Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino is a hotel and casino near the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is owned by Eric Birnbaum and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The Rio was the first all suite resort in the Las Vegas area. It was named after the city of Rio de Janeiro and is influenced by Brazilian culture. It is the host casino for the World Series of Poker. The hotel towers are covered in blue and red glass. The Rio hotel's 2,522 suites range in size from and have floor to ceiling windows. There are several private villas on the property for high-rollers. The complex includes a wine cellar that has more than 50,000 bottles. The Rio Pavilion convention center has a total of of space. A Race and Sports Book is also available.
History
The Rio opened on January 15, 1990, as a locals casino; it had been constructed and owned and operated by Marnell Corrao Associates. The opening acts were the Brazilian group Sérgio Mendes '99 and Henrietta Alves of New Orleans, bringing the first two-piano act to Las Vegas, with various co-performers. A 20-story expansion tower was added to the current Ipanema Tower in 1993. Masquerade Village, a hotel tower and casino expansion including the Masquerade Show in the Sky, opened in 1997 at a cost of over $200 million. The Rio was purchased by Harrah's Entertainment in 1999 for $888 million. After the purchase, the Culinary Workers Union organized the Rio employees through card check recognition by enforcing the neutrality clause of the existing Harrah's contract on the new acquisition. Danny Gans, after moving from the Stratosphere Las Vegas, opened as the headliner in 1998. He later moved to The Mirage in 2000. Penn & Teller have been the resident headline entertainers since 2001. The Rio's Penn & Teller Theater was the host venue of the 30th anniversary special for the hit CBS game show The Price Is Right and has been used for Live! with Regis and Kelly, Hell's Kitchen and numerous Penn & Teller television projects. The hotel hosted the World Series of Poker in 2005, the first time this event was not held at Binion's. Binion's was used for the final three tables and the last two days of the competition as part of the celebration of Las Vegas' centennial. Since 2005, the Rio has been the home for the tournament. In December 2019, Caesars sold the Rio for $516 million to New York-based real estate developer Eric Birnbaum. Under the deal, Caesars would continue to operate the Rio under lease for at least two years, paying $45 million a year in rent.
KISS by Monster Mini Golf is a franchise of the Monster Mini Golf chain; as the name suggests, this location is based on classic rock band KISS. In addition to the 18-hole miniature golf course, the venue also boasts a Rock and Roll Themed wedding chapel called the "I Love It Loud Wedding Chapel", the world's largest KISS gift shop, and a KISS Museum featuring memorabilia from the band's career on display. It also hosts regular appearances by KISS band members, both past and present.
Sapphire Pool
On May 30, 2008, the Rio opened the Sapphire Pool in conjunction with a local club. The daylight-hour, adults-only club surrounded one of the property's outdoor pools and featured dancers. It opened with a $30-per-male-customer admission price. The venture was a high-profile joint venture between a casino company and a topless business, and was notable because the possibility of bringing in criminal activity at the club had caused the Nevada Gaming Control Board to balk at previous collaborations; some in the media questioned whether the risk was worth the potential payoff for the hotel. In late July 2009, the Rio hotel asked the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to do a routine undercover investigation of the Sapphire Pool, as casino-resorts in Nevada are held responsible for the activities held on their premises. The request was a part of the resort's effort to show good faith to the Gaming Control Board. The July 25 visit resulted in 11 arrests. Upon finding out the results of the investigation, the Rio immediately shut down the pool.
Events
When Creation Entertainment lost the "Star Trek mecca" for its annual Official Convention after the closing of at the adjoining former Las Vegas Hilton, the convention moved to the Rio in 2011 and has grown ever since. For 2016, the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, the event expands to a fifth day and by December 31, 2015, had already broken a room-reservation record with 12,000+ rooms reserved by attendees, guests and vendors. The SKUSA SuperNationals, a kart racing event to which international kart and car drivers are invited, takes place each year at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, a circuit is set on the hotel parking lot. The DEF CON hacker convention took place at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino from 2011 to 2014. The Computer Measurement Group annual conference took place at the Rio in December 2012.
