I know you're going to be shocked, but the new Rio has been a fail so far

[redietz]

I've stayed in both their largest suites in the newer (1997, Masquerade) 41 story tower, and in their "concierge butler" suites in the original 1990 tower.

My stays at the Rio were right around the turn of the New Millennium, and by then the older tower's suites had a musty sort of smell to them reminiscent of older ocean front California estates, which actually brought back Proustian memories that were nice for me, but might not be that endearing for most.

The newer suites I stayed in in the top floors of the new tower are large, but were similar to ones at the new Aladdin / Planet Hollywood with large carpeted vacant areas with no furniture which made them seem rather odd actually.

One thing I liked about the Rio was their high end high limit salon, which was both nice, and allowed anyone off the street to bet up to $100,000. at Baccarat - and this was at a time when the max on the Strip was $15,000. It wasn't right away after Harrah's (Harrah's bought the Rio, not Caesars - keep in mind that today's Caesars is not the original Caesars, but is merely Harrah's that bought out Caesars, and then changed ITS name from Harrah's Entertainment to Caesars' Entertainment) that posted limits were lowered, but sometime around 2000, the max bet was dropped to be in line with the rest of Vegas. No more $100K stated limits!

I haven't stayed at the Rio for well over two decades, although we would stop by occasionally for their Carnival World Buffet, which actually was quite good, at least up until the last time being at the very end of the 2000s - I don't know if the buffet remained solid after that, and of course it closed permanently during the Pandemic.

Dawg,

The last time I stayed in the Rio was with my significant other. The room was in my name, but while standing in line to check in, someone working registration recognized her and gave us a stealth upgrade to a multi-room suite. Very nice; very old-school. I think we were in the Masquerade Tower, but not absolutely sure. We did not have much dead space. The extra room was large and had a bar type area and was sort of retro-60's decor. Did you have a room like that? I was pleasantly surprised as I had not requested any upgrade and the desk personnel didn't announce any great upgrade. They may have mentioned something, but they didn't make a big deal of it, and I blew it off as maybe I got a recently refurbished room or something. But no, it was quite the multi-room suite.

What year was that? As mentioned, the last time I stayed at the Rio was over two decades ago. Multi room, do you mean beyond the usual living room - room, and bedroom room - of all one bedroom suites?

For example this suite I stayed in not long ago is pushing 2000 square feet:

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/ques.../2/#post932673

but at the end of the day, it is still just one large room (living room / dining room combo, with the piano), plus a bedroom (plus a sort of a foyer entrance hall, powder, and master bathroom, and multiple closets).

Or do you just mean a typical one bedroom suite but that had a bar in the living room plus dining table in that same living room, etc.

Here's another suite I stayed at a lot (a villa, two bedroom, 2575 sq. ft.) that has a bar in it:

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/ques.../2/#post872961

But still, basically other than the bedrooms, it has just one large additional room with a bar, dining table, pool table, lounge area, in it (and some nice extras like the outdoor small pool, lounge area, barbecue, etc.).


BTW one thing I look for in a hotel suite is a sauna, steam room or ideally...both.

Roughly eight years ago. Two separate rooms. The second room was at least as big as the standard room. It was a little strange as one would expect the additional room to be the bedroom, but it was not. Had a funky retro couch in it, though. I suspect the second room with the bar could have been like a center living room type setup where separate bedrooms could have accessed it. It just so happened we had just the one bedroom, though. May have been accessible from another bedroom. I suspect it may have been set up like one of those Flamingo Hilton timeshare apartments, only a bit bigger and gaudier.

[MDawg]

There was a bedroom, plus two other rooms? If you were to guess, how many square feet was the whole suite?

The Masquerade Tower suite I stayed in was on the 41st floor and was 1600 sq. ft.

Here is a panoramic view of it

https://www.suiteness.com/suites/uni...squerade-suite

and even in this version there are open spaces, but when I was in one, it had less furniture creating even more open spaces. The above might be after some changes or renovations, when I stayed it was over two decades or so ago.

There is also a 1200 sq. ft version of this suite.:

https://urcomped.com/facility/roomty...no-super-suite

Both of these links might depict versions that have been upgraded or changed from when I stayed in them, and they were certainly all updated in the most recent Rio renovation that ended this year.

[redietz]

There was a bedroom, plus two other rooms? If you were to guess, how many square feet was the whole suite?

The Masquerade Tower suite I stayed in was on the 41st floor and was 1600 sq. ft.

Here is a panoramic view of it

https://www.suiteness.com/suites/uni...squerade-suite

and even in this version there are open spaces, but when I was in one, it had less furniture creating even more open spaces. The above might be after some changes or renovations, when I stayed it was over two decades or so ago.

There is also a 1200 sq. ft version of this suite.:

https://urcomped.com/facility/roomty...no-super-suite

Both of these links might depict versions that have been upgraded or changed from when I stayed in them, and they were certainly all updated in the most recent Rio renovation that ended this year.

Definitely not the large one. Similar to the smaller one, but without a window wall. The other room with the bed had the window wall, as per usual. I was completely taken by surprise when I realized there was another room.

It's possible I'm remembering this wrong and the other room had a window wall, but we kept the curtains closed the whole time since we weren't really using that room. The smaller room does look very similar.

[MDawg]

Well one thing at the Rio that leads to the oddness of the larger rooms is the curvature of the tower.



A smaller room, the curvature doesn't come much into play, but a larger room has to wind around that curve.

In the Bellagio, they have some very cool suites that go up the middle, where the bed is in the middle and there is a bathroom on each side, his and hers.



The "Bellagio" suite (now called a Salone Suite). It's pretty sexy and great for couples:

https://bellagio.mgmresorts.com/en/h...one-suite.html

those images don't even do the suite justice you have to be in the room, with it's curved panoramic view looking out at the Strip through the fountains, to appreciate it.

On the other hand, the new Aladdin (now PH) has a curved tower section too, and never figured out how to make good use of it.

[Dan Druff]

Rio originally promoted itself as "all suites", which was nonsense. Caesars kept up that ruse, but not as consistently.

These were large rooms, but not suites. There were actual suites on property, too, but the regular rooms were NOT suites!

Anyway, I once had a maddening situation with them where I was booked in an actual suite, I got up there, and it was a regular room. I went down and complained and said I was booked for a suite, and the moron at the front desk kept insisting "all of our rooms are suites", as if I didn't have a real suite booked. Took escalating it to a manager (who took like 15 minutes to show up) to resolve. Of course, they conceded I was right all along.

[DGenBen]

Rio originally promoted itself as "all suites", which was nonsense. Caesars kept up that ruse, but not as consistently.

These were large rooms, but not suites. There were actual suites on property, too, but the regular rooms were NOT suites!

Anyway, I once had a maddening situation with them where I was booked in an actual suite, I got up there, and it was a regular room. I went down and complained and said I was booked for a suite, and the moron at the front desk kept insisting "all of our rooms are suites", as if I didn't have a real suite booked. Took escalating it to a manager (who took like 15 minutes to show up) to resolve. Of course, they conceded I was right all along.

Sometimes I think God just picked you out as someone He likes to fuck with because you’re entertaining.

And He knows you will entertain other people with the stories too.

[redietz]

I think a California patron sued the Rio for false advertising vis-a-vis "what is a suite?" That was a long time ago. Not sure how it turned out.

[DGenBen]

I think a California patron sued the Rio for false advertising vis-a-vis "what is a suite?" That was a long time ago. Not sure how it turned out.

That sounded interesting so I used this tool called the Google to read up on that.

What I concluded from skimming through the case is that some lawyers have a hell of a lot of spare time on their hands.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nv...t/1419283.html

[Dan Druff]

I think a California patron sued the Rio for false advertising vis-a-vis "what is a suite?" That was a long time ago. Not sure how it turned out.

That sounded interesting so I used this tool called the Google to read up on that.

What I concluded from skimming through the case is that some lawyers have a hell of a lot of spare time on their hands.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nv...t/1419283.html

I wonder if this lawyer (who filed suit on his own behalf) is even still alive. He had been a member of the bar since 1977, so obviously he's over 70.

Basically it started out with him trying to compel Rio in 1997 (not long after opening) to drop the "all suites" claim, and also to compensate all past California residents who stayed there with either $50 or a free night's stay.

Rio basically told him to eat shit, and then they ended up in a battle of motions which lasted for at least 3 years. It ended up where Rio named him as the defendant, and seeking a declaration that it was not violating Nevada or California law by its use of the term “suite.”

This lawyer attempted to prohibit the 8th Judicial Circuit Court of Nevada from having jurisdiction in the case, which he lost. It seemed to have gone nowhere after the year 2000, and I know Rio was still claiming "all suites" after that year.

Interestingly, he was a member of the bar in both California and Nevada, but as of 2000, he had not represented any clients in Nevada other than himself.

[Dan Druff]

I would like to see some standardization in the term suite.

One big scam involving "suite" involves so-called "mini suites" on cruise ships. They cost substantially more than balcony rooms, yet they are the same except with a slightly bigger bathroom. People arrive at the cruise ship and are shocked.

I always tell people don't ever buy mini suites on cruise ships.

[redietz]

I think a California patron sued the Rio for false advertising vis-a-vis "what is a suite?" That was a long time ago. Not sure how it turned out.

That sounded interesting so I used this tool called the Google to read up on that.

What I concluded from skimming through the case is that some lawyers have a hell of a lot of spare time on their hands.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nv...t/1419283.html

Anything that occurred 25 years ago is hit or miss on Google. If you have as much spare time as the lawyers, I salute you.

And this is what I mean about this forum. I mention something nobody else knows about, and I get snark, not a thank you. Meanwhile, some maroon acts as if Google's going to automatically and obviously blanket cover a topic from 25 years ago, which it does not. If you don't believe me, try looking up published academic papers in mid-level journals from 25 years ago. Or try looking up something done by someone that has been scrubbed. My brother-in-law was a PI, and scrubbing is part of life. My nephew is an online forensics major at Bloomsburg. But pardon my ignorance.

Anonymous idiots trying to be clever. Go do some more mental masturbating. Pardon me. Anonymous mental masturbating. Have a good one.

[smurgerburger]

Google doesn't give you the contents of copyrighted material, from 25 years ago or 1 year ago.

However if you want to find out how to get access to that material, that will be on Google.

[monet]

Rio originally promoted itself as "all suites", which was nonsense. Caesars kept up that ruse, but not as consistently.

These were large rooms, but not suites. There were actual suites on property, too, but the regular rooms were NOT suites!

Anyway, I once had a maddening situation with them where I was booked in an actual suite, I got up there, and it was a regular room. I went down and complained and said I was booked for a suite, and the moron at the front desk kept insisting "all of our rooms are suites", as if I didn't have a real suite booked. Took escalating it to a manager (who took like 15 minutes to show up) to resolve. Of course, they conceded I was right all along.

Sometimes I think God just picked you out as someone He likes to fuck with because you’re entertaining.

And He knows you will entertain other people with the stories too.

Yeah, I thought Dan had become a Yenta but after some research I found out he is just a Kvetch.
Same Difference IMO.

[accountinquestion]

Google doesn't give you the contents of copyrighted material, from 25 years ago or 1 year ago.

However if you want to find out how to get access to that material, that will be on Google.

You can't use exact matches anymore either. A lot of people dont do enough of that sort of thing to have noticed. This just came up last night.

[jdog]

The search engines are constantly being adjusted to more effectively bring in advertising revenue, of course at the expense of being useful for finding actual information. Ever notice how different the results are between a Google search on your phone or one done on an actual PC?

[Dan Druff]

Back to my recent Rio stay.

I mentioned I arrived at 4:30am.

I called ahead and warned them about this, as casinos tend to auto-cancel you if you don't show up by 3am.

They acknowledged my late arrival and thanked me for calling. It was a comp stay, btw.

Anyway, I was going over my credit card statement and saw I was charged $56. I called up and complained, and they initially thought this was my room rate. When I informed them it was comp, I was put on hold again, and they acknowledged that yes, my reservation was comped, but the $56 was charged due to arriving after 3am.

She then acknowledged that, yes, they did see my call about arriving after 3, but that there's "no way to stop it" until after I get there.

"Then how is it supposed to be dealt with?", I asked.

She said that the person checking me in was supposed to remove it. So it looks like that sourpuss checking me in either forgot or (more likely) passive aggressively didn't want to remove the charge.

Anyway, they fixed it, but what a freaking mess.

Not as bad as the $81 Harrah's Rincon used to charge if you got there after 8pm (lol, remember that?), but still bad.

[jdog]

The problem is we are moving into an age where there are so many charges coming in all the time, so I'm sure many younger people are not even paying much attention to them. Now everything being a subscription, or an add on fee for this or that, and this stuff is not going anywhere because the corporations are increasingly figuring out how to take advantage of those not watching where their money is going.

[accountinquestion]

I believe it was a democratic politician pushing for the ability to cancel these things as easy as they are setup. Or give someone the power to fine people. I hate big government more than many but people have let the world proceed to this point. The fact you give someone a credit card # and they can endlessly extract $ from you until you jump through hoops is somewhere we should have never gone.

[jdog]

you give someone a credit card # and they can endlessly extract $ from you until you jump through hoops is somewhere we should have never gone.

Absolutely and I think where it definitively crossed the line is when the CC companies got in on the deal and will continue to allow subscription charges, even if a new CC number is issued! You can't allow a charge to an invalid CC number... that's f***** nuts?? But this is the world we live in where GenZ-ers can't be bothered to update all their BS with a new CC, or answer the door when a package is delivered.

[accountinquestion]

you give someone a credit card # and they can endlessly extract $ from you until you jump through hoops is somewhere we should have never gone.

Absolutely and I think where it definitively crossed the line is when the CC companies got in on the deal and will continue to allow subscription charges, even if a new CC number is issued! You can't allow a charge to an invalid CC number... that's f***** nuts?? But this is the world we live in where GenZ-ers can't be bothered to update all their BS with a new CC, or answer the door when a package is delivered.

That is a thing?

I'm getting a chime account for this reason specifically. Apparently you are given more power over who you pay but the sign up process was busted when I tried