MGM Resorts International seeks to honor veterans and their spouses nationwide through a new program.
The back of the MGM Grand Las Vegas Parking Garage Gamblers with M Life players cards who have reached for Gold, Platinum, or NOIR status are entitled to free valet parking. (But still be sure to tip the valet drivers). Those of who holding M Life players cards with Sapphire or Pearl status will have to pay for valet parking. Free self-parking will be available at each resort, including resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, as each resort opens.
The Military Veterans Program, or MVP, was started by an employee network group at MGM Resorts. More than 10,000 active military members, veterans and their spouses are already part of the program since its soft launch in July.
'They wanted to come up with a program that really, really showed our veterans, our military spouses and our active duty military -- anybody who's ever served -- how much we appreciate what they've done for us,' said John Flynn, executive director of program and initiative strategy with MGM Resorts and a veteran himself.
One of the major benefits of the rewards program is Pearl status, which gives recipients free parking at the Las Vegas resorts.
'We have a lot of discounts for our rooms, for every food and beverage outlet, spa, pool, many of our shows, our Cirque shows, and most importantly, you get Pearl status, which gives you free parking here in Vegas,' Flynn said.
While Flynn said MGM Resorts has been doing a lot of things for the military already, the Military Veterans Program helps organize it all and make it easy to find on MGM's website.
MGM also has a program called Boots to Business, an initiative to hire more veterans, along with veterans career fairs.
Through the new program, MGM employees have also been trained to recognize veterans when they present the MVP card.
'When that card is handed over to one of our employees, the employee knows that this person served, they're a spouse, and they thank them for their service,' Flynn said.
Flynn noted that spouses are 'as much part of this benefit as anybody else.'
'We want to equip our servicemembers when they go overseas, and we want to take care of them when they come home,' he said. 'But when they're overseas, who's taking care of the communities? Who's taking the kids to school? Who's celebrating the birthdays? Who's taking care of the anniversaries? Somebody is filling the gap and that's the spouse.'
30 percent of the 24 million eligible veterans and their spouses in the U.S. are within a 6-hour drive of an MGM Resorts property, which, besides the Las Vegas resorts, also includes locations in Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi and New Jersey.
Flynn said the program aims to benefit locals as well with military bases surrounding the Las Vegas area.
'So we have Nellis Air Force Base that's close by, we have Creech Air Force Base,' he said. 'We have about 180,000 retired or National Guardsmen or reservist servicemembers in the area. So it is a definitely an outreach to them.'
Local veterans were recognized at the launch of the program in July during a performance of Terry Fator at The Mirage hotel-casino.
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'We wanted to select one from each branch of service, reservist, guardsmen, active duty. We also wanted to have a spouse involved,' Flynn said. 'And also, one of the members that joined us at the Terry Fator event on July 19 served in World War II.'
Three of the seven recipients are on active duty, with one recently returning from deployment.
'I think now it's as important as ever to honor that service because we have to remember that we have troops deployed in Afghanistan, in Iraq, supporting operations in Syria, on the Korean Peninsula, everywhere around the world,' Flynn said.
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The MGM Resorts Military Veterans Program is available to all U.S. active duty, guard, reserve, retired military, veterans and spouses of eligible military personnel. Current M life Rewards members can sign up for the MVP card at any M life Rewards Desk. For more information on the program, check out the military page on the MGM Resorts website.
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The MGM Grand is the second-largest hotel in the world and one of the most recognizable sights on the Strip in Las Vegas, with its distinctive emerald-green color and regal lion statue welcoming visitors to its main entrance. It's home to must-see shows, world-class restaurants from celebrity chefs, hot nightclubs and the city's main arena for large-scale concerts and sporting events.
Rooms at MGM Grand
With nearly 7,000 rooms, MGM Grand has accommodations for every kind of traveler. The main hotel features standard rooms, suites and penthouses, and MGM Grand also includes the Skylofts boutique hotel and the Signature condo-hotel, for visitors looking for accommodations with more luxury and/or longer-term stays.
Must see/do at MGM Grand
'Ka' may be the best of the many Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows, with its intricate shifting stage complementing typically impressive Cirque acrobatics. Brad Garrett's Comedy Club features a great mix of established and up-and-coming comedians, including its namesake. For club-goers, Hakkasan is one of the most high-profile clubs in town, with both superstar DJs and smaller, lower-key lounges.
Best and worst time to go to MGM Grand
The best time to visit Las Vegas is during the milder months, in spring (March to mid-May) and fall (mid-September to late November). Summer (mid-May to early September) can bring unpleasantly hot weather, but also lower room rates. For MGM Grand in particular, weekends of big fights (boxing, UFC) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena generally mean high room rates and low room availability.
Parking and public transportation at MGM Grand
Like pretty much every hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Grand has ample free parking and a large parking garage. It's also easily accessible via local bus service as well as the Las Vegas Monorail, which has a station attached to the hotel. Taxis from elsewhere on the Strip generally cost $5 to $10, depending on location.
Other places to visit near MGM Grand
The New York-New York across Las Vegas Boulevard is another iconic local hotel-casino, with attractions including a roller coaster and the Cirque du Soleil show 'Zumanity.' Next door, the M&Ms World is a four-story monument to colored candy, including a free 3D M&Ms movie. Across Tropicana Avenue is the street's namesake, the Tropicana, one of the oldest hotel-casinos in Las Vegas.
Insider tip for visitors to MGM Grand
If you're planning to drive, use the entrance off of Koval Lane to avoid having to deal with any of the Las Vegas Boulevard traffic.
Author's bio: Josh Bell is a Las Vegas-based writer (and 20-year resident) and the film and TV critic for Las Vegas Weekly. Find him on Twitter and Facebook.
