by Jim Byers
Last updated: 8:11 PM ET, Mon April 16, 2018
LAS VEGAS - There's a new here player in Vegas.
The splashy, new Park MGM hotel is open for business with a sleek new look and style.
Located alongside the relatively new MGM Park development and adjacent to the T-Mobile Arena on the south end of The Strip, Park MGM is a lovely spot that occupies part of what used to be the Monte Carlo.
Park MGM has 2,700 rooms. The NoMad will open in another part of the old Monte Carlo later this year as a hotel within a hotel, similar to The Delano at Mandalay Bay or Nobu at Caesar's. The NoMad will have just 290 rooms, all on the upper floors of the old Monte Carlo.
The renovation, or should we say total transformation, of the old Monte Carlo cost a whopping $550 million USD.
The Park MGM has a cool, relaxed feel that fits nicely with the green space and fountains you'll find in the park outside, which runs from Las Vegas Boulevard to T Mobile Arena, home of the wildly successful Las Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League.
The lobby features shades of soft, misty green with grey marble floors. They have electronic machines for checking in and out, as well as a help desk with workers to help you out. Behind them is a huge video board showing gently waving leaves on a tree, a nod to the hotel name (and to the green space next door at MGM's park, a popular strolling area just north of the New York, New York hotel and casino.
Rooms are nicely sized. Mine has a long, forest-green sofa and a nice round table, with a hunter green wall behind the bed and gold pillows. The shower looks large enough for an entire family, even after gorging on a Las Vegas buffet.
There's a new pool deck, too, with three pools and an enormous hot tub surrounded by palm trees. The hot tub has remarkably powerful jets; great for your aching back.
There's a casino at the hotel but it's tucked away a bit, which makes for a quiet lobby and a restful entry to the property; something I greatly appreciate. Mind you, I won $10 (US dollars, baby) on a slot machine at the airport just after I landed, so I shouldn't mind some casino action.
Restaurants include Primrose, a French bistro with a poolside patio dotted with leafy trees. The menu at lunch is quite light and includes a lovely Nicoise salad, garden fries (fried beans, peppers and other veggies in a light batter), steak tartare and a hefty club sandwich.
They make all their own stocks and sauces and the chef told us the only thing they use the freezer for is gelato and French fries.
TravelPulse Canada is spending three days in Vegas this week to see a little of what's new, and to celebrate the good life that Las Vegas has always had to offer. Stay tuned for more stories and photos next week.
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