The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas has been closed for quite some time as its owner, Caesars Entertainment, did not feel like it was ready to get back to work. The operator has been picky about which of its venues it opened due to low visitation rates. It is surprising to find that they opened the Rio back up this week, after it has been closed since March. The reopening comes at a time when many casinos on the strip are closing their hotel towers during mid-week because the demand is so low.
Details of the Reopening
The Rio will be accepting reservations at its hotel for each day of the week through January 3. After that date, the casino will only take hotel reservations from Thursday through Monday. The gaming floor will be open all week, with no closures.
The Rio offers self-parking, which is free, and should be a big draw for visitors. The property is not offering valet service at this time. Along with casino gaming, players who visit the property will be able to place sports bets via the William Hill sportsbook. There are self-service betting kiosks for players to place their own wagers.
The casino first reopened on Tuesday and at the time, executives and entertainers of the property handed out frozen turkeys and cookies to employees of Caesars. A total of 20,000 were provided. This is a contactless holiday giveaway that the casino is providing through today.
Now that the Rio is open, it marks the final casino of Caesars Entertainment to reopen since the first pandemic closure in Las Vegas.
Slower Than Normal Tourism
The tourism numbers are pretty slow in Las Vegas, especially on the Strip. All hotel-casinos are back in operation, with 20 major resorts located on the Strip within a three mile section. This area is located outside the city limits but one that is really popular among guests.
While all the resorts are open, the Strip is experiencing limited hours of operation. Many casino-hotels have decided to shut down from Monday to Wednesday due to the decrease in tourism numbers. Some operators have decided to accept reservations only on the weekends and the gaming floors remain open throughout the week. Other operators have closed all operations during the week and are open on the weekends.
The slump is attributed mainly to the COVID-19 pandemic. Travelers are still leery of going far from home, especially to high traffic areas like Las Vegas. Sin City relies on out of towners for the majority of tourism. With people not flying in to the city, the region must now hope that players will come in from nearby states, such as Arizona and California.
There is also a small problem of violence on the Strip, with incidents of shootings and fights breaking out most every weekend for the past few months. Travelers may also be wary of coming to the Strip due to fear of being caught in the middle of a violent attack.
We shall see in the coming weeks if the Rio is successful in its reopening efforts. Only time will tell if players will visit and how much traffic the casino will be able to conjure up.
