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Mandalay Bay vs THEhotel : Vegas Battle Royale

Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas Strip
Blow by blow:

I stayed here twice. I stayed in THEhotel and a suite in the original tower after the remodel. The remodeled rooms are nice, very uplifting tones in the room. I wanted to stay here to swim in the pool, but I never made it to the pool. I was way too hung over to be in the sun.

Love this place! I love the Asian vibe. The restaurants are fabulous. The wave pool is amazing. The casino is hot. The rooms are amazing. Truly one of my favorite hotel/casinos.

I've always enjoyed staying at Mandalay Bay, even more when the room is comped. They have a nice selection of mid-priced eateries and a few higher priced (Fleur de Lys and StripSteak have always been excellent). The rooms are nice, the suites eve nicer, and if you get a view looking up The Strip it's one of the best views in town. Only complaint is location, location, location, it's a hike to get to the mid-Strip casinos, figure on taking taxis and learning some of the non-Strip roads heading north/south.

This carpet joint has really earned my adoration the hard way. I almost always win at the slots here. I've enjoyed staying at THEhotel's awesome suites. I don't remember a single bad meal at Border Grill, Red White and Blue, Aureole, or Mix. Oh, and how about that pool??!! All in all, the understated elegance of this place still makes Mandalay Bay a winner for me! :-D

I love the smell of this place.....probably my favorite casino and sportsbook layout. The rooms arent bad, and if the wife ever decides to bring the kids, I'll stay here for the pool alone.

I guess this isn't exactly a great hotel by anyone's standards now, but it's the first place I stepped into and stayed at, and it does have a few tricks up it's sleeve. You can't beat Mix or Foundation Room for views, the HOB is one of the city's two large venues willing to run indie-league shows, and the showroom has been hosting solid Broadway hits for years.

I stayed at THEhotel and it is alot nicer and friendly than people think. Great service, one of the chefs was on "Top Chef," it's right next to Mandalay Bay and Mamma Mia, you can use the pool, there is no casino i the lobby, alleviating our noses of so much smoke, and it's just great.

The only flaw with the hotel is the lack of a true front entrance. The layout is easily followed. The pool is huge. The Shark Reef is a good value and also a good place to take kids if you happen to have them with you. The dining options are very good. There is even a small but well stocked bookstore right off the casino that gives you somewhere to pick up something to read on your flight home.

Very nice rooms, Lousy Location, Mack Daddy Spa, Good dining options, Good Buffet, Great Pool, Only thing that keeps me from staying here again is location

TheHotel is great, Mandalay hotel is just ok. Everything else rocks. The restaurants are great, night life is ultra fun, and the pool is 2nd to none.

I stayed at Mandalay Bay in Dec 2007 and it was a great experience. From the time I pulled up in valet until it was time fo me to leave, the staff were great. The room was soo great and the bathroom had a separate shower and whirlpool tub with a glass window on the side where the tub was(frosted glass).

I stayed here all the way back in 99. The beach/pool area in just amazing. The room was great, very clean and fresh ( I think it was only a year old at the time). They had just started building Shark Reef when we stayed, so when I went back to Vegas a few years later I saw it. Pretty nice, a good thing to do on a hot day to get some shade. But I think most of all I love that wonderful smell they pump through the place.

The casino is a little too much like a slot warehouse... but I don't mind that much.

Stayed here for a business conference. Had the 550DDR Strip View room. The standard room was nice. Clean, comfy bed, plasma TV, double closets, large tub and separate shower, dual sinks and standard hotel beige decor. City Center detracts from the view north from the hotel. I also had a fantastic view of the airport. Fortunately, I wasn't particularly bothered by the sound of planes arriving and departing. The pool was always crowded and tough to get a seat in the sun. We opted for the Moorea Beach Club. Bikini Blackjack at the beach casino was fun. Would have broke even on gambling, but Mrs. Fox did not maintain her usual luck on the slots and I maintained at cards. Since it was a business trip this time, I didn't get to spend as much time in the casino as I would have liked. I tried to take pictures similar to the VegasTripping review. I plan to write a full review and see if ChuckMonster will post it. The biggest downside to the hotel room was no inside locks on the door. While I wasn't concerned about somebody getting in, I need the locks to keep my drunk ass in the room at night. I got up in the middle of the night to relieve myself and accidentally locked myself out of the room in the hallway in my undies. Good thing I wasn't alone. That could have been very embarassing.

I have always liked Mandalay Bay and TheHotel. Rooms are great, pool is probably the best with the wave pool, sandy beach, tube river and mini casino. The buffet is one of the better ones. There is a large concert venue at MB and a smaller one at the pool. Overall theme is good. It is on the very south end of the Strip. The free monorail to the Excaliber helps.

Next to Wynn my favorite rooms in Las Vegas are here..great living area and bedrooms with HD TVs, comfy beds, excellent bathroom..gaming here is awful..casino was too cold, literally, from the temperature to the machines...coffee shop is excellent but expensive..but would stay here again in a heartbeat and just play elsewhere...

Many have mentioned it, but the smell of the place is intoxicating. I don't know if it's coconuts or "parrot poop" as someone said, but it's divine. Table games are not so good, and the douche factor on weekends is still as nauseating as it was 10 years ago. But the slots are fun, the restaurants and bars are great, the shopping choices take as much of my money as gaming, and the pools/beach are tops. And being a big sports book guy, their room is still my favorite of any casino I've been in so far. I attend an annual conference held here, so I frequent this place a lot.

I like the smell here. Snnnnifff, mmmm parrot farts. Given its numerous celeb-chef helmed restaurants, one of the best pools in Vegas, a fantastic sports book, and a cool rock club, this place should be so much more than it is. Unfortunately, the sum of its parts is a noticeably neglected MGM Resorts International joint, just like the rest of 'em.

Beautiful rooms and great pool (major bonus during the summer obviously). Have played here for years but that may change in 2011 as I have got some nice offers

Never slept here, but Mix and Foundation Room alone make it worth our while. Note to EyeCandy: hey, uh, it's fucking vegas and you're not serving food, so go get me some matches and a tray, Honey.

A great hotel with lots of options for food, gambling, drinking and partying. There are many different areas to get drinks and watch sports on the weekends. The sportsbook is huge, but can be crowded, so it is good to have alternatives where you can get a decent seat with good screens. Nightlife is plentiful with lots of options as well. Don't want to pay a cover? The center bar called Eye Candy is a lot of fun with a dance floor. And there is another bar that has live music that you can just walk into. The "beach" pool is the best as it is a huge area, with the waves, and at nights on weekends there are outdoor concerts here. House of Blues offers even more food and live music options, with some great touring bands. Be sure to check their monthlky lineups. The concert areas are great, not too large and you can have a great closeup feel to the stages and the music. Highly recommend the Mandalay Bay.

Actually better now than it used to be because all the douchebags have migrated to Encore. Now that theyre comping rooms in the Four Seasons & Michael Jackson Cirque show is coming I'll bet you that this place would be back in the running for top dog on the strip if MGM would just show it a little more love & stop treatin it like a red-headed stepchild.

I have never actually stayed at this casino. For us it is too far away from the heart of the strip. We like to do short little stints in each casino and then move on to the next. This casino being at the end of the line does not make it condusive to this type of trip, unless you want to take taxis or walk past the same casinos day in and day out....
That being said, we love the restaurants here. Plan to stay at least 4 to 5 hours to enjoy as much good food as possible.

Would probably be my second favorite place in Vegas if the location was even remotely decent.

not into the south seas themed motif? get a room on the 34th floor. they are known as house of blues themed rooms. staying at THEhotel isn't a bad choice either, very spacious. but i found a turd in my guest bathroom. it took 45 minutes for someone to reclean my room. ever since the merger with MGM-Mirage, the property has lost its luster. kinda sad really.

Haven't stayed but have played here. Lots of fun. Really nice place to boot.

Man Delay Bay ! There is always a line to check in or out, but they do their best to move as quickly as possible. I haven't stayed in the newly renovated rooms but the place needed an update. The property is great with a fun Casino, good Bar / Nightclubs, and good restaurants. I’ve seen great shows at the HoB (was 10’ from Snoop Dog, holdin my own on the dance floor for his show – ya heard me). I hope to check out the new bar and casino renovations next week.

My first trip ever was spent here for three nights. The rooms are really nice but I didn't understand all the fuss. The buffet is delicious in my opinion but it's $20 just for lunch, so it's not a very cheap option. In general, I think the gaming here sucks. The House of Blues is a good place to see a concert and the Shark Reef is cool and (relative to Vegas) cheap for some fun. The rooms and options trumped the bad gaming for me.

I did not find the place to be overrun either with children or LA douchebags, as I've so often read that it is, in fact, the place wasn't overrun by anybody, it was practically a ghost town. Though admittedly not as plush and exclusive feeling as Bellagio or Wynn, I felt Mandalay Bay was still adequately upscale in feel & clientele - it's definitely still one of the nicer carpet joints in town, and could be one of the gems of ths strip again if MGM management would invest some love and money in it. I also liked the fact that it still retains most of its theme in terms of tropical & vaguely Asian decor, I hope MGM never gets around to messing with the overall vibe of the place like they have with so many of their other properties. Have eaten in several of the restaurants - I thought Areole was good but overrated, Stripsteak was very good and "Upstairs" at RM seafood was excellent; we also had lunch at Border Grill (pretty good Mexican), Raflles cafe (very good "coffee shop") and Red, White & Blue (good food but so-so service). The Foundation room has a great view, but the food was mediocre and the place was dead. Great treatment from the hosting staff as well, but the suite they put me up in, which was on the "62nd" floor Penthouse level had obviously not been renovated in quite some time, possibly not since the place opened. The primary reason I would ever stay there again is because my casino host there is great, but is that enough to make up for a resort that is being seriously neglected by its owners?

At Mandalay Bay, the room sucked. One of the double sinks was backed up. Ended with a big ashtray for a room after requesting a non-smoking room. A/C was screwed.
In the red corner:
Mandalay Bay
vs.
In the blue corner:
THEhotel
THEhotel
IS VICTORIOUS!
THEhotel vs.
Start a New Fight:

THEhotel
Las Vegas Strip
Blow by blow:

I only stated one night here but will stay again. I had a great suite with a washroom larger than most master bedrooms. Service was awesome from the front desk to housekeeping to the lobby bar.

I like the subdued ambiance of THEhotel. The seperate porte-cochere, and location of room elevators make it a very convenient hub. The rooms are always worth it if you can get a discounted room rate.

Great place, fun in the summer. You can get a great deal at THEHotel if you book at the right time!
Really neat room, good ammenities!

Beautiful hotel, great suites with plenty of room for sleep and lounging. Close to MB casino. Service seemed good to us. Wonderful place to stay if you don't mind walking to MGM, NYNY Aria. Any further and you need the monorail / limo / cab / etc.

I just recently stayed at quite the sweet suite at THEhotel, the all-suite boutique hotel within the Mandalay Bay Resort complex. The suite is about 725 square feet, with a separate living room, separate bedroom, guest "WC", and separate master bathroom. The suite is decorated in a hip, contemporary style with plenty of soothing earth tones. The three flat screen TVs were also a nice touch, even if they're starting to show their age.
And my goodness, the bathroom is DIVINE! I don't know if I've ever been in such a deep and relaxing soaking tub!
Oh, and by the way, the service was fantastic overall! The check-in clerks were courteous. The bell desk attendant who delivered my luggage to my suite gave me a tour of the digs. Housekeeping hardly missed anything when cleaning. Whatever problems existed in 2006 (thankfully!) look to be gone in 2010. :-D

Just when you think Vegas cant hit you with anything more - you get upgraded to the H Penthouse Suite and you're left speechless.

For the past 2 years I have stayed at THEhotel and I think; no I know; I have found my home hotel in Vegas. The first thing that caught my eye is the 725 sq ft of space and that is for their standard rooms. The next big thing is that the room has two rooms and 1.5 baths. I love it. Usually it is just me that goes to Vegas but if I ever decide to have a party in my room ; I have enough room.

The rooms are very modern and masculine, reminding me of a Studio in New York City. Nice rooms and great room service ... if you?re going to stay at Man-delay Bay, theHotel is the best way to do it.

This is a good place to stay if you are out in Vegas on a guys trip. Rooms are split such that you don't feel as if you are always getting in each others way. Location at the far end of the strip does hurt this place.

Love the decor of the rooms. Great beds and suit layout. I like that its tucked away from the casino floor making it seem exclusive, even though it's not really that exclusive. Biggest downside is you share the casino with Mandalay Bay.

Whatever service issues used to be here are gone. 1.5 bathrooms at a minimum in every room. Bath crystals? You bet! TheTP sticker rocks. It's also rather close to the MB sportsbook. This would be great if MB's sportsbook wasn't stuck in the 70s..please rid of the highschool student furniture and throw in a couch or something! I have a little kid so the pool at MB is the best by far.

I have to agree with another poster who said any service issues they might've once had here seem to be gone. The lobby, hallways & suite were all immaculate, and housekeeping was efficient without being obtrusive. Room service was tasty & delivered quickly, appropriately warm and with the correct order each time we got it, (though it would have been nice if there were more dinner options on the room service menu.
We had a "T" suite on the top floor just below MIX, which had an absolutely incredible view of the strip; there were some noise issues from MIX being directly above the suite, but luckily I stay up really late so by the time I went to bed the thumping had stopped - I also imagine this wouldn't have been an issue if we weren't directly under Mix's terrace as we were. The decor was contemporary and the suite did not feel or look worn in any way. A cool feature I really liked was the lighted room number signs outside each suite in the hallway, and the electronically controlled do not disturb sign (I know, its the little things sometimes!). I thought THEcafe in the lobby was a good breakfast spot, good food (Lobster Thermidor for breakfast! score!), but inconsistent service (good once, so-so the other time) on two different days. The walk to Mandalay's casino & other restaurants wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Overall THEhotel definitely achieves its goal of making you feel like you're in a boutique hotel in some other city, but with all the ameneties Vegas has to offer just a few steps away.
Originally rated it a six, but bumping it down to a five due to the fact that MGM just doesn't seem to really be trying with Mandalay Bay anymore.

Yeah it's showing its age, but where else would you want to stay when you've got to stay on the south end of The Strip?

I like the Mix Lounge on top of THEhotel better than I do THEhotel itself, which seemed to me lifeless and bland. I'm still not sure I get the difference between it and Mandalay, other than being more expensive. But the rooms were quiet and luxurious, and Mix is where I spent most of my time. Everything from the view to the drinks to the solid black bathrooms rocked.

Mandalay Bay is my favorite stop for entertainment. Mix and the Foundation Room are two of the greatest bars in Vegas to pump up your self esteem and get that VIP Vegas vibe. The hotel itself leaves much to be desired, but luckily they've strapped on (innuendos ho!) THEhotel to give a great sleeping option. The rooms are sweet, and also a sweet value.

Loved the vibe here even if the service wasn't so great. Isn't it about time for some room renovations?

Great quiet suite hotel holding its own over the years. MGM, show this one some love too plz!

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