Here now, on the last night of a 4-night stay. Average rate was about $50/night for the 4 nights. Some random thoughts (which no one asked for
)-
- The regular check-in line always seemed busy when I walked by. But the VIP registration office was always nearly empty but well-staffed. It's a ways away from the front desk - you have to know to go look for it.
- All of the staff I interacted with were pleasant and helpful.
- It's definitely an older property, of course. Aside from the colors and such, the most obvious sign of this is the low ceilings in the casino, which can lead to a more smoky environment. It's also pretty dark, in the style of old. I would describe it as stylistically the exact opposite of, say, the Resorts World or Fountainebleau casinos, both of which have very high ceilings and are bright and airy.
- I signed up for the players club when I got here, and accumulated 2000 points within 48 hours to take advantage of the free show promotion. I got tickets for tonight's Penn and Teller show.
- I'm in a renovated king on a high floor, and it's...fine. It's a mix of old and new, IMO. The couch and tables are modern and nice. The bathroom seems like it's from many years ago, along with the carpet. But all in all, it's ok - the seating area, which is a key requirement for me, is good.
- oh my gosh, they need to wash the exterior windows. I have a strip view, but it could be _so_ much better through clean(er) glass.
- breakfast. The only thing I can say about this is, everything is _huge_. I asked if Starbucks would be an alternative to the globalist breakfast at hash house, but the answer was no. For me, that's a bummer - at least half the time, I would much prefer a small breakfast sandwich and a latte, to a massive plate of food I'll never finish, but they make the rules.
- if you want to book a suite on the Hyatt site, they told me the 1 bedroom suites that do NOT say "tower" are the renovated ones. They, or Hyatt, need to update the descriptions on the site.
- internet access was excellent - doing a speed test now, I'm seeing just under 200 Mbps. I've seen it consistently over 80 Mbps throughout the week.
- if you're walking to or from the strip, I found the best way is to go down the convention center hallway in the Rio, go outside from there, and you can go underneath the freeway and end up at the back of Caesars. I only did it during the day, but no issues at all, and no scary incidents.
- accumulating points - you can either get Hyatt points on your folio, or Rio Rewards points, but not both.