Rio Laurel (Diamond) Lounge Review

Monday, January 20, 2020

7:45pm

Welcome to the unwanted stepchild of the Caesars family.

The Rio has let itself go, and it knows it.

In December, 2019, Caesars completed the sale of the Rio Hotel and Casino to Dreamscape for $516.3 million, however, it’s expected to operate under the Caesars name for at least the next two years to satisfy the $45 million per year lease.

This tired lounge is certainly in need of renovations, but those won’t likely come until the new owners step in, at which point it won’t be a Laurel Lounge anymore. Perhaps we’ll see a new Laurel Lounge pop up at a Caesars property in Vegas instead?

Nonetheless, like other Laurel Lounges, the Rio still offers hot food served from 4:30 pm to 6 pm, and employs a friendly, bubbly staff ready to take your drink order.

What’s up with this failed attempt for the buffet signage though?

The handwritten note hastily duct taped to the buffet sneeze guard is insulting to what Diamond status is supposed to represent, and was out of place in comparison to the other Laurel Lounges.

When complimentary drinks, food, and excellent service come standard at all Laurel (Diamond) Lounges, it boils down to atmosphere, and this is where the lack of attention to small details really gets noticed.

The Rio Laurel (Diamond) Lounge entrance is located in the high limit slots area where there is a check-in counter with a host to check your players Card and ID.

After checking in, you’ll take a quick elevator ride up, which I found exciting as none of the other Vegas Laurel Lounges had elevators.

The elevator located in the high limit slot area certainly presents itself as an exclusive area only reserved for the high rollers. Although the hallway entrance actually was quite respectable, the rest of the decor has seen more happening days.

Despite the overall tired decor, I’m happy to give the Rio some bonus points for the private washroom. That’s a win for best Laurel Lounge washroom in Vegas.

There was plenty of table seating for the buffet with several lounge chairs also available.

There is a small room off the main seating area that does have a TV suitable for watching the game, however, as a sports fan, there are not enough TVs here to consider this a hangout if your main goal is to watch the big game. The back of Planet Hollywood or the barside of the Caesars Lounges or would be better suited.

We arrived too late to see what was available for hot food, but there were still a few desserts left, as well as some garden salad, pretzel sticks, chips, pita bread and hummus.

The kid in me really appreciates all the desserts at the Laurel Lounges with sprinkles, oreos, marshmallows, and mini donuts.

We arrived at the Lounge for a complimentary pre-show drink anticipating to use our complimentary Diamond show tickets at the Rio’s Comedy Cellar for the 9 pm show.

We were surprised to learn that the show was sold out, but later learned that the two free show tickets Diamond members receive monthly can be harder to redeem towards the end of the month, because everyone is trying to use them up before they expire, and it’s first come first serve.

Instead, we decided to come back the following evening and reserved a spot for the next night’s show, which turned out to be hilarious.

Since we were staying at Caesars, we opted to take the “short” walk to the Rio as it’s “just on the other side of the highway.” If you’ve been to Vegas before, you know nothing there is a short walk. In Vegas terms, it took ½ an hour to walk to our destination, even though it was “right across the road”.

Although we had an enjoyable Paris Laurel Lounge booze inspired walk over to the Rio, I’d advise catching an Uber, as you’ll be on the sidewalk of a very busy overpass the majority of the walk, and have to hop over the barricade to avoid the walking tunnel which can be sketchy. You’re better off saving those walking shoes for around the Strip.

On our walk to the Rio, I noticed a Wyndham hotel in the distance, and couldn’t help but give a big wave, along with a “thanks Wyndham!”.

Wyndham and Caesars have partnered up, allowing you to status match with each other, which will certainly help you get all the Caesars Rewards perks such as free show tickets, no resort fees, and free valet parking.

Check out our step-by-step post on how to status match your American Express Platinum Card to Wyndham Rewards, then to Caesars Rewards Diamond to get some high roller perks for your next Vegas trip!

Conclusion

I’ve ranked the Rio in last place (#5 out of 5) compared to the rest of the Laurel Lounges because it’s an obvious situation where it’s been let go due to an impending lease expiry date and procurement.

The Rio has managed to maintain the same level of service you’d find at the rest of the Lounges, along with hot food being served from 4:30-6 pm, and it’s a fine place to hangout if you’re at the hotel, or across the street at The Palms, but it being the only Laurel Lounge on the other side of the highway, it’s not worth the trip when you can lounge hop between the 4 other Diamond Lounges along the Strip.