Key Points:
- My MGM offers have been more lucrative than those from Caesars, despite similar play.
- MGM’s resort experience is superior, driven in part by renovation cadence and mobile check-in & keys.
- While Caesars has better budget hotels, MGM dominates the mid & upmarket segments.
MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment operate the majority of the Strip, and I thought it would be fun to put ’em head-to-head on issues that are important to me, including:
Loyalty Program Offers: Who’s offering more value?
Resort Experience: MGM is eating Caesars’ lunch here.
Hotel Quality: Who has the better product in the budget, mid-tier, and upmarket segments?
And look, I’m a Vegas guy. I love both chains, but there’s a clear winner, and if I were forced to be exclusive with one program over the other… it’d be an easy choice.
Loyalty Program & Offers
Let’s start with one of the most important items – Who’s giving better offers?!
Keep in mind, I’m just one guy, and my experience is anecdotal for this and every topic I plan to cover. Your experience may differ on all fronts.
I give both chains very similar levels of play at a low rollin’ level.
To put it in perspective, I’d be in both programs’ base loyalty tier if it weren’t for their branded credit cards, which I hold to earn free parking.
To compare offers, I pulled up a sample Monday-Wednesday stay online just now for both programs, but the results hold true for other dates.
Caesars is offering me complimentary stays at nearly all of their properties, including The Cromwell, sans resort fees, which I’d still be on the hook for.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
MGM Resorts, on the other hand, is offering me up to 4 nights complimentary at most of their mid to low tier resorts (again, I’m still on the hook for resort fees) PLUS up to $25 in Freeplay AND UP TO a $100 per stay resort credit, depending on the resort booked.
Obviously, a free room PLUS freeplay and a resort credit are better than just a free room.
Point, MGM Resorts.
Check-In Experience
Moving on to the actual resort experience, let’s touch on the check-in process, which sounds boring… But it isn’t.
Caesars doesn’t yet offer mobile check-in and instead relies primarily on self-check-in kiosks, which work for me about 50% of the time.
When they don’t work, you’re then forced to wait for the employee working with other guests in the same boat as you, or wait in line to speak to a person when there’s even a human-operated registration desk to begin with.
It can be a dreadful, time-consuming process.
MGM Resorts, on the other hand, allows you to check in via their phone app the night before your stay, and you’re alerted the moment your room is ready via the app on the day of.
This lets you skip the line and use your phone as a room key.
A seamless process. It’s a legitimate factor for me when booking a hotel in Vegas.
While both chains offer “guaranteed early check-in” as an add-on purchase option, MGM properties will often let you into your room before the standard check-in time, even if you didn’t ask for it.
I never prepay for early check-in, almost always get into my room early, and have gotten in as early as 8 am, which is a huge perk.
Caesars, on the other hand, will hold off until the last minute in an attempt to get weary travelers to pay for early check-in at the kiosks.
Annoyingly, the kiosk will let you complete the entire process before offering the option to pay extra or return at the standard check-in time. Ahhh-noying.
Another point – MGM Resorts
Note: As Cromwell transitions to Vanderpump, there have been rumblings that the property will move to digital room keys. Nothing confirmed yet, but I’m hopeful that it’s true and will spread to Caesars’ other Las Vegas resorts.
Hotel Quality
Low-End Hotels
I log a LOT of stays with both resort chains and thought it’d be fun to compare their low-end, mid-tier, and higher-end options.
You could argue these a bit, but lower-end properties under the MGM umbrella include Luxor and Excalibur.
Caesars Entertainment’s low-end properties include LINQ, Flamingo, Harrah’s, and Horseshoe.
At this level, both chains struggle a bit with cleanliness and maintenance.
For instance, my recent Pyramid Premier Room at Luxor had peeling paint, a rusty ceiling above the vanity, and an unclean bathroom floor, while a recent base room at Flamingo also hadn’t been swept, was gouged and dinged, and had some nasty grout lines.
I’ve had similar experiences at both Excalibur and LINQ, albeit a few years back now. Below is an example from my room at LINQ.
At this price point, the chains are pretty evenly matched in quality – Hit or miss.
While quality at this tier is essentially tied, Caesars scores the point if only because their lower-end resorts boast a better mid-Strip location, while MGM’s are stranded on an island to the south.
Mid-Tier Hotels
Paris and Planet Hollywood are Caesars mid-tier options. I’ve experienced baseline rooms at both and found them to be a great value and in a great location.
Paris’ base Bordeaux room is basic and lacking in the frills department, but fashionable, clean, themed, and genuinely nice, while Planet Hollywood’s base Ultra Hip room was also pretty bare-bones, yet trendy and functional, with a good-looking bathroom.
Both offer a spectacular resort experience.
Paris, thanks to abundant French theming and Planet Hollywood, and to the food, drink, show options, and deals found in the Miracle Mile Shops, all within steps of your hotel elevator.
MGM’s mid-Tier options include MGM Grand, Park MGM, and New York New York.
Park MGM is smoke-free, offers trendy-ish rooms that lack any bells & whistles, and was last renovated in 2018. While not the most exciting option, I’d stay again.
NYNY’s base Soho Rooms were touched up as part of a 2022 renovation project and have one of the more distinctive aesthetics in town, with faux graffiti, brick accent walls, fresh furniture, and pops of color.
I really liked it for the price.
MGM Grand renovated rooms in their studio tower back in 2022 and recently wrapped up a project that touched every room in their main tower, and I think they’re the best budget-friendly rooms on the Strip right now (starting at under $100/nt).
This was my recent Grand King Room. Man, I’m a sucker for fun light features.
Verdict on the mid–tier hotel product is a tie. I’d stay at any of these in a heartbeat. They’re all appealing, and you can’t really go wrong.
High-End Hotels
The High end is where MGM Resorts shines, with a sprawling portfolio that includes Aria, Vdara, Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan, Mandalay Bay, W, and The Reserve at Park MGM.
Here are a few rooms I’ve recently had at upmarket MGM Properties:
Bellagio’s base Premier King room lived up to my lofty expectations. Just rock solid.
Vdara is unique because there’s no casino, but it’s steps away from Aria and connected via an indoor walkway to The Cosmopolitan and Bellagio.
Studio Parlor rooms have a kitchenette and a semi-separate living area. One of the more underrated hotels in Vegas, IMO.
I last stayed at Aria about a year and a half ago and enjoyed the room and my stay, although I’ve heard others gripe that the experience has deteriorated a bit. Fortunately, MGM Resorts will touch every room as part of a 2026 renovation project.
My Terrace Studio at The Cosmopolitan may be one of my favorite rooms in Vegas, thanks to the balcony. The room reeked of class and will be renovated as part of a 2027 project, after they wrap up at Aria in ‘26.
Caesars has 2 upmarket properties, including The Vanderpump Hotel and Caesars Palace… which I frequently describe as a resort “trying to be upmarket”.
While I loved the resort and idea behind The Cromwell’s room decor, the absolute BEATING my Luxury room had endured forced me to conclude it hardly qualified as high-end.
Fortunately, work has started to transform the property, with new rooms coming online in May 2026. I have one booked for June, and can’t wait to share. They’re decidedly feminine, but look great.
Caesars Palace is one of my favorite resorts in Las Vegas, but my rooms have been a mixed bag.
I’ve had great stays in their cheapest Julius Tower standard rooms and even a Julius Tower Junior Suite, while being completely underwhelmed by their more expensive Palace Premium and Octavius Premium rooms.
The Palace Premium bedroom area was an aesthetic yawner (although the bathroom was a stunner), and the Octavius Premium room was simply in rough shape – The cabinet faces in the bathroom were falling apart and were water-damaged.
My recent stay at Nobu, an upscale hotel within a hotel at Caesars Palace, was fantastic, although I’m not sure the room is worth the premium it often commands, thanks mostly to its paltry size.
Notably, the Colosseum rooms at Caesars have recently been renovated and look really sharp, while remaining affordable. I can’t wait to get into one.
If I’m choosing a loyalty program based on upscale hotel options, I’m investing my gambling dollars with MGM Rewards all day long… And it’s not particularly close.
Upcoming Renovations & Upkeep
Both operators cycle their resorts through renovation projects, but MGM has been significantly more active in the “rooms touched” department.
By my gorilla math, since 2020, MGM has renovated roughly 11,931 rooms to Caesars’ 3,920.
MGM Resorts Projects
Looking forward, MGM already has plans to attack Aria in 2026 and The Cosmopolitan in 2027 – That’s over 7,000 rooms (7,037 rooms) in the pipeline.
While this is what W’s rooms currently look like, and they’re nice!, a press release announcing the rebranding of Delano to W hinted “Details surrounding additional enhancements planned for W Las Vegas will be shared at a later date.”
Nothing announced yet, but are they suggesting an additional 1,100+ rooms could be touched in the near future? Fingers crossed.
Caesars Entertainment Projects
In addition to 188 rooms at Vanderpump, Caesars will tackle 1,000 rooms in Caesars Palace’s Augustus Tower in 2026 and 1,700 additional rooms in 2027 in Caesars Palace’s Julius & Palace Towers.
Obviously, Caesars could announce more, but MGM Resorts seems to be significantly more active, both now, and in the near future.
Another Point MGM
Pool Scenes
If the resort pool is an important amenity for you, both chains have great options, but the sprawling complexes at MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay are tough to beat.
Mandalay’s Beach offers a lazy river, wave pool, and real sand across 11 acres, and MGM Grand’s pool also comes equipped with a lazy river in addition to various pools, waterfalls, and more spread over 6.5 acres.
While Caesars Palace’s Garden of the Gods is a stunner, and The Flamingo’s new GoPool looks great, MGM still gets the point.
As a bonus, several MGM Properties, including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Aria, Park MGM, and Mandalay Bay, typically keep a portion of their pool complexes open during the winter, whereas Caesars shuts ‘em all down.
Buffets
On the buffet front, both chains have a top-tier option – The Cosmopolitan has Wicked Spoon, and Caesars Palace has Bacchanal, the best buffet in town by a wide margin.
They’re both great, although Wicked Spoon doesn’t offer dinner service.
If you prefer to have moderately priced buffets nearby, MGM Resorts has them at Excalibur and Bellagio, while Caesars has essentially raised the white flag on AYCE dining… Bacchanal at Caesars Palace is their sole remaining option.
National Casino Presence
One last factor that may play into your loyalty program preference is whether either offers a regional casino in your area, which would allow you to earn comps locally to use in Vegas.
Caesars has a presence in 18 states, while MGM operates in 7.
The Verdict
This was hardly intended to be a Caesars “hit piece”. I love both chains, stay at both chains, and will continue to do so.
That said, MGM is outperforming Caesars in several key categories that are super important to me, including offer quality, upmarket hotel options, hotel renovation cadence, and the check-in process… which sounds minor, but it can make or break the start of your vacation.
I’d love your opinion in the comments! Caesars vs. MGM in Las Vegas: Who’s your horse and why?
I’m a former software salesman turned Vegas aficionado. While the craps table is my preferred habitat, I pull myself away to explore new attractions, shows, restaurants, and outdoor activities around Las Vegas with the intent of sharing my experiences.
Ultimately, I just want to help folks plan a better trip and save a few bucks in the process.