MGM Park Las Vegas: Let's Hear The Feedback

[Greg Ambrosius]

We are wrapping up six days of live drafts and auctions in Las Vegas at the Park MGM this week, but even before we conclude let's get some feedback on your experiences here. Through the years we've hosted the NFBC at several host hotels and I'll try to list them here now:

2004 - Rio
2005 - Rio
2006 - Stardust
2007 - Startdust
2008- Flemingo
2009 - Flamingo
2010 - Flamingo
2011 - Bellagio
2012 - Bellagio
2013 - Bellagio
2014 - Bellagio
2015 - Bellagio
2016 - Bellagio
2017 - Bellagio
2018 - Bellagio
2019 - Park MGM

Obviously we love hosting the industry's premiere high-stakes fantasy baseball contest at the premiere hotel on The Strip, the Bellagio. Not only is it a great place to host the drafts, but having the Bellagio's image on our site and telling folks all drafts and auctions are there shows that we are trying to be first class all the way around. There's a lot of promotional value to hosting these events at The Bellagio.

That being said, there was a lot of good about the Park MGM, such as:

** Convenience. The Convention Center was very easy to get to and get back to your rooms or the Tram or the Strip.

** Lots of people staying there. We had over 100 owners staying at the Park MGM, which was great. Everywhere you went in the Park MGM, you were bound to bump into an NFBC player.

** Eats. Eatily was a big hit with NFBC owners, who wanted to eat together and drink together.

I don't think the sportsbook was a hit, but I know some folks drank there after drafts and even made their bets at Aria, which was an easy walk from there. It's an interesting choice by MGM to make their sportsbook a sports bar with pool tables.

Anyway, let's hear some feedback from you. We will always check for available space while we're out here, but no decision can likely be made for us before November. We don't even know the exact dates of MLB's opening games until late September and early October.

But let's hear from you and that feedback will give us some interest in where 2020 drafts will be held. Bellagio tops the list, but it's good to go from there when space is so tight in March. Thanks all.

[Vettro]

Is Venetian a possibility? Great rooms the best sports book great restaurants.

[King of Queens]

I heard some negative feedback about the rooms themselves. For $58 on Thursday/Sunday, you’re not going to get a suite at Wynn or Aria! I stayed in one of the NoMad rooms on the upper 4 floors of the hotel, and it was VERY nice — on par or better than a standard suite at Bellagio. If we return to this property, and you’re willing to spend a little extra, try to get a room at NoMad instead.

Agree with Greg on the positives. It took literally 2 minutes to get from my room to the Main Event on Saturday (versus 10-15 minutes at Bellagio). I also liked that mostly everyone was together in one spot for the entire weekend — you will never get that experience hosting the drafts at Bellagio.

The food at the drafts was excellent as well.

If we end up back at ParkMGM/NoMad in 2020, I’d be happy to return.

[Ando]

I was perfectly fine with the Park MGM. You get what you pay for. It's a fine property although not on the level of the Bellagio.

Major, major convenience to be from room to chair @ draft table in ~5 minutes.

The draft rooms were fairly spacious with great monitors for viewing. The staff was attentive and ready to serve. They fetched me a bucket of Miller Lites on, uh, multiple occasions.

It was great to have all the space outside along the hallways and near the escalators. Nice areas to prep and socialize. Felt like we had the whole floor to ourselves. Also, the food was very good even though they missed a dessert or two. But that was ok with me as the buckets of Miller Lite checked that box.

Great work here Greg & Co. I'm really glad I found the time to get back out there. My 6 & 8yr olds make it that more difficult for me to break away.

You guys delivered.

[Edwards Kings]

That being said, there was a lot of good about the Park MGM, such as:

** Convenience. The Convention Center was very easy to get to and get back to your rooms or the Tram or the Strip.

Agreed. To and from was easier than I ever remember

** Lots of people staying there. We had over 100 owners staying at the Park MGM, which was great. Everywhere you went in the Park MGM, you were bound to bump into an NFBC player.

This is VERY true. I do not think my wife and I ever walked through the casino or stopped in Starbucks without running into someone. This was great!

** Eats. Eatily was a big hit with NFBC owners, who wanted to eat together and drink together.

Totally agree. Whether sit-down, in the Market area, or in the main area with all the different stations, totally cool. Loved the pasta station and with still a bit of a Vegas resort premium, would not break the bank.

I don't think the sportsbook was a hit, but I know some folks drank there after drafts and even made their bets at Aria, which was an easy walk from there. It's an interesting choice by MGM to make their sportsbook a sports bar with pool tables.

Sports book was a joke and not poker room, but Aria was a very easy get.

But let's hear from you and that feedback will give us some interest in where 2020 drafts will be held. Bellagio tops the list, but it's good to go from there when space is so tight in March. Thanks all.

Certainly worth considering.

On the rooms...the rooms were cheaper (thanks Greg for setting that up because the rates were very good), but as mentioned I think by another poster, a bit spartan by Vegas resort standard. Smaller, no fridge, desk, alarm clock, etc. Kiosk self-check in a bit of a downer for me as well, but I am old and I want personal service.

[fwicker]

Loved Eataly.

Won’t stay at MGM Park again. No desk in room, no drawers, and this was the upgraded room. I guess I got used to Bellagio.

[Ultrarunner]

Rooms were fine for what I paid. No desk but a good table for homework. No fridge but not a big deal.

Loved the proximity to the drafts and getting to/from the Strip was much more convenient.

For draft purposes, I much prefer the Park over Bellagio. No problems finding outlets to charge the laptop. The screens and room layout for the main were awesome.

Park Sports Book sucked. I made the trek to Bellagio when over there for social purposes just for the venue and the visibility of info.

The food selection was good with enough no-meat options to make it work. Would have been nice to have the desserts

I’d have no issues coming back to the Park

[Bronx Yankees]

I thought the MGM Park worked out great as a venue.

Perhaps the only negative, as mentioned above, is that the rooms were not quite as opulent as those at the Bellagio or Vdara in which I've stayed previously. Still, compared to New York City hotel rooms to which I am more accustomed, the rooms at the MGM Park were quite spacious. Honestly, I don't come to Vegas to stay in my hotel room; it was sufficiently nice, functional and comfortable. Also, I thought the NFBC room rate was very reasonable and helped keep the costs of the trip down.

The location was great. I loved getting off the elevators and being so close to the conference center. The food court nearby also was very nice.

The conference center and draft rooms were great. I thought the huge ballroom for the Main Event was fantastic and while you could hear the other drafts, they were not right on top of you to make it distracting. The smaller rooms for the other drafts were awesome. Very comfortable; huge screens, plenty of beer and other drinks, available outlets, etc. As someone else mentioned, it felt like we had the place to ourselves and there were lots of opportunities for socializing in the wide hallway outside of the rooms.

While I understand the attraction of the Bellagio, I would happily return to the MGM Park if that's where we're at next year.

Finally, huge kudos to Greg, Tom and Darik, as well as the auctioneers and facilitators. Every draft ran smoothly. Just a first class drafting experience all the way around. Thanks, guys, for another awesome draft weekend in Vegas. Already looking forward to next March!

Mike

[Greg Ambrosius]

Thanks for the feedback and I agree wholeheartedly with just about every post. I LOVED the meeting room space we had for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and this week. I also thought the setup for Saturday's Main Event leagues was damn cool for everyone participating and it really gave it a special feel with the HD screens all along the front wall. I just have to get a bigger stage for our Stage of Champions going forward!!

I definitely agree that if you stay at Park MGM next time you should demand the Nomad rooms. They are very nice. But it's INSANE not to have a refrigerator in the suites and a desk in every room. I mean the big suites don't even have a fridge or a desk. It would make hosting a party impossible (the lack of a refrigerator, not the desk) and it's hard to work in the room without a desk. Again, the room rates were fantastic for all of us during March Madness weekend, but give us a cooler dammit.

We are most likely going back to the Bellagio for football and that is perfect for several reasons. There are multiple contests at that time in that area of The Strip and it works perfectly for the drafters. The Bellagio Executive Penthouse Suite is also a must for our Thursday Viewing Party, the Primetime on Wednesday night and the Kickoff Gridirons on Thursday. I wouldn't want to host football anywhere else.

As for baseball next year, we won't know the schedule for sure from MLB until late September and the Las Vegas hotels really won't know about space until then as well. I'll get a feel for space from my Bellagio convention manager during football and we'll go from there. If the Bellagio has space we will be returning there. If not, Park MGM will be our first option out of the bullpen.

And we hope to work with MGM to get good room rates wherever we go again. That's important. We have a plan to work with them through their MLife program to get good rates at Park MGM, Bellagio or any other property next year. Maybe this becomes the NFBC hub for owners even if we host the live events a few doors down. We'll see.

Thanks all and keep the comments coming. I love 'em.

[Yah Mule]

I can't speak to the room amenities as I always bunk down at my brother's house in Henderson, but I agree with the consensus opinion that the convenience of the Park MGM makes it a very comfortable venue. I hope we come back next year.

And it's Park MGM, Greg. I can see how you confused it with MGM Park, home of the Brewers AA affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers.

[Greg Ambrosius]

If there's one thing I'm surprised that hasn't been talked about on the Message Boards yet it's about the speeches that John Pausma and Mark Srebro made in Las Vegas. We aren't much for making our champions give speeches in front of a full room, but we made it happen this year with John and Mark.

And they DELIVERED.

John's acceptance speech was witty and revealing of who the Silent Assassin really is. He's quiet on the outside, and like Lindy, he grew his love of baseball on a farm while listening to the game on the radio. John talked about working his family's farm at night milking cows and listening to Bob Uecker call Brewers' games and how imagined the actions of the players. It was very well done.

Mark followed up and didn't disappoint in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. I think many folks in the Las Vegas crowd didn't realize that Mark has won 56 different NFBC league titles through the years and his resume impressed all. He had plenty of thanks to spread around for his accomplishments, which was nice, and he even dropped an F bomb in a poignant way when talking about his wife questioning the amount of time he spends on FAAB each Sunday!! I think everyone could relate.

Two Hall of Fame caliber speeches. Well done Champs. Well done. Hopefully others in the audience were as impressed and motivated by your speeches as I was.

[Greg Ambrosius]

I'll post some photos of the live events when I get back home, if I ever get back home. The long journey has been extended one day for both me and Tom as Southwest cleans out the Boeing jet we were supposed to fly on today. Oh well, I guess there could be worse places to be stranded than Las Vegas on a Friday night during March Madness and MLB Opening Weekend.

Tom, let's hit that 5-team parlay tonight!!!

[KJ Duke]

If there's one thing I'm surprised that hasn't been talked about on the Message Boards yet it's about the speeches that John Pausma and Mark Srebro made in Las Vegas. We aren't much for making our champions give speeches in front of a full room, but we made it happen this year with John and Mark.

And they DELIVERED.

John's acceptance speech was witty and revealing of who the Silent Assassin really is. He's quiet on the outside, and like Lindy, he grew his love of baseball on a farm while listening to the game on the radio. John talked about working his family's farm at night milking cows and listening to Bob Uecker call Brewers' games and how imagined the actions of the players. It was very well done.

Mark followed up and didn't disappoint in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. I think many folks in the Las Vegas crowd didn't realize that Mark has won 56 different NFBC league titles through the years and his resume impressed all. He had plenty of thanks to spread around for his accomplishments, which was nice, and he even dropped an F bomb in a poignant way when talking about his wife questioning the amount of time he spends on FAAB each Sunday!! I think everyone could relate.

Two Hall of Fame caliber speeches. Well done Champs. Well done. Hopefully others in the audience were as impressed and motivated by your speeches as I was.

Agreed, both of those guys did a great job! I planned to tell them in person but got distracted by all the drafts.

[Ando]

Great point about John and Mark holding the stage in a profound manner for a few moments.

Very relatable stories about the dedication they have to our hobby and the enjoyment they receive from it. They earned the right to be recognized for their phenomenal achievements in '18 (John) and his career (Mark).

I had the pleasure of meeting Mark and competing vs him in the 2500 Auction on that Saturday night. Just a great dude and intense competitor who rightfully deserves to be enshrined in our Hall of Fame.

Well done, gents.

[Glenneration X]

If there's one thing I'm surprised that hasn't been talked about on the Message Boards yet it's about the speeches that John Pausma and Mark Srebro made in Las Vegas. We aren't much for making our champions give speeches in front of a full room, but we made it happen this year with John and Mark.

And they DELIVERED.

John's acceptance speech was witty and revealing of who the Silent Assassin really is. He's quiet on the outside, and like Lindy, he grew his love of baseball on a farm while listening to the game on the radio. John talked about working his family's farm at night milking cows and listening to Bob Uecker call Brewers' games and how imagined the actions of the players. It was very well done.

Mark followed up and didn't disappoint in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. I think many folks in the Las Vegas crowd didn't realize that Mark has won 56 different NFBC league titles through the years and his resume impressed all. He had plenty of thanks to spread around for his accomplishments, which was nice, and he even dropped an F bomb in a poignant way when talking about his wife questioning the amount of time he spends on FAAB each Sunday!! I think everyone could relate.

Two Hall of Fame caliber speeches. Well done Champs. Well done. Hopefully others in the audience were as impressed and motivated by your speeches as I was.

Two of the best players in our contest and real good guys as well. I look forward to seeing them both each and every draft season.

[JohnP]

If there's one thing I'm surprised that hasn't been talked about on the Message Boards yet it's about the speeches that John Pausma and Mark Srebro made in Las Vegas. We aren't much for making our champions give speeches in front of a full room, but we made it happen this year with John and Mark.

And they DELIVERED.

John's acceptance speech was witty and revealing of who the Silent Assassin really is. He's quiet on the outside, and like Lindy, he grew his love of baseball on a farm while listening to the game on the radio. John talked about working his family's farm at night milking cows and listening to Bob Uecker call Brewers' games and how imagined the actions of the players. It was very well done.

Mark followed up and didn't disappoint in his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. I think many folks in the Las Vegas crowd didn't realize that Mark has won 56 different NFBC league titles through the years and his resume impressed all. He had plenty of thanks to spread around for his accomplishments, which was nice, and he even dropped an F bomb in a poignant way when talking about his wife questioning the amount of time he spends on FAAB each Sunday!! I think everyone could relate.

Two Hall of Fame caliber speeches. Well done Champs. Well done. Hopefully others in the audience were as impressed and motivated by your speeches as I was.

Two of the best players in our contest and real good guys as well. I look forward to seeing them both each and every draft season.

Thanks Greg, Glenn, Ando and everyone else. Very humbled to be included with the other past champions and to share a stage with Mark and the rest of the HOFers. Those two minutes were more stressful than watching Chris Sale throw 85 mph meatballs.

In terms of venue - worked out great. I didn't stay there so don't have comments about the rooms, etc. but it worked out perfect for the drafts and auctions. Nice drafting rooms. Food and service were awesome. "Common space" outside rooms was terrific. Centrally located to Aria, Vdara, Bellagio, etc. Turned out great. How about a shout out to Greg's brother Mike as well! Tireless worker. The live events surely did not disappoint! Anyone on the fence - plan on it for next year! They are awesome!!

[Donnie Baseball]

Thank you Greg,Tom and Mike and the whole team for a great week in Las Vegas. What a great group of players we get to draft with and against each year. I think the Park MGM was a fine facility for the drafts but I would say it is not the Bellagio. I would vote for the Bellagio if it is available.