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FRIENDLINESS
RATING: C
The staff suffers from the same complexes that the people at the Mirage have. Even the servers at the buffet are surly! However, the folks that run the Wine Cellar deserve an A Plus for their service. The Sommelier himself will be more than happy to pick out a bottle of wine for you to taste, and he will even sit down and answer any questions you may have. The other employees in the Cellar are extremely knowledgeable and eager to please. Make SURE you visit the Wine Cellar and do at least one wine tasting (the prices start at $8 per person and include bottled French water, three small tasters of wine, and a cheese and cracker platter). ROOM RATING: D The Rio would like to trick you into thinking that they have the nicest rooms in Las Vegas, and they do this by first calling every room in their hotel a "suite." Personally, I think they are stretching the term a bit. The rooms are actually just big rooms -- yes, they are huge, but I would NOT consider them suites. Each room has a large couch, table, in-room coffee maker and mini-refrigerator. We prefer to stay in the new Masquerade Tower, which has a vineyard decor with etched glass and a large bathroom with separate dressing area. The views are great, too -- all rooms have huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Still a romantic room (NOT a suite); a great place for young couples or for special occasions. GAMBLING RATING: C Nothing special, but they have a good variety of games. A large casino as well. EFFICIENCY RATING: F Yes, the Rio has been rated "Best" this and "Best" that, but I think the awards are going to its head! A lot of other visitors agree -- the service here is really falling. (see below). It took us nearly an hour to check-in, and our video checkout was broken. We didn't get our wake-up call. Our room wasn't ready until 5 p.m. It took 35 minutes for the valet to retrieve our car. I could go on and on, as could others. On our last visit, our room was DIRTY, with peeling wallpaper, dust bunnies in the corners, and a loud and rattling air conditioning unit. ATMOSPHERE: C Very very very LOUD, especially when the awful Masquerade Village show is going on. Avoid this casino like the plague during those times lest you want your eardrums to be blown out. Lots of young couples; lots of couples with infants. At night, the casino is overrun with a younger crowd attending the awful Club Rio dance club. If you go anywhere near the place after 11 p.m., expect to run into loud, obnoxious drunk frat boys and sluttily-clad girls. Don't say I didn't warn you! This is not to say that the place isn't romantic, because it is. Try to hide in the new (and blissfully quiet) Wine Cellar to escape the madness. FOOD: A- Their Carnival World buffet is incredible! It's like a food court, with multiple choices including a Mongolian Barbecue, Italian station, a huge dessert case (with the ever-popular Rum Cake), and a Diner (with french fries, hot dogs and milkshakes). At $10, it's a bargain. Avoid the Sunday brunch, however. We've found that the food is usually lacking in quality for some reason. Also, to say it again, be sure to check out the new Wine Cellar for a great selection of bottles. OTHER: We found the service at Rio to be highly unacceptable. It took us forever to drop our car off at the Valet, we waited in a ridiculously long line to check in to the hotel and to check out (our in-room video checkout was broken). The valet service was terribly slow and the front desk did not give us our requested wake-up call (thank goodness we didn't miss our plane). The Rio will have to show me that they have improved their level of service before we will ever stay at their hotel again. WEB SITE: www.playrio.com FOR RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION: 1-800-PLAY-RIO
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