I have stayed at both the Silver Legacy and Peppermill. Both worked well for me. There is a long documented review of the Reno Hilton in the Hilton forum.
As for my preference for visits up north... I visit
http://aa.rewardsnetwork.com or
www.skymiles.rewardsnetwork.com and book my Reno Hotels based on room rate and FF miles potentially earned
BTW, the UNLV vs UNR Footbal Game is this weekend - UNLV is going to kick some Wolfpack bootie!