After staying closed for almost the entire year, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is finally ready to welcome back guests and visitors.
The off-Strip hotel and casino resort is set to resume operations at 10 am on December 22. The hotel portion of the complex will accommodate weekend stays, Thursday through Monday, while its casino floor will be open seven days a week.
The Rio is the last Caesars-operated casino to reopen in the US and Canada after the company shuttered all of its properties in mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In Nevada, casinos and other non-essential businesses were allowed to resume operations on June 4. Caesars gradually began reopening its properties around the state starting with its larger Strip resorts.
It should be noted that the company is responsible for the Rio’s day-to-day operations, but does not own the property. Caesars sold the resort to a company affiliated to New York-based real estate developer Eric Birnbaum late last year for $516.3 million.
Under a lease agreement between the casino giant and the property’s new owner, Caesars has agreed to continue to run the Rio for two years. The casino resort’s new owner has the option to extend the lease agreement for another year.
New William Hill Sports Book
The Rio will debut a new William Hill Sports Book on the day it resumes operations, Caesars announced Thursday. The William Hill brand arrives at the property after Caesars closed its $17.3 billion merger with rival Eldorado Resorts in July and inherited an exclusive sportsbook partnership that company had signed with William Hill.
The new sports betting facility will future new customer offerings, including self-service betting kiosks and expanded sports betting menu that will feature LIVE InPlay Wagering, among other things.
Caesars further announced that during the holiday season, between December 23, 2020 and January 3, 2021, the Rio will take hotel reservations seven days a week.
Self-parking will be free at the Rio when it resumes operations, but valet service will remain closed. Caesars has dropped charges for self-parking after it began reopening its Vegas properties this summer and valet service has remained unavailable as part of a set of reopening guidelines aiming to attract visitors but also to protect them and staff from being exposed to the coronavirus.
As part of those guidelines, dining options will be limited at the Rio when it resumes operations. The restaurants that will reopen on December 22 will include All-American Bar & Grille, Hash House A Go GO, Starbucks, VooDoo Steak, and Sports Deli.
The Penn & Teller show will also be back at the Rio, but performance schedule will be announced at a later date. The Rio’s fitness center, several bars and lounges, and the Rio Logo Gift Shop will too be among the resort’s facilities that will resume operations on December 22.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the day’s top casino news stories