MGM Grand vs Park MGM: Which Las Vegas Hotel Should You Book?

MGM Grand vs Park MGM is a choice between two separate MGM Resorts hotels that share half a name and sit on opposite sides of Las Vegas Boulevard. MGM Grand is the south Strip mega-resort, with remodeled 446-square-foot rooms, a 6.5-acre pool complex with a lazy river and its own Monorail station. Park MGM, the former Monte Carlo, is the smoke-free casino resort next to T-Mobile Arena, with Eataly, Dolby Live and 406-square-foot rooms. Both charge a $50 resort fee plus tax and $20 a day for guest self-parking (as of October 2026); our MGM Grand review and Park MGM review cover each in full.

	MGM Grand	Park MGM
Location	South Strip	Center Strip
Price level	Mid-range	Mid-range
Best for	Pool lovers, show-goers, families	Concert-goers, smoke-sensitive travelers
Pool	Grand Pool Complex: four pools, three whirlpools, waterfalls and a lazy river	Resort pool complex with cabanas
Casino	Yes	Yes (smoke-free)
Resort fee	$50 + tax per night	$50 + tax per night
Parking	Self-parking $20/day for hotel guests; valet $40/day	Self-parking $20/day for hotel guests; valet $40/day
Check-in / out	3 PM / 11 AM	3 PM / 11 AM
Rates	Check MGM Grand Rates	Check Park MGM Rates

Is Park MGM the same as MGM Grand?

No. They’re different hotels with their own casinos, pools and rules, run by the same company and sharing MGM Rewards. Two more names add to the confusion:

• MGM Grand: 3799 S. Las Vegas Blvd., east side, at Tropicana Avenue.
• Park MGM: 3770 S. Las Vegas Blvd., west side. It opened in 1996 as the Monte Carlo and was renamed Park MGM on May 9, 2018.
• The Signature at MGM Grand: a separate non-gaming, all-suite hotel behind MGM Grand on Harmon Avenue.
• The Reserve at Park MGM: the former NoMad Las Vegas, a hotel within a hotel on Park MGM’s top four floors.

If a booking site lists “MGM” without “Grand” or “Park,” check the street address before you pay.

Location: across the boulevard, with no direct link

MGM Grand anchors the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, with the Las Vegas Monorail’s southern terminus inside the resort and Topgolf next door. Across Tropicana Avenue, the A’s ballpark is under construction for 2028 on the former Tropicana site, and the pedestrian bridge from MGM Grand to that corner is closed.

Park MGM sits farther north on the west side, with The Park, an outdoor dining and entertainment district, between it and New York-New York; that’s the path to T-Mobile Arena. Park MGM is also the southern terminus of the free ARIA Express tram to ARIA and The Shops at Crystals, Vdara and Bellagio, which runs daily from 8 a.m. to midnight per ARIA. It has no Monorail station.

Can you walk from MGM Grand to Park MGM? Yes, but there’s no direct connection. Cross the New York-New York pedestrian bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard, walk through New York-New York into The Park and continue to Park MGM. Or use Park MGM’s own bridge at Park Avenue; from its east-side landing, MGM Grand is south along the sidewalk. Clark County doesn’t describe its bridges as enclosed, so treat them as outdoor crossings.

We found no published walking time between the two. MGM puts Park MGM 0.2 mile and under 5 minutes from T-Mobile Arena and MGM Grand 0.4 mile and about 10 minutes away, but those are arena walks, not hotel-to-hotel walks. Our guide to hotels near T-Mobile Arena compares every option for event nights.

Rooms: bigger and newer at MGM Grand

Room type	Size	Beds	Notes
MGM Grand: Studio King (Studio Tower)	350 sq ft	1 king	2 guests max
MGM Grand: MGM King / Two Queen	446 sq ft	1 king / 2 queens	Remodeled main tower; the King takes up to 3
MGM Grand: Executive King / Two Queen Suite	675 sq ft	1 king / 2 queens	Up to 4 guests
Park MGM: King / Two Queen	406 sq ft	1 king (alcove) / 2 queens	King up to 2, Two Queen up to 4
Park MGM: Nighthawk / Nightingale Suite	700 sq ft	1 king / 2 queens	Nightingale adds a sleeper sofa
Park MGM: Skylark Suite	900 sq ft	1 king plus a queen sleeper sofa	Living room, dining room and bar

MGM Grand’s standard rooms are 40 square feet bigger (446 − 406) and much newer: the $300 million remodel of 3,969 main-tower rooms and suites ran from December 2024 to November 2025, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The MGM King page lists a 55-inch TV, a mini fridge and a marble bathroom, but no tub. Skip the 350-square-foot Studio King unless it’s clearly cheaper.

Park MGM’s rooms trade space for clean air. Each standard room has a 50-inch TV, blackout shades and window seating for four; king beds sit in an alcove, bathrooms have a standing shower and no tub, and fridges come only on request for a nominal daily fee. The last big overhaul was the 2016–2018 Monte Carlo conversion, and guests mention dated rooms, thin walls and bass from events.

Both charge $40 per extra guest per night beyond two, cap rooms at four and require you to be 21 to check in. For a bathtub, look at the upgrades below.

Pools: MGM Grand’s lazy river wins

	MGM Grand	Park MGM
Layout	6.5 acres: four pools, three whirlpools, waterfalls, a lazy river	Pools and cabanas; MGM doesn’t publish a pool count
Hours listed Oct. 9, 2026	Complex 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; lazy river 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.	Daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed for the season	Splash Pool and Private Reserve	Nothing; the FAQ says the pools “are open for the season”
Dayclub	Palm Tree Beach Club, Wednesday to Saturday (age policy not stated)	None listed

The detail that changes the math: MGM Grand’s pool page says guests of any MGM Resorts property can use the complex and book poolside rentals, first come, first served. Stay at Park MGM for the arena and the smoke-free casino, and you can still spend an afternoon on MGM Grand’s lazy river.

MGM Grand’s FAQ welcomes personal rafts and floaties, but its pool-page terms have allowed only circular tubes, so ask before you pack one. Neither hotel has published 2026–27 winter closure dates. If the pool is the point, our MGM Grand vs Mandalay Bay comparison weighs the lazy river against a wave pool, and our ranking of Las Vegas hotels with pools covers the rest.

Dining

MGM Grand has the deeper bench. Joel Robuchon holds a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon a Four-Star, followed by Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak, Hakkasan Restaurant, Morimoto, Luchini and Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House. Casual picks include Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, Grand Wok Noodle Bar, Bonanno’s New York Pizzeria and a food court. It also lost three restaurants in 2026: Nellie’s Southern Kitchen (after May 25), the buffet (May 31) and CRUSH American Grill (after Sept. 12), with no replacements announced.

Park MGM’s list is shorter and more focused. Eataly, the Italian food hall and market, is the draw, with Bavette’s Steakhouse & Bar, Primrose, Best Friend, The Crack Shack and Toscana Ristorante & Bar also on the October 2026 list. Mama Rabbit, the mezcal and tequila bar, closed on Sept. 14, 2026; MGM says a new concept will open there in the first half of 2027.

Casino

Park MGM is smoke-free throughout. Its smoke-free policy bans smoking in the casino, restaurants, bars, rooms, corridors, common areas and pools, with three designated smoking spots, such as the Ride Share Zone off the main lobby. That makes it the Strip’s only fully smoke-free casino resort. Tables cover blackjack, baccarat, Ultimate Texas Hold’em and craps, and there’s a BetMGM Sportsbook & Bar, but no poker room is listed; ARIA’s is one tram stop away.

MGM Grand is bigger and allows smoking. Its casino covers about 144,000 square feet, with a BetMGM Sportsbook and a poker room, one of eight left on the Strip as of March 2026, according to the Review-Journal. Rooms are smoke-free, but MGM’s terms note designated smoking areas throughout the casino, and guests mention the smell. Our guide to non-smoking hotels in Las Vegas covers more options.

Entertainment and nightlife

MGM Grand has more resident shows. As listed on Oct. 9, 2026:

• Shows: KÀ by Cirque du Soleil, Jabbawockeez, Tape Face, Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club and Now You See Me Live, running Oct. 15, 2026, to Jan. 5, 2027 (ages 5+).
• MGM Grand Garden Arena: concerts, fights and award shows; the fall 2026 calendar includes Journey and the Latin Grammy Awards.
• Attractions and nightlife: The FRIENDS Experience, Zero Latency VR, Topgolf next door, Hakkasan Nightclub and the 21+ Bonus Round arcade bar.

Park MGM is built around headliners. Dolby Live, a 5,200-seat theater, lists residencies by New Kids On The Block and Mary J. Blige (from Oct. 23), plus Kill Tony (from Nov. 13) and Matt Rife (Dec. 4). HAUS OF GAGA / LAS VEGAS is a free Lady Gaga fashion exhibit, On The Record is a speakeasy-style club behind a record-store entrance, and T-Mobile Arena, home of the Vegas Golden Knights and UFC, is across the plaza.

Resort fees and parking

The nightly add-ons are identical. Both charge a $50 resort fee plus tax (as of October 2026), about $56.69 with the Strip’s 13.38% room tax ($50 × 13.38% = $6.69), covering Wi-Fi, calls, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, boarding-pass printing, digital newspapers and the fitness center for guests 18 and over. MGM Rewards Gold members and above can have it waived on up to two direct bookings per trip.

Registered guests at either hotel pay $20 per 24 hours to self-park and $40 for valet; visitors pay $20 Monday through Thursday and $25 Friday through Sunday. A driver’s fixed cost is $76.69 a night at both ($56.69 + $20) before the room rate. The small differences:

• Arena nights: Park MGM’s garage is prepay-only for event parking during T-Mobile Arena events, so ask how guest parking works that day.
• EV charging: MGM Grand has free chargers in its self-park garage.
• In-and-out: a guest’s 24-hour charge covers the same parking type at every MGM Las Vegas resort, so you can drive between the two without paying twice.

Self-parking is free for MGM Rewards Pearl members and above. Check MGM’s parking page before you go, and compare the Strip in our guides to Las Vegas resort fees and Las Vegas parking fees.

Price positioning

We rate both hotels mid-range, and with identical fees and parking, the gap comes down to the room rate. MGM Grand’s buys 40 more square feet, a remodel finished in 2025, the lazy river and the Monorail; Park MGM’s buys clean casino air and the shortest walk to T-Mobile Arena on MGM’s list. Rates vary by day of the week, events and season, so price both for your dates. The Reserve and The Signature sit a tier higher, at upscale.

Which is better for couples?

Park MGM suits a smoke-free concert weekend: dinner at Bavette’s or Eataly, a Dolby Live or arena show, a short walk back and the free tram to ARIA and Bellagio. If 406 square feet feels tight, The Reserve’s 528-square-foot Atelier adds a pedestal tub. MGM Grand suits a show-driven trip, with Joel Robuchon, KÀ, comedy and Hakkasan Nightclub in the building and a roomier standard room.

Which is better for families?

MGM Grand, clearly. The lazy river, all-ages Jabbawockeez and Tape Face, Now You See Me Live (ages 5+), The FRIENDS Experience and Topgolf, whose first, second and fourth levels are open to all ages, fill the days. Park MGM lists no arcade or kids’ pool features, though its concierge can arrange child care. Families who want a kitchenette should price The Signature, and teens chasing a roller coaster will find The Big Apple Coaster at New York-New York, between the two; see our New York-New York review.

Which is better for nightlife?

MGM Grand, if your night ends at a club: Hakkasan Nightclub, bars, comedy and a dayclub are on site, and the Monorail runs until 2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday through Sunday (midnight on Mondays), per MGM. Park MGM, if your night is a concert at Dolby Live or the arena; just note that the ARIA Express stops at midnight.

Which is better for first-time visitors?

MGM Grand, for most first trips. Its Monorail station reaches Horseshoe and Paris, Flamingo and Caesars Palace, Harrah’s and The LINQ, the Convention Center, Westgate and SAHARA; our Las Vegas Monorail guide covers the rest. Pick Park MGM if smoke is a deal-breaker or the trip revolves around one arena show; the ARIA Express gets you to Bellagio without a car.

What about The Reserve or The Signature?

Each hotel has a quieter sibling, and both charge the same $50 resort fee plus tax (as of October 2026).

The Reserve at Park MGM was NoMad Las Vegas until Dec. 17, 2025: 293 rooms and suites on Park MGM’s top four floors, with its own entrance and a Terrace Pool for Reserve guests. Its Classic rooms match Park MGM’s 406 square feet, so the upgrade pays off at the Atelier. Our Park MGM review compares the two.

The Signature at MGM Grand has 1,728 suites in three non-gaming, smoke-free towers. The 550-square-foot Deluxe Suite has a kitchenette and a whirlpool tub, valet is complimentary for one car, and guests can use MGM Grand’s pools, but there’s no room service and no pets. Our MGM Grand review sets it against the main resort.

Which should you book?

Choose MGM Grand if you want the most hotel for a $50 fee: newer, bigger standard rooms, a lazy river, more resident shows, a poker room and the Monorail. It’s the better default for first-timers, families and pool-season trips.

Choose Park MGM if casino smoke would ruin your trip or your plans center on T-Mobile Arena or Dolby Live. You give up 40 square feet and an on-site lazy river, though you can still borrow MGM Grand’s, and you gain the shortest walk to the arena, Eataly and the tram to ARIA and Bellagio.

Still comparing? Our best hotels in Las Vegas ranking puts both in context.

FAQ

Is MGM Grand or Park MGM nicer?

MGM Grand has the nicer standard room for most travelers: 446 square feet, remodeled in a project finished in November 2025, against 406 square feet at Park MGM, where guests mention dated rooms and thin walls. Park MGM is nicer if smoke bothers you, since the entire resort is smoke-free.

Can you walk from MGM Grand to Park MGM?

Yes. Cross the New York-New York pedestrian bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard, walk through New York-New York into The Park, and continue to Park MGM. There’s no direct or indoor connection, and we found no published walking time between the two.

Which has the better pool, MGM Grand or Park MGM?

MGM Grand. Its 6.5-acre complex has four pools, three whirlpools, a lazy river and the Palm Tree Beach Club dayclub, while Park MGM’s pools have cabanas but no lazy river or dayclub. MGM Grand’s pool page says guests of any MGM Resorts hotel can use its complex.

Do MGM Grand and Park MGM charge the same resort fee?

Yes. Both charge $50 per night plus tax (as of October 2026), about $56.69 with tax, for the same list of inclusions. Guest self-parking is $20 per 24 hours at both, and valet is $40.