When $7/Night Is Overpriced Rio Las Vegas: The Sad State It Sits In Now
Being a teacher, my wife has the summer off from work. I do not. We try to go on as many trips as I can manage during the summer. Other than that, we figure there is no reason for her to be stuck at home due to my work schedule. So, her and my son went off to visit family for a bit, while I stayed at home to work. When they are away, I don’t like staying in my house alone. It’s a quirk I have. Thankfully, I live in one of the best places for a staycation in the world, Las Vegas. Time to find a cheap room for a few days!
Rio Las Vegas – Insanely Cheap Room Deal
I don’t need anything fancy, in fact, I prefer the least expensive option I could find. This would allow me to be out of the house as long as possible. This led me right to the Rio. I found $7 room rates from Sunday through Friday, seemingly too good to pass up. I also have Caesars Rewards Diamond status, which gets the resort fees waived. This saved me $35/night plus tax, making this a super cheap stay! Sounds great, right? Sure, if you like staying in what amounts to practically a ghost town during the week. It was overpriced and in a sad state overall. From check-in to amenities and overall ambiance, here is an honest account of my stay.
Overdue For A Refresh
I used to work at the Rio when I first moved to Las Vegas in 2012, and the drop in quality from then to now is astronomical. The current owners, Dreamscape Partners, have announced a partnership with Hyatt for a much-needed renovation and rebranding into a Hyatt Regency, indicating the hotel’s decline. It literally can’t come soon enough. The lack of attention, maintenance, and investment in the property is evident in the sorry state of this property. It’s just not acceptable to let it fall into such a state. It really is pitiful in almost all aspects, and it must be affecting the remaining workers there negatively as well.
Bizarre Check-In
The first weird experience was at check-in. I arrived later in the evening, around 10pm on Sunday night. There was an insanely long line for check-in, and one employee working the desk. I had already checked in on the Caesars Rewards App, and been issued a room number. There are plenty of express check-in kiosks, yet no one was using them. I went right up and put in my confirmation number and room number. I inserted my ID and swiped the credit card I used for the reservation. I chose duplicate keys, they were printed, and I was on my way. It was very strange that no one else was using them. The line had to be over an hour deep at that late time of night.
Check out Shawn’s video from his stay at Rio in late 2020 below:
Decaying Room Conditions
The rooms are large and spacious, but they are literally held together with tape in places. It rained one day, and the carpet by the windows was soaked. Furniture is just thrown into the room, with very little practical function. Outlets are scarce and ill-placed. Housekeeping is non-existent. Water pressure was weak. The sink wasn’t even in the bathroom. It’s really unfortunate, because the rooms used to actually be pretty decent. The overall sense of dilapidation is a stark contrast from better days long gone.
Limited Dining Options
As for dining, I was excited to eat at Hash House A-Go-Go and Guy Fieri’s El Burro Burracho. But it was not to be, as they are only open Thursday through Sunday. Major bummer. Guy Fieri’s even closed early on Thursday, so I missed out on that. During the week, the options to eat are the All American Bar & Grill, KJ Dim Sum & Seafood, and a Starbucks – which closes at 2. There is also a Sports Deli in the evening, with a huge line and way overpriced mediocre food. Carnival World Buffet was closed and walled up, which is a shame. It used to be a really great buffet. The entire Masquerade section of the casino was closed. There used to be several counter service options, but it was essentially a ghost town over there. Another major all around fail.
The Pool Wasn’t Any Better
I used to really like the pool area, which featured three pools and a waterfall. However, only one pool was open. The waterfall pool was not running and roped off. There were only a handful of old deck chairs to sit on. There was one bar open, and no entertainment or music. The hot tub was as cold as the pool itself. I left after about 20 minutes, as it was just a downer to be there.
Overpriced Rio Las Vegas – Bottom Line
I know I basically got what I paid for, which wasn’t much. Even still, this property is in a sad overall state. If you aren’t going to have anything open for people during the slower parts of the week, then just close the entire hotel portion of the property during that time. Casino rules are tricky with closing gaming facilities, but this was just pitiful, even with the lowest of expectations. All I saw walking around were empty machines, locked up stores, and everything in a state of disrepair and uncared for. An entire third of the casino is basically abandoned. I’m thinking maybe $7/night was a bit overpriced for what I actually got. I might need to splurge just a smidge more on my next solo staycation. Quality over quantity going forward.
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This was prior to the remodel. It’s now under new ownership and they are turning it around fast. You should give it another try. And being a ghost town isn’t such a bad thing unless that’s a priority, in that case try downtown las vegas. the Rio will always be a staple and it’s new remodel is promising.
That article about renovating the property is 2 years old. Sounds like there was no renovation happening while you stayed there. Must be one of those Hyatt, pie in the sky, thing that just fizzled out.
I stayed at the Rio a few months ago in a suite and my experience was the same as yours.
Oddly, I have another Vegas trip August 3-5 and Rio rooms are $100/night HIGHER than Caesars Palace.
I find the few dollars difference between Rio and Harrah’s/Horseshoe/Flamingo generally justifies itself with location (Since I view their access around town superior than the Rio across the freeway). And that is even before getting to the property condition where Rio was in need of some work even 10 years ago.