Rio Hotel & Casino Officially Joins World of Hyatt Today

by Anthony Losanno
Rio

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Hyatt announced today that the Rio Hotel & Casino is now officially integrated into the World of Hyatt program. A property-wide renovation and transformation is underway and it can’t come soon enough as this property needs some love and Hyatt needs to regain some ground in Las Vegas.

Back in March 2021, Hyatt announced that the the Rio Hotel & Casino would be repositioned into multiple full-service brands including a Hyatt Regency. The 2,500-room hotel will be subdivided to host multiple brands similar to Resorts World, which currently houses a Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords within the complex.

Dreamscape purchased the Rio Hotel & Casino from Caesars in December 2019. It was operated as part of Caesars Rewards for a few years, but is no longer participating in the rewards program.

The current plan includes significant renovations and redevelopment of the gaming, retail, food and beverage, spa, fitness, and pool. The Ipanema Tower (with 1,501 rooms) is to become a Hyatt Regency. The second tower (known as the Masquerade Tower) will host 1,012 rooms in a second brand. The rest of the rooms will become another Hyatt full-service brand. For now, the hotel will become part of Hyatt’s Independent Collection under the Destination by Hyatt brand. Once the $340 million renovation is complete, it will shift into the appropriate brands.

Rio 2

The Rio Hotel & Casino is officially part of World of Hyatt as of today, March 1st. This means that bookings will now be able to earn stay credits and World of Hyatt points like any other property in the portfolio. All benefits that come with Explorist, Discoverist, and Globalist status (including waived resort fees, which runs $40 plus tax currently) seem to apply here.

Rio Points Calendar

If you’re looking to redeem World of Hyatt points or a free night certificate, both are now possible. The Rio Hotel & Casino is a Category 3 hotel and costs between 9,000 and 15,000 points per night. Cash rates are inexpensive with some dates under $50.

David Tarr, Senior Vice President of Development, Americas at Hyatt, said:

We’re proud to collaborate with Rio Hotel & Casino on this transformational project to revitalize the iconic hotel as a Destination by Hyatt hotel in a key market like Las Vegas. Destination by Hyatt hotels are individual at heart and embody the true spirit of the destination, and Rio Hotel & Casino will be no exception. This renovation will serve as a gateway for guests to experience a place of purposefully crafted entertainment and immersive experiences, infused with authentic design, and warm and welcoming service. We look forward to providing World of Hyatt members and guests an authentic and unforgettable experience in Las Vegas.”

World of Hyatt and MGM announced that the decade-long partnership that they had been running was to end on September 30th (more here). Marriott is finalizing its own partnership with MGM and all properties are now bookable through Marriott. This was a loss for Hyatt and the Rio Hotel & Casino will fill a small part of that hole.

Anthony’s Take: The Rio is in desperate need of renovation and it seems like it’s finally happening. I’m looking forward to seeing the Hyatt Regency and the other brand within the hotel when it reopens.

(Image Credits: Rio Hotel & Casino.)

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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

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