This article is the sixth entry detailing our June 16 - 21 Vegas trip. We made an abbreviated "casino - hop" visit to M Resort which is the newest Vegas mega-resort. Be advised that our impressions noted here are in no way fully inclusive of all the services, venues, or amenities available at M Resort. Our primary motivation for visiting this locale was simply that we had never viewed or patronized it on previous trips. This property has been a hot and common topic in the Vegas media before, during, and after their grand opening on March 1, 2009 which is of course typical and expected.
The following outlines our abbreviated impressions of M Resort based on a short visit. We did not stay overnight in their hotel due to comped rooms elsewhere. We're among the first to admit that there is a wide variation in visitor likes and dislikes regarding casino - hotel choices in Vegas and those reasons are as varied as the prospective patrons themselves.
- The initial impression we experienced regarding this property was that it's a long drive (over 10 miles) from the main strip area. It is somewhat isolated on the extreme southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard. One of management's professed intents in pre - opening interviews was to provide a "locals" type resort that was far removed from the primary strip area. This geographic "strip-displaced" intent was certainly accomplished and after our trek to get there we viewed it as a potential problem in drawing consistent and repeat patronage over a long period of time. We hope to be errant in this impression and there are statistics concerning their patronage in the early going (ie players club signups and buffet traffic) since opening that would not support our view regarding the potential impact of the long driving distance to the property. Certainly any locals in the near vicinity to it's location wouldn't share our impression. We visited mid-morning on Thursday, June 18 and there was minimal activity throughout the areas of the property we viewed.
- The entire service staff was notably attentive and courteous. This pattern was apparent in every staff member we encountered including valet parking attendants, players club reps, and blackjack dealers. This experience was quite pleasant and commendable.
- The Imagine Rewards players club did not offer any signup incentives such as slot credits or blackjack match plays. They do have a competitive credit benefits program with 1 point earned for each $1 coin - in and 333 accumulated points = $1 towards player chosen benefits. Players club members can redeem their points for cash back, comps for rooms,shows or dining, and free play or use them at a variety of on-site venues such as a pharmacy (which is quite unique for a Vegas casino - hotel), gas station, or car wash.
- Their Villagio Del Sole Pool and Entertainment Piazza is a pleasant visual spectacle and is the primary venue for concerts , live music, and poolside entertainment. Their upcoming lineup (August, September, and October) includes Alan Jackson, Crosby-Stills-and-Nash, and Tim McGraw.
- We played blackjack and slots on this short visit. I was able to earn $110 at a ten dollar blackjack table in a 45-minute session while wagering $10 to $35 per hand. Their blackjack rule sets were moderately player-friendly ( offered late surrender) and the dealer was quite courteous and simply a pleasant guy to be around. On a negative note, I lost $90 playing about 15 different penny denomination video slot machines ($1 per spin wagers) and my wife didn't fare well either. Though it may be completely coincidental considering the randomness of slot machines, this was among my worst - ever slot play experiences. I routinely play machines I'm familiar with and those that offer free spin bonus rounds and I did not obtain a single free spin round nor a significant line bonus payout on any machines during a 90 - minute playing session. I came away with the unwavering impression that their slots (or at least the ones we played) were of the low payback variety because of that consistency among many different machines. My wife incurred the same experience on a significant number of separate machines. Without question this experience tainted our overall impression of M resort . This human tendency to partially evaluate Vegas hotel - casinos based on gambling outcomes has been addressed in a previous Examiner article and I believe is a significant conscious factor for those who gamble in Sin City. It is at least one important element in a visitor's choice to revisit a given property. There's nothing about our slot play experiences here that make us want to return despite the fact that we're cognizant of "bad runs" and the random nature of slot machines at any locale. Our experiences here were that negative.
- The overall architecture, furnishings and decor at M Resort were of a corporate nature and were unimpressive for us. They did have an attractive valet parking area with large dimension tile and an interesting facade waterfall area in the check-in lobby area. My wife is particularly keen regarding hotel furnishings and her overall impression of the decor within the casino per se was "drab". The suspended light fixtures within the casino offer an interesting architectural design but their dark color was not inviting. The mother of pearl ceiling fixture was attractive.
- This resort offers an array of standard venues and amenities including multiple dining options, the Spa Mio salon and spa, meeting and conference facilities exceeding 60,000 square feet, and an assortment of accommodations in their hotel that offers mountain and strip view rooms and suites.
Our overall rating of M Resort based on a brief three - hour visit is 2.5 stars on a 5 star system. That rating does not include an overnight stay or qualified judgement of their hotel rooms and amenities. Driving distance, slot experiences including no players club signup incentives, and overall architectural / decor impressions were drawbacks for us. They did provide one of the most courteous and attentive service staffs that we have ever experienced in Vegas.
Cheers...
Charles Higgins
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