Rio Expected to Open December 22, 2020

I wondered if that might be the case also, because the calendar was blocked up to December 22nd when I booked it (but nothing is blocked after December 22nd in to next year)

Edit: I've now found this info on several gambling related news sites as well. This from casino.org but I've now found the same info noted in several articles, so it looks like I will indeed finally get to try the Masquerade Suite:

Rio is the only remaining Caesars-owned casino resort in Las Vegas that remains dark. The off-Strip property closed its doors in mid-March on Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s (D) orders to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Beginning December 22 at 10 am Pacific Time through January 3, the hotel will be open seven days a week. After January 3, guestrooms will only be available Thursday through Monday. The casino floor will return 24/7, seven days a week, from December 22 onwards

 

I realize that from the outside, the Rio looks like it hasn't been maintained for a LONG time. However, they have done a LOT of updating inside over the past several years. Not sure how far they got with renovating the rooms, but I do know they have made the following updates in the last 5 years or so:

- New carpeting throughout the whole casino
- New tables for the table games
- New (and better) chairs for the table games
- Most of the slot machines have been updated to the newer video machines
- Elevators have been updated

It is not surprising to me at all that they are reopening. While they may have gone downhill a bit over the years, it is still a great property, and they have some of the biggest basic rooms in the area.

 

They have a lot of conventions scheduled next year that will make them money.

 

Good to hear that updates have happened, heard a lot of those "they let it go" stories,
have some fond memories of staying at Rio when it was relatively new, loved the room size w. those big windows.
wouldn't mind checking it out again before it becomes something else...

oh yeah, they're going to eventually(?) run WSOP there, IIRC?

 

Dont get too excited. The most recent room renovation I can find any record of was in 2012 - finished early 2013, and that was just a subset of rooms and suites in masquerade tower. I stayed in 2 of those last year and they were gnarly. We left 2 days early. That was during NAB and I arrived at 10pm on a thursday or friday night, so I probably got the worst of the newer rooms but they were real bad.

But the rest of the property is indeed in really good shape. I love the casino and pool, the comedy club is a lot of fun, their hash house is good and never as crowded as Linq, and they pretty consistently have the most attractive CWs and really good drink service every time I've been there. They dont skimp on the liquor either like some places, in my experience.

If they were to give the rooms some love, it would be a place I'd enjoy staying more often. I appreciate the size of them and the windows and views in the Masquerade tower are awesome. I just dont see the bean counters approving that for any reason as long as El Caesar is operating it on a relatively short lease.

 

yeah, after I got briefly excited I did notice none of those upgrades mentioned related to rooms...
Was about to try to give CET a whirl, but from all the recent scuttlebutt, maybe not so much..

and yup, WSOP 2020 finals are scheduled Dec 28 @ Rio..
from:
https://www.highstakesdb.com/10648-daniel-negreanu-under-fire-after-wsop-main-event-winner-declared-no-more.aspx
As during the summer both WSOP.com and GGPoker will be hosting play. Both platforms will be playing down to final tables that will take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Monday, December 28th for US-based players. GGPoker finalists will play it out at King’s Casino, Rozvadov, Czech Republic on Tuesday, December 15th.


The winners of both final tables will then meet up for a final heads-up clash on Wednesday December 30th where the winner of that battle will be crowned the official WSOP Main Event champion for 2020.


Stoyan Madanzhiev chimed in with: “Lol in some countries it is just not possible to take visa for the USA in a month. And some are just locked down.”

um, wow, good luck to all involved ?
guess that's the impetus for the opening.

 

That is why I mentioned that I wasn't sure where they left off with room renovations. I know they were working on that a while ago, with most of the updated rooms being in the Masquerade Tower. However, we prefer to stay in the Ipanema Tower since it is closer to the main entrance and table games. Have stayed at the Rio 11 times since 2013, with March of this year being the most recent. While most of the rooms we have stayed in have seen some better days, they have been more than adequate for our needs. Love the size of the rooms, the floor to ceiling windows, and the fridge for personal use.

One other update I forgot to mention were the lamps in the hallways of the Ipanema Tower. Those things were pretty beat up, but noticed they had been updated finally!!!

 

Rio used to be the most fun resort in Vegas. Now it's a grim shit hole. They can close it down forever and I won't shed a tear.

 

Yes. Rio used to be very hip and had a high end feel back in the ‘90s. I loved the little wine cellar. It still exists, but has been completely dumbed down and Harrahtized, meaning they now provide a mediocre experience to a middlebrow clientele. They charge high prices, hoping their clients won’t notice or care that it’s not really a high end experience.

Last time I was in the casino it truly did have a dismal feel. One appealing feature after another has dwindled away over the years and they are left with an empty shell. There are signs of faded grandeur, but overall it’s pretty depressing and I don’t feel any need to go back unless it is gutted and remodeled completely.

 

I guess I've had a much different experience there. I've only be on Rio twice, both in the same week in Feb 2020. They had $5 craps which was nice to find so close to the strip. The dealers were very nice. I didn't win, but I didn't lose much. My wife played High Card Flush and had a great time. We played slots for a while and thought it was nice. Their brunch buffet was great.

We've never stayed the night, but planned to this August, which obviously didn't happen.

 

We used to love the Rio and stayed there several times a year. Lots of great employees that made us feel very welcome. We were always comped a great suite so I can't tell you about the smaller rooms, but everything definitely started going downhill there especially in the last year. I don't mind a little shabbiness with the furniture, but it is frustrating to encounter problems with the TVs and jetted tub. Since they didn't want to put any money into it we weren't surprised with the sale.

We had always enjoyed the buffet, but then they started cutting hours and actually walled off a huge section of that buffet. We also loved Hash House but again it seems like they were cutting hours and employees. Before the shut-down earlier this year we decided to make Paris our new 'home' in LV. We did drive over to Rio a couple of times but found they had removed some of our favorite machines. Really nothing left for us there which makes me very sad. We will miss having family vacations there with the kids loving the buffet and pools.

 

Speaking of the views from Masquerade Suites, I've often wondered why they didn't build the hotel 90 degrees differently, so ALL the even-numbered rooms have the best view of the whole Strip, instead of just the north end Masquerade suites.
I think the main reason I haven't been out there in a while is the lack of convenient shuttle. I can appreciate they had to make a choice: invest an upgrade to the shuttle service, or cancel it. They chose to cancel it. I don't think I've been back since then.

 

I do agree that the buffet has gone WAY downhill in the past year. Not a seafood eater, so the seafood buffet closing and merging with the Carnival World buffet didn't bother me. We have been enjoying their dinner buffet ever since our first visit in 2008. However, we were severely disappointed on our last visit in March. Several of our favorite were either gone or not as good as they used to be. And the worst part was that they replaced the gelato counter with self-serve frozen yogurt machines!!!!

 

Used to love the Rio - if I make it out there in January going to have to stop by and roll the dice for old times sake

 

John Mehaffey tweets on gambling conditions on re-opening day:

John Mehaffey on Twitter: "Rio is back. I worried the day would never come. The poker room is there but closed. Keno and salon also closed. All the open blackjack was 3:2. $10 for 8D, $15 for 2D. Baccarat: $15, craps/roulette: $10, carnival games: $5. Only difference from my last visit is stadium gone. https://t.co/xvtbupbCZA" / Twitter

 

Hallelujah! The Rio is back. That was my favorite hotel for a few years when it was still Harrahs and I was always able to get a comp. Still love it. Hope they bring back the floor show with the aerial stuff—now that was great free entertainment (a dying thing, I know).

 

The outside of it looks absolutely horrible during the day, like the glass or whatever is completely faded, peeling, and just a major eye sore. Its been like that for years now but i just drove by yesterday to go to GC and man it looks horrible lol. Im curious how the big grand re opening went, was there really a ton of people (other than the workers there) that just couldnt wait to get back to Rio as other places are shutting down midweek?

 

Surprisingly, they have focused their efforts on making the inside better over the past 4-5 years and let the outside go. It is deceiving, because it is easy to assume that the outside is a reflection of the inside, which is not the case at all! Hopefully they will tend to the outside at some point, but until then, don't let that dissuade you from visiting. You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

I liked the Laurel lounge there when it was open, nice to have windows. The only CET LL I've seen with windows.
Buffet was meh, but better than Luxor's.
The only reason I visited last time was due to comped diamond tickets for a show.
Doubt it will pick up much until they have shows or something to draw people there.

 

Has anyone stayed or been to Rio since the reopening yesterday and do you have any commentary?