Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino

Steve Smith

I kind of dig the Rio. It’s slightly off the strip so you have low-traffic options when leaving to go somewhere, rather than being dumped right onto LV Blvd. I stayed in Masquerade Tower, and my view was excellent. Parking was easy and convenient too. There are a great selection of restaurants in the Rio if you don’t feel like going out. I liked that they had music videos from the 80s/90s/early 2000s playing on a big screen in the casino all day. I would definitely stay here again.

Chiniqua McDonald

I am extremely disappointed with my recent stay booked through Hotels.com. What was supposed to be a fun birthday trip with friends quickly turned into a frustrating and unacceptable experience. First, during self check-in at the kiosk, we experienced issues with the QR code loading. While waiting for assistance, another guest’s full information including his full name and room number populated on the screen. This is a serious breach of confidentiality. As someone who works as management in customer service, I understand the importance of protecting guest information. A company can face significant consequences for something like this. When I informed the front desk employee, she was completely nonchalant. How can staff be so unconcerned when a guest has full access to someone else’s room details? Moving on to the rooms we had two rooms next to each other for my birthday celebration. I understand that Rio is not the Aria, but the online photos are completely misleading compared to what we experienced in person. There were restaurant flyers scattered on the floor upon arrival. The carpets had cigarette burns. One of the beds had a large stain. The tissue roll was clearly not new and appeared previously used. Several towels had visible stains. In one of the rooms, it looked like a camera was installed and poorly covered with a dirty tissue which was extremely unsettling. The sinks did not function properly. On top of that, trying to reach anyone for assistance was incredibly difficult; navigating the phone system just to reach the front desk or bell desk was frustrating and time-consuming. This completely ruined my first night in Vegas and what was supposed to be a special birthday trip. My guests were uncomfortable and embarrassed, and I was beyond disappointed. I will never stay at this establishment again. This property is in serious need of renovation and better management oversight. My experience was unacceptable from start to finish.

Peter Waisnor

There are two things that make the overwhelmingly poor experience at the Rio particularly galling. First, during my 6-day stay, every employee interaction was excellent. From waitstaff to bartenders, hosts to housekeeping, they were all friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Those employees do not deserve to work at a failing hotel run as an afterthought by some crappy management company. Second, the fact that the Rio is now in the Hyatt family should at least require some minimum competency at operating a hotel. Without knowing anyone at the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, I am positive that no career employee there thinks that two people is the right number to have behind the front desk when something like 2000 people are scheduled to check-in on a single day for a large event being hosted at the hotel. That’s such a gross level of incompetence that it makes one wonder what the hotel management would even hope to accomplish by simultaneously and similarly abusing the front desk staff and the arriving guests. The stress and frustration was palpable on both sides of the front desk. I imagine there are two distinct categories of improvements that would be made to a hotel that is being refreshed for a new, better experience. The first would be the remodeling, and I can understand that this would take time. The rooms in the Ipanema Tower are nice. Unfortunately my bathroom floor filled with water each morning because someone who either wasn’t good or didn’t care installed the shower. But by the standards of rooms along the Vegas Strip, the room was spacious, clean and comfortable. I can understand why it might take time to bring the other tower(s) up to that level, and the same for large sections of the hotel, fitness area, pool etc. But the second category of improvements would be the soft improvements, like staffing the hotel with enough competent employees so that both employees and guests have a good experience each day. It’s not that complicated to properly staff a front desk. I stay in at least 15 hotels a year. Everyone else has it figured out. And then there are just the bizarre incompetencies. The scanning of the room keys at a make-shift security checkpoint before even getting to the elevator that yet again requires a room key. Why is the key scanning machine a weird wooden box that barely works and looks like a 4th grader’s science project, and why does the security personnel need to bang their fist on it to get it to work, as though they’re trying to get an 80’s-era tube television to function. Why does the internet constantly cut out as though the hotel IT staff was unprepared for the number of guests who arrived, even though that number closely matches the number of rooms that has remained unchanged for over two decades. Why do the restaurants seem entirely overwhelmed even though the hotel already has a good idea how many people will be in attendance each day. And if the remodeling of the Ipanema Tower already happened a couple years ago, why did my bathroom fill with water each day. Surely that happens for every guest, every night in that room. Ugh, the Rio management company must view the hotel as essentially an ATM that only gives you $80 for every $100 withdraw request. They just skim that $20 off the top for as long as they can and then when it finally all falls apart, some small number of terrible people in senior management escape to a non-extradition country. The good news is that Vegas is packed with excellent hotels. I’d recommend staying somewhere else.

Austin Jansky

Really fun place when the elevators are working and there isn’t a large amount of people standing in a line trying to get to their rooms. As of the time I am writing this, 3/4 of the elevators servicing floors 22-51 are not working. People are sitting on the floor waiting over 20 minutes. Add all the people that aren’t on the main floor waiting to go down for their rides or reservations, and it just gets worse. Casino portion was fun and lots of great options for shows and food. Good location. Satisfied with the rooms but being almost an hour late for a dinner reservation or not being able to get to my room in general makes it hard to want to come back. The stairs are an option but going from the ground floor to 50 is not really worth it.

Tony Perez

stayed at the Rio Hotel & Casino and had a very nice experience overall. The hotel itself was clean, comfortable, and the staff were friendly. The rooms were spacious and made for a relaxing stay. The only downside is the location. It’s a bit far from the main Strip attractions, so you’ll either need to take an Uber or be prepared for about a 20–30 minute walk. Aside from that, it was a great place to stay and I enjoyed my time there.