Doug Stanhope banned from Caesar's after bad review

[Kazoey]

Should get interesting if you are familiar with the Killer Termites.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/twt/status/1152697959391232000

[Kazoey]

The Yelp review in question:

The rumor is that this hotel is about to be torn down. Staying here will make an ardent atheist pray that this is true. You can even see it in the eyes of the employees. As friendly as they are, you can tell that nobody wants to be here.

The Rio is like being in 1986. By that I mean it's like you were still driving your 1986 Ford Tempo 33 years later, held together with gaffer's tape and surgical mesh, riding on the rusted rims. Vegas isn't what it used to be, anyone who's come here over the last two or three decades can attest. The Rio isn't even what it was when they last updated their Expedia page.

You have more than too many options when it comes to finding a hotel in Vegas. What finally sold me on the Rio, aside from having regular decent stays here in the past, was this from Expedia.

"Dining options include a seafood buffet, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, a wine cellar and tasting room, a New England-style seafood restaurant, an American grill, a South American café, an Indian restaurant, and room service."

There is no seafood buffet. It has long since been discontinued. As has the South American cafe. You find all this out piecemeal by asking everyone and anyone who has worked here long enough to remember. There used to be a Japanese restaurant. The folks at the American grille told me that it didn't exist. It had in fact closed eons ago. Yet I kept passing signs across the casino floor saying Sushi at Club 172. When I would call the front desk, they were unaware of this place. After eating there, I kept asking any employee in any department where sushi could be found. Turns out this was a new sushi place and they rent the spot no differently than a nail salon in a strip mall. The property itself doesn't know or care who may be in or out of business. They just gaze into an unknown future, waiting for the wrecking ball to swing.

There is a poster in the elevator for a celebrity host on a limited run at Chippendales's. It was from last year. I wouldn't doubt that they didn't put it up until after he was long gone. The casino floor is littered with barkers outside of every shop or passageway, hustling everything from haircuts to time-share, like beggars who ask for investments rather than pocket change. The ATM fee is 9.99 to take out a twenty, onerous even by Las Vegas standards. Thankful, and rightfully, my hometown bank treated this charge as an illegal transaction and declined it.

On the first of my six days here, I called down with a litany of these complaints from the 1986 phone in the room. But I could barely hear the front desk because the phone was so old. That simply added one more complaint.

On the second night at midnight, my manager showed up drunk at my door like Oscar Madison from the Odd Couple after having a tiff with his galpal. I didn't wake to his repeated calls and banging at my door (Thanks, Xanax!) so he simply slept like a homeless person outside of my suite in the hallway for almost six hours. Like so many piles of garbage or room service trays during my stay here, he wasn't noticed or removed.

In defense of the Rio, the suite I stayed in was a full 1600 square feet that averaged less than 200 dollars a night, with a full view of the Strip. Despite the colors of beige-on-brown-on-cream - the vibrant spectrum that brings to mind Rio de Janeiro - and the highway salvage living room furniture that is currently spitting feathers from every tear and crack, it's still a pretty decent price. So long as you avoid gambling. Go to a Station casino for that.

I won't say how much I lost gambling here but I'd estimate that my Rewards/Players Club card paid me about one penny for every twenty bucks. I've gambled less at other casinos and been offered free rooms, my own private concierge and amenities too numerous to count. Here I got half-off a buffet.

The hallway reeks of cigarettes and now-legalized recreational weed. This is a positive. Penn & Teller, as well as The Comedy Cellar with Mark Cohen and Guests are also a bonus. Pet-friendly another plus.

Still, I give it one-star. Because who reads a two-star review? It's just business.

[tgull]

I mean when you get a 1,600 square foot suite for under $200 a night, I mean what do you want? Years ago, like 2005, I stayed at the Hooters Casino, it was $74 a night. I was bitching about my room, this and that. My buddy got sick of hearing about it and said the room is $74 a night deal with it. He was 100% right and I went about my business and all of a sudden the room got a lot less important. Unless you are some type of honeymoon or anniversary, just deal with the room or check out. To stay in a hotel for a week you hate is really on you, you are only committed the first night and can cancel the rest of the stay unless you did something totally ridiculous like pay in advance for all the nights.

As far as complaining about ATM fees, outdated posters on elevators or cigarette smoke I really don't what to say about that. I mean that is everywhere in life.

[Dan Druff]

Interesting. I would love to know more about this.

Is it possible he did something else to get banned and is blaming it on the bad review?

You never know the truth with this stuff unless you know the guy really well.

Remember the guy "mugged" in the parking lot a few years ago, who ended up actually being beaten up during a drug deal gone bad? (I'm not talking about the mugging THIS year, which appears to be real.)

How did they identify him as the reviewer?

Here is a link to the review itself: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rio-all-sui...EYsrKKr4KbSPIA

He's listed as "Doug S."

I'm very suspicious here.

[Kazoey]

Interesting. I would love to know more about this.

Is it possible he did something else to get banned and is blaming it on the bad review?

You never know the truth with this stuff unless you know the guy really well.

Remember the guy "mugged" in the parking lot a few years ago, who ended up actually being beaten up during a drug deal gone bad? (I'm not talking about the mugging THIS year, which appears to be real.)

How did they identify him as the reviewer?

Here is a link to the review itself: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rio-all-sui...EYsrKKr4KbSPIA

He's listed as "Doug S."

I'm very suspicious here.

His reviews tend to get a lot of eyeballs. Something he started doing a few years back. Anyone familiar with him would know who it is.

Not sure if maybe one of his buddies did something. Who knows.

Being a fan of his stand up and following for a few years he doesnt strike me as someone who would just make things up. Almost honest to a fault. Who else would admit he assisted suicide on his terminally ill mother during an nfl party at his house for her? He wrote a book about it as well.

[Sanlmar]

He’s a stand up comedian?

Oops, Caesars

Maybe he will invite you on his podcast GBCP

[MumblesBadly]

The Yelp review in question:

The rumor is that this hotel is about to be torn down. Staying here will make an ardent atheist pray that this is true. You can even see it in the eyes of the employees. As friendly as they are, you can tell that nobody wants to be here.

The Rio is like being in 1986. By that I mean it's like you were still driving your 1986 Ford Tempo 33 years later, held together with gaffer's tape and surgical mesh, riding on the rusted rims. Vegas isn't what it used to be, anyone who's come here over the last two or three decades can attest. The Rio isn't even what it was when they last updated their Expedia page.

You have more than too many options when it comes to finding a hotel in Vegas. What finally sold me on the Rio, aside from having regular decent stays here in the past, was this from Expedia.

"Dining options include a seafood buffet, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, a wine cellar and tasting room, a New England-style seafood restaurant, an American grill, a South American café, an Indian restaurant, and room service."

There is no seafood buffet. It has long since been discontinued. As has the South American cafe. You find all this out piecemeal by asking everyone and anyone who has worked here long enough to remember. There used to be a Japanese restaurant. The folks at the American grille told me that it didn't exist. It had in fact closed eons ago. Yet I kept passing signs across the casino floor saying Sushi at Club 172. When I would call the front desk, they were unaware of this place. After eating there, I kept asking any employee in any department where sushi could be found. Turns out this was a new sushi place and they rent the spot no differently than a nail salon in a strip mall. The property itself doesn't know or care who may be in or out of business. They just gaze into an unknown future, waiting for the wrecking ball to swing.

There is a poster in the elevator for a celebrity host on a limited run at Chippendales's. It was from last year. I wouldn't doubt that they didn't put it up until after he was long gone. The casino floor is littered with barkers outside of every shop or passageway, hustling everything from haircuts to time-share, like beggars who ask for investments rather than pocket change. The ATM fee is 9.99 to take out a twenty, onerous even by Las Vegas standards. Thankful, and rightfully, my hometown bank treated this charge as an illegal transaction and declined it.

On the first of my six days here, I called down with a litany of these complaints from the 1986 phone in the room. But I could barely hear the front desk because the phone was so old. That simply added one more complaint.

On the second night at midnight, my manager showed up drunk at my door like Oscar Madison from the Odd Couple after having a tiff with his galpal. I didn't wake to his repeated calls and banging at my door (Thanks, Xanax!) so he simply slept like a homeless person outside of my suite in the hallway for almost six hours. Like so many piles of garbage or room service trays during my stay here, he wasn't noticed or removed.

In defense of the Rio, the suite I stayed in was a full 1600 square feet that averaged less than 200 dollars a night, with a full view of the Strip. Despite the colors of beige-on-brown-on-cream - the vibrant spectrum that brings to mind Rio de Janeiro - and the highway salvage living room furniture that is currently spitting feathers from every tear and crack, it's still a pretty decent price. So long as you avoid gambling. Go to a Station casino for that.

I won't say how much I lost gambling here but I'd estimate that my Rewards/Players Club card paid me about one penny for every twenty bucks. I've gambled less at other casinos and been offered free rooms, my own private concierge and amenities too numerous to count. Here I got half-off a buffet.

The hallway reeks of cigarettes and now-legalized recreational weed. This is a positive. Penn & Teller, as well as The Comedy Cellar with Mark Cohen and Guests are also a bonus. Pet-friendly another plus.

Still, I give it one-star. Because who reads a two-star review? It's just business.

This is simply retaliation and calls for a complaint to be filed with the Nevada Gaming Commision.

[Dan Druff]

Case closed. Looks like Caesars was in the right (sorry GBCP).

Here's a show he did from February 16, three days before the review.

He talked about getting blackout drunk, skipped out on money he owed (his assistant ended up paying), his assistant sleeping in the hallway drunk outside his door, and smoked pot in his room.

Obviously someone brought Caesars attention to this in June, and they banned him.



It's funny... ordinary people complaining about the Rio seem to be a lot more credible than celebrities. Natalie Maines once complained on Twtter that she had to sleep on the couch in her Rio room because her bed was so gross, but apparently she made no effort to switch rooms or call customer service. Instead, she just took to Twitter, posted a picture of her "couch bed" (but interestingly not any pics of the bed which was supposedly so filthy), and bitched.

[sonatine]

this whole ordeal casts kind of a weird light on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_(Louie)

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

well after all the fail and incompetence over the years, they were bound to get one right eventually...

guess the perfect game is over...

[TheXFactor]

Case closed. Looks like Caesars was in the right (sorry GBCP).

Here's a show he did from February 16, three days before the review.

He talked about getting blackout drunk, skipped out on money he owed (his assistant ended up paying), his assistant sleeping in the hallway drunk outside his door, and smoked pot in his room.

Obviously someone brought Caesars attention to this in June, and they banned him.

Just to be sure, can you write up a negative review of the Rio at post it on Yelp?

[Sanlmar]

I listened to Druff’s radio segment too.

What Druff entirely misses with this story is the comedy. From the jump this was all done for laughs (and the attention good comedy brings).

The chronology of when he wrote the review is immaterial. It was a funny review. You get he’s a comedian, right?

A comedian tells requisite Vegas blackout drunk stories. We don’t give a fuck. He doesn’t give a fuck. We all have fun.

Druff treats this with all the seriousness of a colonoscopy.

You’ve been had son. Lighten up.