Graham Bell checks into the Signature at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada

Check-in experience: Pleasant and helpful. Everything explained clearly by attentive staff. This place is so immense it left us feeling a little shellshocked.

The room: 22-615. On the 22nd floor of Tower one. There are three identical towers, each of 38 storeys. A large studio-type room with the bed as central focus. There is a lounge area with couch and armchair as well as a table-cum-desk with two chairs. The bench has a microwave but no cookware, plates, cutlery or anything that might tempt you to prepare food there. There was not even a jug to boil water in. There was a small, rudimentary, coffee maker, which we did not attempt to use. Thankfully there was an efficient fridge. A 40-inch flat-screen TV was easy to use and of good quality. The bathroom was also big with separate bath, shower box, twin basin vanity and a small TV on the bench. The toilet, accessed through the bathroom was also in a small separate room. The main room had a balcony beyond floorto-ceiling sliders that provided a magnificent view of Las Vegas’ southern end.

The bed: A king size bed with a selection of pillows. Comfortable but it squeaked every time either of us moved. The bed had a sheetmetal construction that defied my attempts to quieten it.

Food and drink: Not a lot of options onsite at the towers. There is a small general store on the ground floor of Tower One selling small snack items and alcoholic drinks, including beer, wine and spirits at reasonable prices.

Room service: Available on a limited basis — and it’s expensive.

Facilities: Extensive swimming pools available to guests. Efficient bell-desk staff jump to your assistance and respond well to a tip. We didn’t look for gymnasium equipment.

What’s in the neighbourhood?: This property is part of the MGM Grand Hotel, on the Las Vegas Strip. It has a walkway through to the parent property that is air conditioned and sports three travelators; two of which on the outward journey were not working. It is quite a long walk.

Once we got to the MGM Grand there were extensive shops, bars, restaurants and a food court. We had to negotiate our way past thousands of slot machines and gambling tables to get anywhere, — which is typical of every hotel on the Strip. (Most of which are owned by MGM, anyway) Contact: signaturemgmgrand.com

Value for money: At approximately $3200 plus Hotel Resort Tax of $238.10 for six nights, this hotel didn’t come cheap. The Towers are mercifully free of gambling facilities and offer some respite from that particular Las Vegas onslaught. It is difficult to walk anywhere in the city and venturing out of the property other than via the walkway demands a taxi. But we felt the advantages were worth what we paid.