MGM Grand Sanya — Hotel in Sanya City

There are countless things to love about the MGM Grand Sanya, but I also have several suggestions for how to make the resort truly first-rate and up to the standards set by its namesake casino-resort in Las Vegas. ||I was very apprehensive about the check-in experience even before I arrived, as I received several messages weeks in advance through the Booking.com channel telling me I had to pre-pay to a Chinese account to ensure my reservation wouldn't be cancelled. I had no idea what this was asking, as I already assumed my "non-refundable" reservation was not only paid for but also already confirmed. After several back and forth messages, they realized I was a foreigner and said I could pay upon arrival. This experience and several others thereafter let me know the resort is not prepared in any way to serve an international clientele. ||Upon arrival, the lobby was airy and tropical but also chaotic. There were two crowded and separate desks, but neither were marked as "registration", so I was clueless as to where I should first go. I was also not approached for assistance by several workers milling about. There was a registration process for me as a foreigner, which I completely understand. However, between registration and payment, it took almost 45 minutes to complete. The hotel is clearly not prepared for foreigners who arrive with credit cards, as the staff firstly had to locate a credit card machine, and then they had to locate a second one after the first didn't function. Unbeknownst to me, I learned later that I was supposed to pre-pay a deposit if I wanted to charge dining and spa services to my room, which was not explained at check-in and later created frustrations. Additionally, the staff had practically non-existent English language skills. ||The room was palatial and perfect in every aspect. There were plenty of toiletries, a very spacious bathroom and shower, an incredibly comfortable bed with bedside chargers, wonderful air conditioning, a walk-in closet with lendable sandals, and a bathtub. There was also a complimentary minibar and MGM-branded sandals you could take home. Housekeeping did an impeccable job everyday and was among the best in the world. ||The pool area was massive and very eye-catching. There was plenty of space to spread out and have room to yourself, and there was also beachfront access (though swimming is forbidden due to jellyfish in the area) with an associated Corona Bar that had beautiful beach views. The opportunity to dine poolside at the buffet was also very elegant and delicious, however the poolside singing during dinner was honestly painful to listen to, as the English-language songs were practically incomprehensible to native English speakers, as it's clear the singers do not have English language fluency. Unfortunately, the Wet Republic private adult pool (modeled after Las Vegas's own Wet Republic) was closed for repairs and cleaning the entire stay. Another major disappointment and source of frustration was my unmet expectation that the main pool area would have wait staff circulating the pool deck as in Las Vegas to take drink orders from guests, but this service was nonexistent. It took a great deal of effort to explain to the central pool bar that I wanted not just to order cocktails but for them to also deliver them to my seating area.||The complimentary breakfast buffet at Hai Tang was incredibly diverse and filling every morning. Pin Ju Hainan Restaurant was very calm and elegant with exceptional meal presentation and service. The restaurant also offered Hainanese dishes, including the delicious coconut rice. I was incredibly happy to enjoy a bottle of Chinese wine here, which is apparently the only restaurant on site that offers local wine, as the hotel's general room service sadly did not offer any, even when specially requested. ||Neera Seaview Restaurant is without a doubt the jewel in the resort's crown, and a sunset dining here cannot be missed. The early nighttime singing was a big improvement upon what I heard poolside during the buffet dinner. The steak originally arrived incorrectly cooked, as I ordered "medium well", but the steak arrived very bloody and red. However, chef Jim Liang was one of the sweetest and most attentive I've encountered, and he personally visited the table to ask which flavor dessert was preferred, and he seemingly created a custom coconut dessert that was magnificent!||The spa and sauna were incredibly relaxing and calm experiences, and both were professionally managed by dedicated, warm staff members. I also had a very heartwarming and calming experience at the hotel's petting zoo, especially with the little piglet who I hope they take especially good care of. I was nervous about the staff's lack of attention to some of the animals to ensure that guests weren't being too rough. ||The resort is unfortunately very far from both Sanya's international airport, Luhuitou Park, and the Guanyin of Nanshan statue, taking about 1 hour in each direction.||If the resort can significantly improve the pre-arrival communications, better manage lobby traffic, drastically reduce check-in and payment times, better explain hotel policies at check-in, stock local Chinese alcohol, hire staff with superior English-language skills, improve the live entertainment, ensure the petting zoo animals are carefully guarded, create a poolside cocktail service, and re-open the adults-only Wet Republic pool, then the MGM Grand Sanya stands a chance at garnering an international following and an elevated...

There are countless things to love about the MGM Grand Sanya, but I also have several suggestions for how to make the resort truly first-rate and up to the standards set by its namesake casino-resort in Las Vegas. ||I was very apprehensive about the check-in experience even before I arrived, as I received several messages weeks in advance through the Booking.com channel telling me I had to pre-pay to a Chinese account to ensure my reservation wouldn't be cancelled. I had no idea what this was asking, as I already assumed my "non-refundable" reservation was not only paid for but also already confirmed. After several back and forth messages, they realized I was a foreigner and said I could pay upon arrival. This experience and several others thereafter let me know the resort is not prepared in any way to serve an international clientele. ||Upon arrival, the lobby was airy and tropical but also chaotic. There were two crowded and separate desks, but neither were marked as "registration", so I was clueless as to where I should first go. I was also not approached for assistance by several workers milling about. There was a registration process for me as a foreigner, which I completely understand. However, between registration and payment, it took almost 45 minutes to complete. The hotel is clearly not prepared for foreigners who arrive with credit cards, as the staff firstly had to locate a credit card machine, and then they had to locate a second one after the first didn't function. Unbeknownst to me, I learned later that I was supposed to pre-pay a deposit if I wanted to charge dining and spa services to my room, which was not explained at check-in and later created frustrations. Additionally, the staff had practically non-existent English language skills. ||The room was palatial and perfect in every aspect. There were plenty of toiletries, a very spacious bathroom and shower, an incredibly comfortable bed with bedside chargers, wonderful air conditioning, a walk-in closet with lendable sandals, and a bathtub. There was also a complimentary minibar and MGM-branded sandals you could take home. Housekeeping did an impeccable job everyday and was among the best in the world. ||The pool area was massive and very eye-catching. There was plenty of space to spread out and have room to yourself, and there was also beachfront access (though swimming is forbidden due to jellyfish in the area) with an associated Corona Bar that had beautiful beach views. The opportunity to dine poolside at the buffet was also very elegant and delicious, however the poolside singing during dinner was honestly painful to listen to, as the English-language songs were practically incomprehensible to native English speakers, as it's clear the singers do not have English language fluency. Unfortunately, the Wet Republic private adult pool (modeled after Las Vegas's own Wet Republic) was closed for repairs and cleaning the entire stay. Another major disappointment and source of frustration was my unmet expectation that the main pool area would have wait staff circulating the pool deck as in Las Vegas to take drink orders from guests, but this service was nonexistent. It took a great deal of effort to explain to the central pool bar that I wanted not just to order cocktails but for them to also deliver them to my seating area.||The complimentary breakfast buffet at Hai Tang was incredibly diverse and filling every morning. Pin Ju Hainan Restaurant was very calm and elegant with exceptional meal presentation and service. The restaurant also offered Hainanese dishes, including the delicious coconut rice. I was incredibly happy to enjoy a bottle of Chinese wine here, which is apparently the only restaurant on site that offers local wine, as the hotel's general room service sadly did not offer any, even when specially requested. ||Neera Seaview Restaurant is without a doubt the jewel in the resort's crown, and a sunset dining here cannot be missed. The early nighttime singing was a big improvement upon what I heard poolside during the buffet dinner. The steak originally arrived incorrectly cooked, as I ordered "medium well", but the steak arrived very bloody and red. However, chef Jim Liang was one of the sweetest and most attentive I've encountered, and he personally visited the table to ask which flavor dessert was preferred, and he seemingly created a custom coconut dessert that was magnificent!||The spa and sauna were incredibly relaxing and calm experiences, and both were professionally managed by dedicated, warm staff members. I also had a very heartwarming and calming experience at the hotel's petting zoo, especially with the little piglet who I hope they take especially good care of. I was nervous about the staff's lack of attention to some of the animals to ensure that guests weren't being too rough. ||The resort is unfortunately very far from both Sanya's international airport, Luhuitou Park, and the Guanyin of Nanshan statue, taking about 1 hour in each direction.||If the resort can significantly improve the pre-arrival communications, better manage lobby traffic, drastically reduce check-in and payment times, better explain hotel policies at check-in, stock local Chinese alcohol, hire staff with superior English-language skills, improve the live entertainment, ensure the petting zoo animals are carefully guarded, create a poolside cocktail service, and re-open the adults-only Wet Republic pool, then the MGM Grand Sanya stands a chance at garnering an international following and an elevated...

The facilities are nice but there are some glaring customer service issues. ||Our family of four stayed here for 6 nights and thoroughly enjoyed the pool and easy access to the beach. The garden family friendly room with a balconly. We ate the buffet breakfast each morning and bought the "Gourmet Treat" package which offered lunch at the Silk, afternoon tea and buffet dinner + a show next to the pool. The hotel is located in the resort section on Sanya in Yalong Bay. There is a small town nearby with local food and fast food options as well as shopping. ||We will not return to this hotel.|Our major issue is that they offer a shuttle service to the airport. We spent more than 30 minutes filling out a form that was all in chinese to secure our spot. Two days later on the morning we were flying out they told us that they couldn't confirm our reservation and the bus was now full. So we were forced to reserve an earlier shuttle that would get us to the airport several hours too early. We canceled some of our plans because we now had to leave early. Upon arrival, the shuttke bus we were scheduled to use was also full and not one of the staff could explain what happened to our seat reservations. We ended up taking a Didi for ¥100 to the airport to avoid anymore headache with this situation. This experience was very frustrating and made us decide to not come back to this hotel again. ||The Room:|It is huge! It had a kids space with a small tent and Minion themed decor. The shower is large and separate from the toilet and there is a big bath tub. The balcony was a good size and overlooked a small pool and green area. The room was very quiet and met our needs. ||The Breakfast|They made an attempt to offer Western options by providing, premade waffles/pancakes, an omelet station, fried eggs, cereal, cheese, bread/toast, and coffee machines. There are also lots of local options such as a soup station, noodles, steamed buns, sweet sausages, boiled and baked eggs, porridge, and fruit. ||The Gourmet Treat:|The kids really enjoyed the tea time as it includes lots of fancily decorated sweets and they liked to try each one. The lunch at Silk was very good and the service was good. It fed the whole family and included two soups, grouper, fried shrimp, clams, picked and steamed veggies and stir fried mushrooms. Just be careful about ordering anything beyond the set menu as they will charge you for it. We ordered some watermelon juice for the kids and two small glasses cost us $13.50. ||The dinner and a show.|People started claiming their table at around 5:30 in order to have a good view for the show. The dinner buffet last from about 6-9pm. It includes grilled meats like lamb, pork, chicken, beef skewers, sausages, grilled mushrooms and pinnacles. There was also several types of crawfish and a few sushi options. The only good sashimi option was the salmon. The others were the fake sashimi made out of fish eggs pressed together. The show is fantastic. They had dancers and a fire show. The singing wasn't always great. ||The minor Issues we had.|We were in contact with a hotel representative to make entertainment reservations. She was very helpful at first but then she stopped responding to messages for days at a time and then was very inconsistent with her responses.|The next issue we had was the staff ignoring the do not disturb sign. They walked in while the kids were sleeping and pretty much insisted on making up the room on several other occasions. We don't really need new towels each day and can make our own beds so we kept the sign up but they kept pushing in.||Some of the facilities are damaged or out of order. The floor of the kids' water park is severely distorted and cracked. My kids kept tripping on it and we are not having fun. They advertise an obstacle course out in the ocean but it was closed the whole time we were there. The children's block area is designed for babies. ||My last complaint is at the beach the life guard was overprotective. There is a designated swimming area blocked off by rope and bouys and if you get withing 10 feet of the rope the life guard blows the whistle and uses the megaphone to tell you to get away. This is also annoying when you are trying to relax...