There are several words that come to mind when describing the MGM Grand. Big. Huge. Enormous. Leviathan. Massive. Immense. Vast. Sizeable. Giant. Jumbo. Mammoth. Ginormous (it'll be a real word some day, I promise). You probably get the idea. Or do you?

Did you know that the MGM Grand had more hotel rooms (over 5,000) when it opened than any other in the world? There's one bigger now but still. Did you know that the casino is the biggest in Las Vegas at 171,500 square feet? This ain't no Motel 6 we're talking about here.

When the hotel originally opened in 1993, it was designed as a family destination with a "Wizard of Oz" theme from its emerald green exterior to the animatronic Dorothy in the front rotunda to the big theme park out back. The girth of the place was celebrated - biggest = best!

But a funny thing happened on the yellow brick road. The Vegas as a family destination experiment failed and all of that stuff that was designed to appeal to them was removed (Bye Dorothy! By log flume ride!). And along with it, the folks that run this place started trying to disguise just how big it is. Smaller and intimate became the buzz words in the late '90s and the MGM Grand has been playing the downsizing game ever since, dividing up the casino into smaller more manageable areas and now even separating parts of the hotel tower into different boutique style accommodations.

Newest here is the West Wing, formerly known as the Emerald Tower and before that the Marina Hotel, the shell of which remained when they built the MGM Grand around it. This part of the property has been restyled with a hip and modern motif, not too far distant from places like The Standard or The W chains of upscale hotels.

You can still get to this wing from the main elevators but it now has its own private lobby area with kicky-mod furnishings (including a couple of bed-like loungers) and a separate entrance accessible only with your key. The rooms themselves are tiny - only 375-square-feet - but they have done a lot with a little amount of floor space.

Just inside the door is a wash basin surrounded by mirrors (with an embedded flat-panel television) and frosted green-glass doors to the water closet and shower (no tubs here). Past that is a super-comfy king bed under the single window, more mirrors, a closet, a writing desk, a chair, and more high-tech amenities like another flat-panel television, a DVD player, and touch sensitive light fixtures. If you're by yourself or on really good terms with whomever you're visiting with, these are probably the best rooms in the house right now.

The bulk of the rooms in the building are in the so-called Grand Tower, about 450-square-feet of much more traditional hotel accommodations. They have all of the usual amenities you would expect in a hotel of this caliber (including stuff like high-speed Internet access for a fee) and fine, if somewhat bland, furnishings.

Keep in mind that ultimately they can throw in as many décor tricks as they want, this is still a huge place. Allow extra time to get from your room to just about anywhere and bring comfortable walking shoes.

Above the standard rooms in terms of size, amenities, and price are everything from junior suites all the way up to their epic Skylofts (two-story apartments on the top of the hotel tower with everything from their own steam rooms to 24-hour butler service) and Mansions (let your imagination run wild and you probably won't even come close).

Take a deep breath, here come just some of the facilities: At last count there were at least 20 different restaurants, several bars and nightclubs including the insanely popular Studio 54 and the ultra trendy Tabu; three performance venues including the 15,000 seat MGM Grand Garden; the tremendous Cirque du Soleil production called KA; a topless review called La Femme; a huge pool area; an enormous arcade featuring video and arcade style games; a health club; two shopping arcades; a live lion habitat; and that tiny little casino with every slot and table game imaginable plus a sports book with luxury VIP skyboxes (one of which has its own poker table). There's also a station on the Las Vegas Monorail right out back, ready to whisk you to points northward on The Strip.

There's more but my fingers are starting to hurt from all this typing so just check out the related reviews below.

The service used to be somewhat impersonal here, but along with their efforts to scale things down, they have bumped up the friendliness. I was actually surprised at how well they managed to treat their guests, especially considering how many of them they have to deal with.

The MGM Grand also used to be one of the most expensive hotels in Vegas and although it is still pricey, it can be a virtual bargain when put next to places like Bellagio, The Venetian, and Wynn Las Vegas. Weekday summertime rates go as low as $90 although $150 is probably more common during busier periods. Weekends can go as low as $150 but you'll usually be paying at least $200 a night and often more.

In the past I wouldn't have said those kind of rates were worth it for this particular hotel, but the changes they have made in both presentation and service are starting to put the MGM Grand back into the game as far as I'm concerned. Yes, you can get much simpler rooms for much less elsewhere but for hotels in this price category, the MGM Grand is one of the best.

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