The Mlife rewards program will be changed on February 1, 2022. MGM is planning to waive resort fees for those with Gold status or higher, which will be great news for hotel loyalty programs. If Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can continue to match to Mlife Gold, that should make for very cheap Hyatt mattress runs in Las Vegas.
Tier benefits have been refreshed.
MGM's membership tiers have improved benefits. I prefer staying at MGM properties when I go to Las Vegas since they have the properties that I like, and the improvements are exciting.
There are new benefit highlights.
There are complimentary tickets to MGM Rewards concerts.
waiving resort fees, access to exclusive tier appreciation events, and experiences are all perks of gold or higher.
Tier Achievement Travel Credit to Las Vegas is Platinum or higher and includes advanced suite upgrades for up to three nights.
The star of the show here is the free resort fees. Those can add up to a lot on a Las Vegas stay.
I booked a couple of nights at Delano Las Vegas last week when I was making some Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings to use up my Platinum card credits. The nightly rate was $109 but with tax and resort fee it came out to more than $150 per night.
If I don't pay the resort fee, I will save $90 over the two-night stays I booked, and my Fine Hotels & Resorts bookings will come out to $240 for a two-night stay. I will pay a net 40 for two nights with a $60 breakfast credit each morning and a $100 resort credit that can be used at a bunch of the restaurants at Mandalay Bay, after the Platinum card credit. The Fine Hotels & Resorts benefits are not Mlife benefits, but they show how much better of a deal those stays will be without resort fees.
A couple of years ago, my son enjoyed the view of the airport from one of our suites at Delano. We booked through Fine Hotels & resorts and the $60 breakfast credit covered a lot of food for us and now that we won't pay a resort fee it will be even better.
If you don't pay the resort fee, the nights where Bellagio came out to around $200 with taxes, would be close to net zero for a single-night stay.
The World of Hyatt Explorist and Globalist members can match Mlife Gold. It has been possible to keep that match going for years thanks to the status match-go-round.
For those of us burning Fine Hotels & Resorts credits, a waiving of the resort fee will be nice, but it will also be useful for cheap Hyatt mattress runs. I have booked cheap stays at Excalibur in the past to earn cheap Hyatt elite nights.
I looked at my Mlife account and found an offer for up to 3 complimentary nights at Excalibur. YMMV and I have had complimentary nights in the past, but I don't think they count for Hyatt elite status. A nice little mattress run would be made from a stay like this.
I am not a fan of staying at Excalibur, but I am a fan of Hyatt elite nights for less than ten bucks a night if it works.
MGM is trumpeting the fact that gaming and non-gaming customers will be able to earn and redeem points in the new system. Those who spend money will be recognized for their contributions to MGM regardless of whether the money is coming from gambling or not. It makes sense given the rise in recent years of luxury Las Vegas Strip properties without a casino. It makes sense to reward those who come to Las Vegas for entertainment or professional sports.
The bottom line.
MGM will be able to waive resort fees for elite. I like earning elite credit at MGM properties, but I haven't stayed at many Caesars properties, so I prefer to stay at MGM properties. This will help me with my planned Fine Hotels & Resorts reservations and the ability to run cheap nights at the lower end properties. I am happy to see a way to have resort fees eliminated.
