Select M Life Policy changes and thoughts on the MGM/Hyatt relationship in 2019
 

First up for guests that wish to pay for their stays in advance there is a charge to fax your credit card information over to MGM/M Life which I have words for
but will remain respectful here and be the gentleman I try to be:)
I believe it is in the neighborhood of 10 or 20 dollars for the courtesy of the MGM folks to give you the privilege of their taking your money

Second up I booked 4 nights months ago for March and the rates dropped considerably even on the weekend which it rarely does
The agent @ The M life desk said this would be the last time they would allow me to amend rates and a one time courtesy exception
The agent advised me that in the future they will no longer allow guests to take a lower rate by amending previously booked reservations when rates drop even on fully refundable rates :confused::rolleyes:
When I asked what stops me from cancelling my booking and going elsewhere or just re-booking at the new rates and the agent replied that would indeed be possible

On June 20th it will be 6 years into the Hyatt MGM relationship which launched in 2013
I have really seen a deterioration over the past 3 years especially with regards to overall guest treatment.
Obviously Platinum members are now down graded to Gold and the treatment is only marginally worse on average not that Platinum was anything to write home about
Though early on in the first year it was somewhat more impressive than the state of their CRM today.

All in all I feel typically as if I booked my room on an opaque site like Priceline even though I go through their direct booking channels
One has to negotiate for even a one of two hour extended check out
I am much happier at Hilton's new Waldorf Astoria and Marriott /SPG Properties as well as IHGs Palazzo/Venetian properties
where late check out @ 2 PM or 4 PM and suite upgrades are part of the recognition

The lines for check in (Aria) can be slow with elite check in taking longer than the general check in as it has been occasionally understaffed
These are just my general thoughts and overview
I really thought after the shooting that the MGM would be a kinder more grateful appreciative company
However all I typically see is incredible greed as they keep raising resort fees to new heights which emboldens other properties.
Having said all that I do like some of their properties just not how they take care of their guests that have status or their heavy handed attempts at monetizing everything but breathing

I always book through my M-Life Profile and never need to send via Fax (does this still exist? :D )
Weird response of the agent on rebooking to lower rate - on refundable stays I permanently check the rates and cancel/rebook when it drops.

I was now matched to NOIR (targetted - I started another thread on that: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyat...life-noir.html ). I still need to figure out what the benefit for me will be, as I am not a gambler and rarely in LAS. Probably only the free airport transfer and cheaper rates.

I assume the faxing is because you wanted your card to be charged at the time of booking?

I have similar feelings; customer service at M life is terrible. It is extremely easy to get Diamond status with Caesars Rewards which gives some free dining and show options as well as no resort fees. You don't get Hyatt stay credits or points but the better treatment at Caesars has won me over/away from M life.

I'm sorry, I don't understand what the benefit would be to paying for your stay in advance?

My pleasure to share as I understand not everyone looks past the standard WOH program earning
There are a few of reasons I may do this on a given stay
One is when I am traveling around the world I don't want to access bank accounts online @ international destinations and risk potential hacks
I have complete control over billing and payment in advance
The other is time sensitive partner promotions with credit cards and targeted offers that yield me tens of thousands of points over the course of a year by simply paying for the stay in advance
within the allowable promotional period so the offer is activated.It is transaction based not based on actual stay check in and check out
This allows to double or triple dip per stay if other promotions may be running

Appreciate the feedback here to see how others are feeling about the MGM relationship
Its not what it once was and I suppose the opportunity to earn points and stay credit make it desirable even if the rest of it is sadly failing
I'm far more attracted to the competing hotel/program partnerships in Las Vegas that treat their customers with greater respect and recognition
Typically only stay at MGM branded hotels almost always when friends insist to be with the younger vibe/happening crowd
I prefer to avoid it where staying and pass by seeing it when I dine or go to see an event.So many great choices elsewhere over the past 12 months as the competition heats up

Appreciate the interesting comments.
Good to hear/know.
I started staying with Caesars decades ago and have looked at the possibility of staying with their program more recently
Have to study it more.Be awesome to walk to Joe's Seafood and the Palm and soon the Water Grill
However I'm still in the infatuation stage with the former Mandarin Oriental now a Hilton Waldorf Astoria with a very upscale exclusive and private residential like Oasis
Reminds me of a flashier more updated Park Hyatt San Francisco
Suite upgrades, late check out, tons of point bonuses and one of the best breakfasts in the world ^ With $50 elite breakfast credits
Vastly superior IMO to Park Hyatt New Yorks breakfast dining for half the price

I'll share a little insiders secret for those who wish to dine at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas a Hilton property and earn WOH Hyatt points during their MGM stays
When you get your breakfast check in Zen Restaurant you can charge it to most MGM branded properties Vdara Aria Bellagio etc back to your room
As long as you have room number and photo ID you should be good to go
At check out those restaurant charges like the rest of your portfolio will go over to your WOH account
Its a very unique situation indeed!

Just send your folio to your Hyatt Concierge. Mine had my stay and points posted within a day or two, no problem.

Sorry about your bad luck with MLife but I don't think your issues really have anything to do with the relationship as such. The issues are the customer service (or lack thereof) when dealing with MGM/MLife.

Outside of the status match levels changing a couple years ago (between Hyatt and MLife) the rest remains the same in my experience. Maybe because I only go to Vegas every other year and therefore don't have a lot of data points but I've never found MLife status very rewarding so I just write it off as access to their "insider" discount hotel (and sometimes show) rates and free parking and don't really expect much more.

So in summary, outside of the general "decay" of MGM I don't see any issues with the relationship and its nice to get some points when staying in Vegas but that is not what motivates my choice of property when in there.

I haven't noticed any deterioration in Mlife treatment (in other words, it was crud and it still is crud). All the meaningful benefits I get at Mlife properties are from the casino host and other relationships resulting from my gambling and on-property spend. That shouldn't be surprising, given how the profitability at casino properties is overwhelmingly driven by an exceeding tiny minority of huge spenders.

At the same time, the huge benefit to WoH members (other than the obvious of point/stay credit) is the possibility of big savings on room rates from the tier-based room discount when booking via the Mlife website - so I'm not really sure there's much to complain about. I mean, that discount is probably a lot better for many people than the weak SLH benefits, for example.

This isn't a secret (or at least it shouldn't be). That physical building is part of City Center, which is owned by MGM (and Dubai World). It is only managed by WA and previously MO. It has always been possible to charge anything at the MO's venues to rooms at the other Mlife properties, and that unsurprisingly continues with WA.


Whoops - I'll issue a big mea culpa on this - apparently, the building was actually sold by MGM/Dubai World last year (to the founders of Panda Express, interestingly) and that's what resulted in the management change to WA. So I am surprised if it is still possible to charge to other MGM properties.

It was certainly news to me after decades in the program when I discovered it 5 years into the relationship with MGM
I had been paying by credit card previously when dining at the Mandarin .Discovered it by accident upon my departure looking down at the bottom of the receipt
Most folks IMO who were Mandarin Oriental customers and now Waldorf customers I would think don't typically stay or dine at the Waldorf on average
And if they are Hyatt customers might more likely dine in the more obvious MGM dedicated venues when charging back to the room
I was told that Mastro's in the City Center can not be billed to the room so the policy apparently isn't consistent with all establishments and the ownership
And though you might be more savvy I would almost guess most aren't.self included

For me its an escape from the very average casino hotel food in their restaurants into something truly special and a way to earn Hyatt Points that many I'll assume likely don't know
The average WOH customer I would suppose would not be aware of that relationship
I'd be interested to find out how many folks actually charge to the room at all outside of Waldorf guests and I'll ask on my next visit as a data point

The ability to charge MO venue purchases to rooms at other MGM Resorts properties predated even the Mlife program!

The reason is that Crystals is no longer owned by MGM/Dubai World. It was sold off to Simon a few years ago. It used to be possible to charge from Crystals restaurants to rooms at Mlife properties - I remember doing it from Social House back in the day.

EDIT TO ADD: As I mention in my edited post above, the MO/WA building was actually sold by MGM/City Center last year and that is what prompted the management change to WA. So I'm very surprised to hear that charging at WA to other Mlife properties is possible, and sorry for my irrelevant sidetrack if so.

Interesting thank you
Of course subject to change like everything else in life :)