We booked a special package online - $159 including a $25 restaurant credit and 2 free cocktails. This seemed great value. On checking in our first impressions were very good. The valet parking, personal greeting at our tower and check in was seemless, until we got to our room and found the decorators in!! We returned to reception and was allocated another room, so no problem. Our Junior Suite in Tower 2 on the 27th floor was spacious, well equipped and tastefully decorated. We spent the rest of the afternoon at our pool, which although quite busy was pleasant enough. This is the life I thought. We spent over $12 on 3 small scoops of ice cream from the Signature deli, and made a mental note not to go there again, as it looked like being ripped off might be unavoidable.
It didn't take long for us to realise that Las Vegas wasn't for us. I didn't mind so much about the long walk to the MGM Grand (the moving walkways make this effortless, and even fun for our 4 year old in tow). I did find having to fight my way through grotty, dingy casinos a bit of a trial, but I soon learnt that was general to Las Vegas, and if anything the Signature was somewhat of a sanctuary compared to most other hotels.
We called down to housekeeping before we left for the evening to ask for our daughters sofa bed to be made up. On returning at past 11pm, we found the maid in our room, busying herself doing something in the bathroom. This took ages, and we loitered in our bedroom waiting for her to finish. After some minutes I got fed up and started to erect and make up the bed myself (our daughter by this time was pretty tired). The maid then left only to knock on the door a couple of minutes later and disappear into the bathroom once again (what was she doing in there?). The maid service got gradually worse and by our third night we weren't even provided with the 2 bottles of water that we paid the $15 resort fee for (are these the most expensive bottles of water ever!?).
The Signature is as well placed as any other hotel on the Strip - i.e. it takes an age to get anywhere, and nothing is well signposted just to make life more difficult. The restaurants on site at the MGM were plentiful and our only sampling of one, at Wolfgang Puck's, was very nice. The use of the pools at MGM Grand was a nice benefit if only so our daughter could sample the lazy river, although the pools at the Signature were much quieter and more refined!
Our main problem came in trying to use the benefits of our special package. We had arranged to meet some friends in the Lounge for pre dinner drinks, intending to have our 2 free cocktails. On arriving there we were immediately pounced upon and told that we could not stay there as it was for over 21s only, and we had our daughter with us. We were shocked by this, as we never usually have any problems. Our daughter has accompanied us to such places as The Savoy and Gleneagles, and many executive lounges, so we were surprised by the rules here, especially as the Lounge was for the use of Signature guests and the Signature was not a child free hotel. We were told we could go outside instead, which we did, although by this early evening it was rather windy and cool. When our friends arrived we went in to order drinks, and were then told that we could take them outside but that they would have to be in plastic cups. This confounded us, as we couldn't see the point of having Martinis in beakers!! We decided to leave and see if we could transfer our credit to Wolfgang Pucks where we could have cocktails instead. On asking at reception the answer was an unhelpful no, as was the answer when we asked if the credit could just be adjusted off our final bill at check out. We were asked for our room number, and I am sure the fact we had spent nothing in the casino, was in no small part responsible for the lack of flexibility. We asked to see the Manager and he came and when we enquired if we could have our drinks there in the lobby he said of course. It did appear we had just wasted half an hour over nothing. However when my husband went back to the Lounge to order the drinks they were still insisting that they could not let us have proper glasses, and it took the intervention of the manager (causing a very disgruntled bar tender) to change this. We were stressed out and felt the lack of flexibility probably typical of Las Vegas.
The Signature is probably a good option if you think you might not like the typical Vegas experience and would like a quiet hotel to escape to, although if this is the case I'd recommend not coming at all. I won't return to the Signature because I hated Las Vegas so much and wont be returning there! It offers good value and pleasant accommodations though and for a first time visitor is a pretty good safe option.
