In the 1990s, the Rio was seen as a exciting hotel, with a party atmosphere.
Despite its off-strip location, it featured big rooms and a seemingly non-stop party in the casino, including the popular "Show in the Sky". The name "Rio" was in reference to Rio de Janiero, and the guest was supposed to feel like he was in a Brazilian party atmosphere.
Since Harrah's purchased it, the property has been neglected, and most of its interesting features slowly removed. Most notably the "Show in the Sky" is gone, and the casino is now basically the same as any other in town.
The Rio has 7 weeks of glory -- during the World Series of Poker -- and then goes largely quiet. It does have the most convention space of any Caesars properties, and plenty of parking, so it does host some conventions. Other than that, the property is fairly useless to Caesars, and there have long been talks of selling it. It has fallen somewhat into disrepair, and even the maintenance staff has privately complained to me that cuts in staffing make it impossible to keep the place running smoothly.
The off-strip location remains a problem, as visitors without a car find themselves isolated from the strip. It is close enough to walk to the strip, but requires a noisy walk over a freeway overpass, and many have concerns regarding crime while doing so at night. In addition, people don't enjoy walking in the oppressive heat of summer or the cool, windy nights during the winter.
In order to solve that problem, Caesars has been running a free shuttle service to the strip. Until now.
So you better have a car if you stay there and want to visit the strip.
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