Review: MGM’s Beau Rivage, A Casino Resort Perfect For Families

by Bill Shuman

Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi cost a pretty penny to build back in 1999 — $800 million dollars. Due to devastating damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it had to be rebuilt to the tune of another $550 million dollars. The hotel was reopened on August 29, 2006 exactly one year after Katrina hit.

This is an expansive property containing 1,740 rooms including 95 suites, 10 different restaurants, 4 lounges and bars, along with 12 retail venues. The 3.2 million sq. ft. resort is the largest AAA Four Diamond winner in the Southeast and is located just an hour east of New Orleans.

The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is only 20 minutes away and is serviced by four airlines including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant Air.

Arrival At Beau Rivage 

a garden with flowers and statues

The hotel lobby was beautifully decorated for the Easter holiday. Real flowers too!=

If you read my previous article outlining the details of my upcoming MGM trips, you might remember that I decided to roll the dice on the room arrangement. We arrived at the hotel around 10:30pm on a Thursday and were greeted by several people working the front desk. Before they could offer me a room, I explained my conversation with a previous representative in that I was hoping to get a room with two queen beds. The front desk representative initially did not find anything, but after a quick check with her supervisor, she was able to get us one.

Curious on how to earn MGM Gold Status? See my complete status matching guide. 

How I Paid For My Stay At Beau Rivage

For my stay, I was given a comp rate for all three nights at the property. However, I was still responsible for the $16.05 resort fee that was charged per night. For this and any additional expenses, I used my World of Hyatt Credit Card which earns 4 points per dollar at MGM properties.

Room Specific Ratings 

Using the hotel room scorecard, I broke down the individual elements of my two Queen Room at the Beau Rivage, which scored a 30 out of 40 points.

Location of Beau Rivage (5/5)

Initially, when we made the booking to go to Biloxi, I figured we would be driving around the area. However, after arriving to the Beau Rivage on Thursday evening where we valet parked the car (for free with any Mlife status), we didn’t move even move it until Sunday! Even with a four-year-old, we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go which was incredible.

a black stone wall with white text

The Hurricane Katrina memorial was damaged from the previous night’s storm (you can see the missing tile)

While walking around, it felt like there was a bit of everything that was accessible on foot. Several local restaurants were within walking distance which helped keep hotel costs down. Sports fans could catch a Biloxi Shuckers Double AA baseball game located at MGM Park. The walk was just a few minutes and also included a bridge from the casino to get over the busy road! Also, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Camille Memorials were less than a half of mile walk from the front door.

History buffs would like the fact that Beauvior, the estate of Jefferson Davis, is less than a 10 minute drive away.

a boy holding a baseball

Sitting in the first row gave us some comfy padded seats and the opportunity to catch a foul ball at MGM Park

In-Room Lighting At Beau Rivage (4/5)

The room at this property was very large and provided a ton of natural light on one of the sunny days. However, we had a day that was overcast and although there were three lamps in the room, it didn’t provide enough light to comfortably see the games we were playing in the room.

The other issue I had with the lighting — which is relevant for a child who needs a nightlight — is that no lights were dimmable. I did like that there were individual lights over the bed that provided enough light to comfortably read. The closet had an automatic light that turned on when you opened the door. In the bathroom, there was tons of lighting, and it was very bright.

a room with a bed and chairs

In-Room Window Access At Beau Rivage (4/5)

Although we didn’t get the Gulf view room that we were hoping, I did get a fantastic room on the 20th floor that had a great view of the town of Biloxi. This turned out even better than the Gulf view that we thought we wanted.

Prior to arriving, my wife and I decided to take our son to the Biloxi Shuckers baseball game on Friday night. Our arrival night on Thursday had nasty weather, and as such, the Shuckers cancelled their game. Therefore, Friday night was an unplanned double header. We planned on attending both games, but Friday night the continued rain and colder temperatures had us skipping the second game.

The bonus, and the reason why I’m telling this story, is that we were still able to watch the entire game, and subsequent firework show from the room! My son had so much fun doing this that the next night he wanted to do the exact same thing.

a city with a stadium and trees

The view from our room at Beau Rivage

There was no way to open up the windows in the room, and unlike the Bellagio, another MGM property, this room doesn’t have a way to let fresh air in. The room does have multiple curtains that were very heavy and provided enough darkness to let my son sleep until well past 9:00am after staying up late watching the games.

Learn about travel rewards credit cards that can get you to Biloxi!

Bed Comfort At Beau Rivage (4/5)

Overall, the beds were decently comfortable.  I appreciated the fact that upon check in we were given two queen beds vs. two double beds. My biggest issue with the beds were the pillows. All six of the ones we had in the room were overly fluffy, which seemed nice until you put your head down and it sank like a rock. Next time, I’m bringing a pillow from home to get a better night’s sleep.

two beds in a room

Bathroom At Beau Rivage (4/5)

Overall, the bathroom in our room was fantastic. There was lots of light, several places to hang towels, a separate shower, and a tub. The Grecian marble floors and decor tied everything together for a premium look. As a taller person, I appreciated that the shower head was up a bit higher and also had great water pressure.

So why did I rate this as only a 4 out of 5? Unfortunately, I had a towel rack that wasn’t properly installed fall off the wall more than once when I was trying to hang up a towel.a bathroom with a sink and bathtub

In-Room Appointments & Furnishings At Beau Rivage (4/5)

As this room was on the larger side, there was a small dining table and two chairs placed by the window. This, combined with the desk chair, made it possible to play card games or board games. All the chairs were fairly well padded and were comfortable.

In addition, there was also a wall safe located inside the closet that fit a tablet, Nintendo DS, cash, and some other items. There were a few well placed mirrors throughout the room that could be used while getting ready if someone was in the bathroom. I was even impressed that the room contained a few paintings. They weren’t anything I would put in my house, but definitely added to a bit of an upscale feel.

a chair and a lamp in a room

In-Room Electronics At Beau Rivage (2/5)

Overall, this was probably our least favorite part of the room. The TV had some connection issues to certain stations including the only kid friendly one, the Disney Channel. As we brought a tablet, my son watched some shows on it  so it wasn’t a huge deal. There was also very few outlets to plug things in throughout the room. The Keurig machine, lamp, and the TV took the only outlets by the desk. a telephone on a desk

Snack & Minibar At Beau Rivage (3/5)

One of the most frustrating things about casino properties is that they often do not have mini-fridges in the room. This was the case for our stay. Unlike a lot of casino properties, there were no overpriced in-room snacks available.

The one thing that was present, and was a pleasant surprise, was a Keurig machine. This allowed me to have a cup of coffee in the morning after staying out late in the poker room while my wife and son got ready in the morning. The coffee was a special house blend, Cafe Beau, that was a medium roast. This might have been too dark or heavy for some in the morning, but as I prefer medium roasts, it was perfect for me.

a coffee maker and water bottles on a table

The other thing that we found at the mini-bar was two bottles of water that were complementary. We skipped maid service on Friday afternoon and when we came back to the room on Saturday the maid had left us the extra bottles of water and coffee pods that we would have received on Friday.

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Hotel Service At Beau Rivage

I can’t speak highly enough about the staff at Beau Rivage. From the valet to the supervisors I spoke with on this trip, everyone was kind, friendly, and wanted to do anything they could to make our stay more enjoyable. However, we did encounter a few difficulties during our stay.

a dessert on a plate

Breakfast is open 24/7 at the Terrace Cafe located right by the entrance of the Beau Rivage.

The first issue we encountered was the $50 buffet comp that I was expecting, as it is listed on the Mlife Rewards website. I even had a conversation with the Rewards desk prior to going to the buffet. However, once we actually tried to use it the credit, it was not there.

I ended up paying for the buffet out of pocket and speaking to someone at the rewards desk later. She stated that the credit is only good at the Gold Strike, another MGM Mississippi property, but that she would reimburse my cost as a gesture of good will.

a room with a poker table and a tv

The Beau Rivage had one of the most unique poker rooms. Apparently this space used to function as a restaurant.

The second incident was while I was in the poker room. Overall, my experience here was first rate. It’s an amazing room with great games, great promotions, a good rake structure, and an unheard of $3 per hour in comp credit at all poker games.

I won’t get into too much detail regarding the problem, but my issue was with a dealer who made an egregious mistake during the middle of a very large hand that I was involved in. I didn’t say anything at the time as I didn’t want to let my opponents know how much it got to me. However, I went to the poker room the next morning and spoke to Jason, a floor person, and gave him the exact time, table and details. After a long conversation with him and one of his colleagues, he assured me it would be reviewed on their security footage. He also had me fill out a formal complaint form, and even extended me a $25 comp credit for my troubles.

The Upshot

a boy eating ice cream

This was the first time that I have brought my son to a casino property. By Sunday morning, he had fallen in love with the place and was in tears about wanting to stay another day (which is something he never does). I think we spoiled him with the pool, arcade, and ice cream! Whoops…

Even with the minor room and service issues, we loved our stay at the Beau Rivage and are already trying to figure out another time that we can go back.

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2 comments

BS February 10, 2020 - 9:35 am

Did you get Hyatt nights, points, or any other benefits from your stay here, or does that only work in Vegas? Did you end up getting 4x on your WOH credit card?

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Bill Shuman February 10, 2020 - 9:59 am

Only Vegas properties count for credit. I got points/stay credit for nights at the Bellagio last year. Here’s a message I got from Hyatt Twitter on the subject last year.

We only have an agreement with MGM properties in Las Vegas. If they are bookable through https://t.co/Apk1yNLnNU, we have an agreement with them.

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