Park MGM Las Vegas is one of the newer additions to the strip, earning buzz for incredible on-site dining, entertainment, and affordable rooms

Park MGM is a solid Vegas hotel option for guests seeking a less expensive hotel in the center of the Las Vegas Strip, but one that still feels high-quality.

Rooms are clean and comfortable and wellness perks set offerings apart from other standard hotel rooms. Suites could be more lavish, but the restaurants are stellar, and entertainment options include The Park Theater, nightclub On-the-Record, and the adjacent T-Mobile Arena.

As one of the newest hotels on the strip, and with rates starting as low as $79 during the week, Park MGM consistently punches above its weight and is well worth checking into.

Who stays here: Fun-seekers of all ages looking for a less expensive option in the center of the strip, as well as concertgoers who wish to be close to The Park Theater or T-Mobile Arena, and a surprising number of business types.

We like: The location makes Park MGM one of the best casinos on the strip, with easy access — via foot, car, or tram — to some of the best attractions Las Vegas has to offer.

We love (don't miss this feature!): Park MGM's restaurants and entertainment venues are arguably the best in the city. It's hard to choose just one standout, but Best Friend by Roy Choi, is the first Vegas restaurant from the celebrated LA chef, and Off the Record, a bar/nightclub, is a definite highlight. And, of course: Eataly and rock star residencies are musts.

We think you should know: Suites are fairly basic and without fridges and not what you likely expect when you hear the words "Vegas" and "suite." On the plus side, the bathrooms are spacious.

We'd do this differently next time: Reviews of The Park and T-Mobile arena are uniformly positive. Next time, if possible, I'd see a show there or at least stroll the grounds to check it out.

In less than two years, Park MGM Las Vegas has racked up nearly 4,300 Trip Advisor reviews and is currently ranked 119 out of 273 hotels in Las Vegas.

Many reviews praise the rooms as being "clean" and "quiet," and others name-check love for the large showers. Reviews overwhelmingly praise the myriad of food options, especially Eataly, although many also complain about the overly smokey casino.

Negative reviews also focus on the resort fees and lack of amenities, for example, rooms don't have coffee machines, refrigerators, or microwaves. While some love the room's decor, others call it plain and rue the lack of table space.

The location of Park MGM is hard to beat. It's nestled in between ARIA and New York-New York, on the same side of the Strip as Bellagio, the Cosmopolitan, and Caesars Palace, which are all close, and across the street from sister property MGM Grand.

Just behind the hotel is The Park, an outdoor area with restaurants, patio seating, bars, and live entertainment (think DJ's, cheer squads, and photo booths), as well as T-Mobile Arena, which hosts big-ticket concerts like Bon Jovi and George Strait. Restaurants around The Park, which connects Park MGM to New York-New York, include Beerhaus, Bruxie for waffles, California Pizza Kitchen, and Sake Rok for fun Japanese.

Most importantly, Park MGM is located on the tram-line connecting Bellagio and Aria Campus, which includes easy access to ARIA, Vdara, Waldorf-Astoria Las Vegas, and The Shops at Crystals.

For guests seeking a nightclub experience that's more intimate than the usual Vegas behemoth, the Houston Brothers bar and nightclub, On the Record, is a must. Hidden behind a record store entrance and full of nooks, crannies, and secret rooms, classic rock lovers will be in heaven. Bestselling records line walls, corners feature jukeboxes and pinball machines, an outdoor double-decker British passenger bus doubles as a DJ booth and snack bar, and guest bartenders from cocktail spots like New York City's Dead Rabbit (considered the best bar in the world) sling drinks in this speakeasy hidden behind cassette tapes.

Downstairs, there's a vast conference center called The Meeting Center at Park MGM, which is spread over 77,000 square feet, including a 60,000 square foot indoor-outdoor conference center, classroom-style meeting spaces, and studios designed for corporate retreats.

In addition to the nearby The Park and T-Mobile Arena, there's also the Park Theater, which has featured residencies from Bruno Mars, Aerosmith, Cher, and, of course, Lady Gaga.

Finally, Park MGM also houses the celeb-heavy hotel-within-a-hotel The NoMad, on the top four floors of the property. While having dinner at their eponymous hot spot restaurant later in the trip, I spotted five household-name People magazine regulars. The NoMad also has its own pool, although it's seasonal and only open to guests staying on those floors of the hotel.

As mentioned, the hotel really shines when it comes to dining. Park MGM is chock-full of destination restaurants surrounding the pulsing casino floor, including Best Friend by Roy Choi, The NoMad Restaurant, Bavette's Steakhouse, La La Noodle, chicken spot The Crack Shack, and the Italian food emporium Eataly.

Just beyond check-in, there's an elegant French breakfast spot and café called Primrose that feels like something you'd find in Kensington Palace Gardens. It more than holds its own against the hotel's fancier, splashier offerings, and I enjoyed breakfast at the brasserie-style counter, noshing on avocado toast with smoked salmon and poached organic eggs. Brunch is served daily until 2 p.m., and there's also a daily all-you-can-drink mimosa and champagne special, and live music on the weekends.

Around the corner, I also noticed a Starbucks — very important for the Vegas morning-after. As expected, the line can be long in the mornings, although it moved quickly enough.

Of course, since this is Las Vegas, the pool is a marquee feature. There are three pools, plus a hot tub and two poolside bars. Guests who want to amp up their pool time can rent a lounge chair, daybeds, 12 private cabanas, or 20-person bungalow.

Other poolside seating is first-come, first-served. The pool is surprisingly small, more like a pool befitting an intimate hotel rather than a massive Vegas resort. Those hoping for a wild party scene might dislike this, but I appreciated the quieter vibe. I was there in early January, so it wasn't yet high season and the chilly weather made snagging a chair was easy. Considering the resort's size — nearly 3,000 rooms — it would surely feel dramatically more crowded during spring break and summer.

There is also a spa that is small but clean, and the fee for using its jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room is waived for guests who book spa treatments.

Park MGM amenities include high-speed internet, in-room dining, a 24-hour fitness center, and pools, as well as a full-service salon and spa. The resort fee, which is $15 per night, includes pool and gym use but not parking. Thankfully, that rate is inexpensive for Vegas and cheaper than you'll find in most other top-tier hotels.

When I stepped off the elevator, I immediately noticed that the hallways were extremely dark, to the point where I wondered if my floor accidentally forgot to turn all the lighting. It gave the hallways a bit of an eerie — or sexy — feel, depending on your mood.

I was booked in a mid-tier Stay Well Park MGM King, a wellness room with amenities like a memory foam mattress, circadian lighting, aromatherapy, and air purification. The foam bed was extremely comfortable, and I fell asleep within minutes, with no noise complaints.

Although the room was not ornate and on the smaller side — best described as no frills — the decor included artfully-arranged prints on the walls behind the bed with mismatched but aesthetically-appealing frames.

I had a "green" room, which wasn't just a nod to my room type theme but also the statement color wall behind the bed. After seeing "red" rooms, I personally found them to be more chic.

There was a large TV on a swivel mount and a narrow but tall full-length mirror, plus a small seating area by the window with a long couch, wooden table, and chair. Through my window, I had views of the rooftops overlooking the adjacent ARIA Campus (formerly CityCenter). Rooms on higher floors feature better views, some of the strip or pool.

My bathroom had a shower/tub combo with a green wall tile that matched the bedroom's look, and was stocked with Kuer brand toiletries. I'm a minimalist packer and didn't object to the lack of counter-space, however, those prepping for a Vegas-style blowout might wish there was more space for toiletries and to get ready.

Lighting in the wellness rooms is excellent, with an "energizing light" button that is optimal for makeup application. My Vitamin C infused shower head was said to reduce impurities and replenish hair and skin, although to be honest, I didn't necessarily notice any improvements during my stay.

Standard King rooms feature the same red or green decor minus the wellness amenities, plus sliding barn-style bathroom doors that are shared with the closet. I liked the wellness perks, but if you're not particularly into those kinds of trends, you're better off in a standard room which is otherwise quite similar in size and basic room features, and cheaper.

Additionally, Park MGM's suites are unlike other higher-end Vegas hotels, which have a variety of elevated, lavish room categories designed to snag high rollers. Sized at 700 and 900 square feet, Park MGM's suites are only a little bigger than standard 406-square-foot rooms. Suites include minibars, larger closets, and L-shaped sectional sofas, and start at $269, but aren't as splashy as those I've experienced at other hotels. So keep your expectations in check if you're planning to upgrade.

Check-in also took place in a smaller, less opulent area than other Vegas properties. This was definitely not the Bellagio, with its colorful Dale Chihuly glass flower sculptures on the vast ceiling.

I didn't mind checking in by myself, and in fact, appreciated the speed and ease of the check-in machines. I got my key and was on my way to the elevators within just a couple of minutes—surely a Vegas record.

My room was ready, but if not, guests are sent emails with QR codes to access their room keys once available, and some guests have reported receiving pool passes while they wait.

As I set off for my room, I noticed the hotel seemed to be very popular with a younger crowd, as well as a surprising number of business travelers, which makes sense given that the hotel has a huge convention center.

The hotel lobby has a soothing, garden feel, with muted shades of light green and cream, floral motifs on the panels at the VIP desk, and clusters of cream-colored floral arrangements in oversized planters dotted throughout.

While the lobby itself was surprisingly small, it felt bigger thanks to mirrored columns and an artistic, gnarled tree root snaking out of the ceiling — another nod to the hotel's garden-theme — one of the first things you notice upon entering.

Check-in took place at self-service kiosks, which eliminated the long, sprawling lines and waits, which seem practically synonymous with Vegas hotels. I greatly appreciated this efficiency, as well as the fact that if guests do have issues with check-in, or if their rooms aren't ready, they can receive help from a small manned desk.