Rio Las Vegas: First Look At Renovated Rooms At World Of Hyatt’s Newest Vegas Property

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know that I spend quite a bit of time in Vegas for work.  I’m also a big Hyatt fan, which meant that the recent announcement about Rio Las Vegas officially joining World of Hyatt was of specific interest.  This week, I had a work trip to Vegas scheduled just a few days after the announcement.  I was keen to check out the newly renovated rooms at Rio, having stayed there in the past in mostly subpar accommodations.  Here’s my quick first look at the new Rio rooms.

Booking Rio Las Vegas

Rio is a massive casino property in Vegas though it’s not located directly on the Strip.  It’s not far away, located on Flamingo in the shadow of Caesars Palace and Bellagio.  For a number of years, Rio’s claim to fame was that they hosted the World Series of Poker.  That event has moved elsewhere in town and, until recently, there wasn’t much reason to venture to the Rio unless you were seeking a cheap, clean room near the Strip.

Hyatt owns the Rio and has added their rooms to the Hyatt website and other standard booking channels.  When I attempted to book a room this week, I was given the choice of whether I wanted a renovated room or not.  That was definitely a promising start to the booking experience.  The property is not finished renovating the rooms.  If I was going to bypass nicer hotels on the strip such as Resorts World (my current favorite), I wanted to make sure I got to try out the new product.

My understanding is that resort fees would be waived for Globalist members, something we would put to the test shortly.  The Rio is currently listed as a Category 3 hotel, which means anywhere between 9,000 and 15,000 points per night.  For these nights where the rate was sub-$100, 9,000 point rooms were available.

Check-In Experience

I parked in the Masquerade parking garage.  Self parking is free and there are multiple garages and surface parking on-site.  The Masquerade garage is not the closest to the front desk.  For a shorter walk choose the parking lots/garages near the sports book.  Upon arrival, I did see some self-service check-in kiosks.  I had also received a link to check-in online, but I wanted to see how the front desk experience went.

There were a handful of people in front of me in the check-in line, but nothing like some of the other Vegas mega-casino properties.  In less than 10 minutes I was talking to Angelina, who turned out to be incredibly knowledgeable about the World of Hyatt program.  She said that the hotel staff was excited for Hyatt members to start visiting.  Angelina quickly asked me if I needed my 4pm late check-out (a good sign!) and went over the breakfast benefits with me.  Currently, Hash House A Go-Go is the only breakfast option, but there’s no per-person dollar limit on what you can order.

Angelina asked me if I wanted a complimentary upgrade to a suite.  She was quick to point out that while it was a big suite (1,600sf) it was not yet renovated.  I told her I wanted to stay in a renovated room.  She said she needed a minute to find me a room with a King bed because her system was only showing her rooms with two Queen beds.  I told her I was actually fine with two Queen beds.  She quickly completed the rest of the check-in process and gave me directions to find my room.

Edited to add: My check-in agent cheerfully removed resort fees without me requesting.

Rio Las Vegas Room Review

The overall room size was sizable.  It wasn’t as big and as extravagant as the sunken living room guest rooms at Venetian or Wynn, but it was bigger than the MGM’s standard room.  It was similar in size to the rooms at Resorts World, though not as nicely appointed.

The bathroom was its own separate area as you entered the room.  The long counter had plenty of space and the second sink outside of the full bathroom would accommodate two people getting ready at once.  While the countertops may not be brand new they were in good shape.  The bathroom appeared to be fully renovated with new tile and glass in the shower.  I had no issues with water pressure or temperature when showering.

The bedroom area contains a sizable sectional sofa with a pull-out bed.  A new flat-screen TV hung on the wall. A light beside the sofa has a standard electrical outlet and a USB-A and USVB-C outlet for charging.  There’s also a refrigerator for storing your own items.  It used to be every Vegas hotel room only had minibars.  Resorts World was one of the first I can recall to roll out a model with a small, dedicated refrigerator for guests.  It’s nice to see Rio carry this over.

The bedroom area was pretty straightforward.  Again, the renovations provided plenty of updated power options, including multiple USB-A and USB-C outlets at bedside.  The beds were comfortable.

The connecting door in my room did allow for some noise spilling over from the room next to me.  Light sleepers may want to bring a noise machine.

Dining Options

The Rio has really seen a downturn in dining options.  Back in the days when the WSOP was here, there were a small handful of solid restaurants, including an Italian joint down the far end of the Masquerade Tower area.  That area is a bit sad right now without much in the way of dining other than a Smashburger near the parking garage.  There’s a Guy Fieri restaurant and an Indian restaurant, neither of which I’ve tried.

I also discovered a new food court in what used to be an old arcade area.  Labeled the “Canteen” there were a number of brands I hadn’t heard of before. Here’s a look at the options along with some of the menus:

I chose a cheesesteak Tony Luke’s and some fries from the chicken tender place.  The cheesesteak was really just okay (maybe it was the bread?), the fries were a bit better.  I think I’d pick a different restaurant next time.  There’s enough variety that I’d imagine you could find a reasonable choice.

The hotel did open a brand new Starbucks recently.  Mobile ordering is available and I found them to be efficient each morning during my stay.

Everything Else

The fitness center is located a short walk from the Ipanema Tower where the renovated rooms are housed.  The fitness center hasn’t been renovated.  The equipment seems to be on par with an older full service hotel.  This is definitely an area I would hope to see some improvements in.

The pool area is closed for the winter and seems to be undergoing some renovations.  And, there are fairly extensive renovations occurring near the front desk and on other parts of the gaming floor.

The Final Two Pennies

If you choose to stay at the Rio in the near future, you’ll likely see a property in a state of transition.  The Rio is one of 15 or 20 mega-casinos in Vegas.  The property is sprawling and these are the first major renovations in quite some time.  It’s going to take some time to get the property up to the level where it can compete with some of the nicer properties on the Strip.

While it was a bummer to lose the variety of MGM properties that were part of World of Hyatt for close to a decade, the Rio re-introduces a full-service option to the Vegas market.  Rooms are cheap, even on some of the busiest Vegas nights.  And, award rooms appear to be plentiful.

The staff appear to be eager to serve World of Hyatt guests.  The renovated rooms are clean and functional.  There’s not much in the way of over-the-top Vegas glitz and glamour in the rooms or in the amenities just yet.  If you’re looking for a comfortable, affordable stay, the Rio could be a good fit.  If you’re looking for the bright lights and top culinary options Vegas has to offer, you may want to hold off for now.

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