Arrived here on Sunday for our anniversary but weekend check-ins are crazy! We arrived late Sunday night and the check-in line was horrendous! So don't come on the weekend! We had a great rate $59.00 a night (booked months ago) so that's why dude wanted to come plus combine it with business. We didn't get checked in until after midnight the next day. They gave us two free drink tickets for our trouble. Then we come to find out that they charge hotel guests $18 a day for valet parking (something that started recently) and no longer give guests free cold bottled water at the valet desk. In addition we were told by the valet that Mandalay contracts the valet parking out so if you lose your ticket and you're a hotel guest, they start the $18 a day all over again. Dude lost the ticket today so now instead of being charged for only two days of valet we may get charged for 3! (we checked in after midnite Monday morning and leaving Wednesday) So complicated!
So I'm noticing the little changes since MGM took over this beautiful hotel. Then previously, we got a free USA today newspaper included with our resort fee and they just stopped providing that last week! Dude was a bit upset but April at the front desk went to find out what happened and apologized for the change, She took off the resort fee for our entire stay. What a sweetie!
I will always love this place, it is such a beautiful hotel but I haven't been here in 2 years and missed being here. There are still positives during our visit: slightly remodeled the room, still two separate closets so we don't have to share, a safe in the room, a great view from the 24th floor of the pools, great service. It's just that the valet parking fee is really high and I'm just used to using the valet and don't want to go back schlepping my suitcase to the self park and back. We deserve to enjoy life and now have to pay. I still love the beach, wave pool and lazy river but it is in the 100s right now and crowded so I didn't enjoy it as much as in cooler weather and less crowded. So try to get a good rate when the weather is cooler say September/October is my favorite time to come here.