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The Rio Hotel & Casino is now part of World of Hyatt (it joined on March 1st). It offers some insanely cheap room rates and the renovated rooms are spacious. I was staying at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World (full review here) last week. I’ve stayed there several times and really enjoy Resorts World, overall. When I saw how inexpensive the rates were at the Rio Hotel & Casino, I had to book a second room just so that I could review it.
Anthony’s Take: I wouldn’t necessarily choose the Rio Hotel & Casino over some of my other favorites like the Bellagio, but if I needed an inexpensive room then I could not get anything less expensive (especially as a Globalist). I appreciate all of the work that is going into the renovations throughout the hotel and the renovated room that we were assigned was nicely refurbished and had tons of room.
Booking
I booked my 1 King Bed room directly on Hyatt.com. Due to my Globalist status, the $40 plus tax resort fee was waived. The resort fee includes Wi-Fi, access to the gym, access to the pool, and in-room safe, and free phone calls. If I were to book using World of Hyatt points, rates would range between 9,000 and 15,000 points for the Category 3 hotel.
Transportation to/from the Hotel
I took an Uber Comfort from Resorts World to the hotel. It cost $14 and took around 8 minutes to drive the approximately 2.3 miles with no traffic. When I left the hotel, I took an Uber Comfort back to Resorts World for $16.
Location
The Rio Hotel & Casino is not on the strip. It’s located not far from the Mirage and Caesar’s Palace, but I do not recommend walking. The hotel is a bit isolated, but an Uber or taxi will quickly get you everywhere else.
Check-in
We arrived at the hotel around 4:00 PM and were directed to the VIP Registration, which is towards the casino when entering the hotel. I’m glad we did not have to wait as the lines were fairly long. Globalists are invited here, but I’m not sure if other elite levels also have access.
The VIP Registration is through these black doors.
Inside, there was no line.
There are some couches for relaxing (I’m not sure why you would hang out here unless your room was not ready).
Some snacks were also available. We were checked in quickly and asked if we needed a 4:00 PM checkout (we did not). I was informed that I was upgraded to a Renovated | 1 King Bed High Floor Strip View Deluxe and told that Breakfast is complimentary at Hash House A Go Go.
We were also given a listing of all of the eateries and their hours as well as the pool schedule (which was closed during our visit). I had our keys a moment later and made our way across the casino for the Ipanema Tower elevators where the renovated rooms are housed.
The casino was pretty quiet for a Sunday afternoon.
We found the Ipanema Tower elevators and were on our way to our room.
The elevators need some renovating. They were damaged and feel old.
The elevator lobby on our floor was recently refreshed and clean.
The hallways were also in good repair.
An ice machine was in the hallway near our room.
Renovated | 1 King Bed High Floor Strip View Deluxe (1181)
There are 2,522 rooms and suites at the Rio Hotel & Casino. The hotel was originally marketed as an all-suite property, but now some are considered rooms.
The room is large and opens to a living area.
The furniture is new and the living space is comfortable. It includes a couch, tables (that look like steaks to me), a floor lamp, a TV with a table under it and a full-length mirror.
A palm leaf lamp is supposed to elicit thoughts of Brazil.
A table and chairs are near the window.
The view was nothing special.
The bedroom is near the table with a king-sized bed and two night tables.
A cabinet to the left of the living room held an empty refrigerator.
An ice bucket, plastic cups, and a phone were also found here.
The closet was found near the bathroom. It held an iron, ironing board, and luggage rack.
The safe was also in this closet.
The bathroom was divided between two rooms. The first held a huge vanity with a sink.
The blowdryer and a makeup mirror were found here.
A bar of NEST New York brand soap was next to the sink.
A bottle of lotion was also here.
The second room held the toilet, glassed-in shower, and a second vanity.
There was another bottle of lotion and another bar of soap here.
The shower was an adequate size. I liked the tile. Water pressure and temperature were good.
Large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash were mounted on the wall.
Public Areas & Amenities
The pool was closed during our visit. The hotel also has a casino, a convention center, 23 food and beverage outlets, several retail stores, a spa, a theater where Penn & Teller perform (pictured above), and a fitness center.
Breakfast for Globalists is served in Hash House A Go Go. We did not have the chance to try it.
There is a nice food court in the Rio.
The pool was closed and being renovated.
The fitness center is next to the pool.
It’s small given the size of the hotel.
Towels were provided, but no water bottles (only a cooler).
A store selling snacks, beverages, and souvenirs was near our tower.
Overall Impression:
I was pleasantly surprised by Rio Hotel & Casino. It will be nice once the renovations are done. I was treated well as a Globalist and it’s impossible to beat the price.
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