We were in Las Vegas to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and my 40th birthday. So after staying on the north end of the strip for three nights at the Encore in the Tower suite section we then headed down to the Skylofts for 2 more nights.

Firstly all our bookings were done direct with the hotel well in advance of our trip from Australia. We received excellent service from Valerie, the event concierge service that is on offer once you make a booking. Valerie assisted us with all of our bookings for restaurants, activities and show (L'atelier, The Mansion) plus multiple services at the day spa for my wife and golf for myself at Shadow Creek.. Best person we dealt with for our stay, everything was spot on as requested.

The services from all of these areas mentioned above was excellent. Best golf course I have played on anywhere in the world to date and my caddy Ryan was excellent. Ok it did cost me US$650 including tips for the round that included private maybach car transfers, club hire, buggy and drinks but hey you only turn 40 once. Great memories and played good golf which added to the day.

Now as for our stay we left with mixed feelings mainly to do with the staff rather than the ammenities on offer. Yes the rooms are very nice and large mezzanine style apartments with high end finishes and great views etc. The previous reviews have mentioned all of the gadgets and tvs, baths, automated accessories etc. So no issues here - very nice set up and the space is great even when you have come from a bigger than normal hotel suite.

The room in places was however a little worn, the limestone flooring was chipped and discoloured in places, the timber boards of the landing on the stairs warped and split, the carpet, walkways and lounge suite also showed signs of guest wear and tear. The decor is nothing offensive nor cutting edge however the 2 storey window view of the strip etc was incredible. The decorated cake, box of chocolates and fresh juice on arrival was a very personal touch for our stay.

The steam room shower was excellent although the negative egde spa looks great is was not comfortable nor was the bubble pattern adjustable to a more vigorous setting. Imagine sitting in a half flat bottle of soft drink, yes you know there are bubbles but they aren't really doing much to your senses. The Bvlgari bath products provided were exquisite.

During our stay we needed some laundry done as we were short of clothes due to the warm Las Vegas weather and the disgusting smell of cigarette smoke throughout the various casinos. So we had our butler organise this for us. Should have known better and this proved not a wise move - $160 just for the washing plus butler tip on top as well. Our small amount of washing was beautifully clean and individually folded and wrapped.

So what about the staff you ask? Check in was fine the Maybach driver collected us from Encore and we were handed over to a concierge person, then a check in counter person then on to our room butler, plus a visit from the bag person as well. Of course other than the reservation attendants everyone else stands around waiting for tips. So you tip and go with the flow.

2. Housekeeping comes twice a day and take an eternity to do their thing, mind you there are two of them working the room and of course they make sure they come and say hello and collect their tip.
OK I know in the US tipping is the norm but at some point the fee you pay to stay in a hotel should be sufficient for staff to be paid a decent income for their employment) in this instance where is my $900 p/n going if the cleaners are both standing there waiting for a tip?) don't forget the tip for the ice delivery, the room service,( even though they already add gratuity + a service fee to the bill), room butler, car driver the list never ends, oh and the butler to escort you to breakfast at the Mansion.

You cannot move about the place without someone wanting to "latch" on and do this or do that. I appreciate its a fine line between service and over servicing guests, but after a while it does get annoying as we felt there was no privacy in or out of the room. We might as well have had a revolving door for the myriad of staff who come and go as they please. If guests want assistance they will ask and no doubt the Skylofts staff will deliver, but, otherwise give guests the privacy they deserve!

On the second night, turn down service took 20 minutes and a third person / manager was in attendance the whole time as well. My pet hate throughout our stay was the continuously ignored privacy sign on the door. Staff would ring the door bell then proceed to opening the door and entering the room. I spoke with the concierge / service desk to ask them for privacy and even this failed. I went to golf and my wife wanted a spa bath so I politely asked them not to have anyone enter the room. No problem I was assured, so 15 minutes after me leaving, my wife answered the phone from the spa only to find a man from housekeeping at the door wanting to come into the room to store our laundry. Hell does anyone here understand what Do Not Disturb means? (PS there is a huge glass panel between the bath and the stairwell so there is certainly no privacy from unwanted guests or hotel staff.).

3. Everytime we left our room or came out of the lifts and passed the service staff desk they all stood up to attention. A very nice gesture but totally unwarranted and despite our requests for them not to stand up they continued this throughout our stay.

Look we are just normal people trying to enjoy our time away. Skylofts may have a high end hotel but not all guests want to overtly flash there wealth position or act like pretentious wannabes or upper crusted higher than thou types who demand everything and anything. Some people just like to be humble and private rather than in your face. Skylofts obviously has fewer guests in the humble category and more of the demanding style clientele as they are well geared for this latter style customer.

As a side note Skylofts hotel area is in the top 2 floors of the MGM Grand. It is very private and quiet unlike the general MGM casino below it. At the time of our stay it was coming up to memorial weekend as well as a big fight night in their show room so the general casino area was very busy. The casino was filled with people from all walks of life as well as the smoke from the millions of cigarattes they bring with them. The general casino is dated and and we felt sorry for the staff working in these conditions and with the numerous intoxicated and obnoxious patrons they are forced to deal with. Now as a Skylofts guest you need to go through the general hotel lift well area to get to the designated Skylofts lifts door. To do this you must work your way through the crowded waiting masses who think you are trying to push in for a limited spot in their lift. So you are in fact running the gauntlet of the gatherings of loud and intoxicated masses - not an experience for the faint hearted.

It was an indifferent experience at Skylofts, brilliant in so many areas but then mixed with some basic areas, along with some instances that were either lacking or just down right annoying. Not sure we would rush back to Skylofts or the MGM Grand.

Thanks to those staff that did listen and help us during our stay.

Spent 7 nights with my fiancee in the Skylofts, nothing was left to be desired, from the VIP Check-In to the Maybach transfers..

You have to experience it to believe it...

The Skylofts at MGM Grand is truely an exceptional boutique hotel. I have stayed at almost every large resort on the strip, and this hotel beats them all, but it comes at a price. We were fortunate to get a decent nightly rate, which helped me justify the cost. My advice is to keep checking the hotels website for cheaper rates. I booked about seven weeks prior to traveling, and the rate dropped two times before we left, and everytime I called, they changed the rate for me with no problems.

A day after making my reservation, a hotel conceirge representative e-mailed me wanting to know if I need any help with reservations. I did and she made me show and dinner reservations. I highly recommend Craftsteak at the MGM, excellent steak and service. The conceirge informed me they would have someone meet me at the airport and bring me to the hotel.

Upon arriving in Vegas, my wife and I stepped off the plane, and there was a gentleman standing there with our name on a sign. We introduced ourselves and he escorted us to baggage claim to retreive our luggage. I was under the impression, there would be someone standing in baggage claim waiting for us, but to have someone standing outside the gate, in the terminal, we honestly felt like a VIP. We found our luggage and were wisked away in a Maybach limo, which was an awesome experience.

After check-in, we were escorted to our room, where we met our butler, who gave us a tour of our one bedroom loft. The downstairs has a living room with a couch, two chairs and tv. There is a study area which has a fax machine, telephone and free wifi. There is a half bath and a dining room area, with a nice long table, which has a wet bar, and mini fridge, stocked with water, soft drinks, and beer. All of the soft drinks and bottled water are free.

Upstairs in the loft, is the bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom is unique. A nice infinity edge bathtub, complete with whirlool, which has a flat screen tv in front of you. The shower has a rain shower head, and sauna, which I found completely relaxing. The last cool feature of the bathroom is that there is a tv in the mirror, very cool.

All of the lights, tv, air conditioning, and shades are controlled by a universal remote. You can literally be laying in bed, and turn the TV on, turn the lights off, and close the shades with a touch of a few buttons. I first read about this and thought i would find it confusing, but its quite easy to operate.

The service is first class. There is a conceirge desk in the lobby. There was always someone there, and ready to assist us if we need anything. This is a five diamond hotel and they certainly deserve the ranking.

Lastly, I have stayed at Paris, New York New York, Mandalay Bay, The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, Wynn, and the Mirage, and I am sure none of these or any other can compare to the Skylofts. If you are looking to splurge for a few days, then this is the hotel for you.

Yep. Depending on how you look at it, you can really get your money's worth out of this place. I think the lowest rates they do are at around $500 a night. Expensive - yes. But I go to Vegas a lot and just wanted a place at the MGM to chill in out without the rest of the sightseeing marathon.

But for $500 you get an AMAZING 2 floor penthouse, roundtrip limo or Maybach transfers, free gym access (they have a small gym up there or you can use the main MGM gym), all the free soft drinks/water/coffee/tea you can guzzle, free internet, free in room movies (including the adult stuff.....), enough Bulgari bath products to last you a life time. There's probably a lot more stuff that you get included.

I stay at the Wynn/Encore a lot where in just a regular sized room they charge you at least $8 for water, $15 per day for internet, $13 per movie, $30 for use of the gym - and if you want a car to pick you up at the airport, its gonna cost. You do the math on how much extra you spend for an average sized hotel room elsewhere.

I can't imagine there are many other hotels as good as this in America - and if they are, they're not going to be anywhere near as good value for money. Yes, $500 is a lot per night. But there is a lot of value in it for a high end experience. Stay here at least once and don't leave for the entire trip. Also make sure you get breakfast at The Mansion. Unless you're a serious high-roller, there's no other way to get into that place. And it is stunning.

Staff can be a little over bearing though. Butlers and maids coming throughout the day probably expect to be tipped a little more than usual.