Rio Carnival World and Seafood Buffet

Last month I wrote a blog post about how the Village Seafood Buffet was closing at Rio and was going to be folded into the Carnival World Buffet.

That transition is now complete, as Rio's new combined buffet has opened and is now called Carnival World & Seafood Buffet.

According to the Rio website the prices will be:

Lunch: $25+
Dinner: $33+
Seafood Dinner: $48+
Brunch: $32+

As much as I like the seafood option - $48 is a lot to pay for it. If I were looking to spend that much on a buffet I would probably just go all out and spring for Wynn, Bellagio or Bacchanal at Caesars Palace.

That being said I'm happy they decided to keep the seafood around in some form instead of getting rid of it altogether. If I find myself staying at Rio again I will likely be giving it a shot.

Caesars Upgrading Las Vegas Room Product

For years Caesars Entertainment has had a reputation for not maintaining their properties. While most Strip properties had routine room updates, Caesars seemed to take the approach of deferring maintenance to save money.

This provided some great room rates for budget travelers, but from a company perspective Caesars was hurting themselves by not being able to charge more for nicer room offerings.

This might be changing though. On the latest Caesars Entertainment earnings conference call yesterday new CEO Mark Frissora talked about being able to achieve higher average daily room rates by improving their properties.

Indeed Caesars has already taken steps to upgrade Las Vegas hotel rooms with the upcoming Julius Tower at Caesars Palace, new suites at Paris, upgraded rooms in the Carnival Tower at Harrah's, and refreshed Hollywood Hip rooms and suites at Planet Hollywood.

This follows some other improvements at Caesars properties including the complete overhauls at The Cromwell and The Linq, along with new hotel rooms at the Bally's Jubilee Tower and the Rio Samba Suites.

If Caesars continues to aggressively improve their room products it would give Las Vegas travelers many more options for a nicer hotel room closer to the center of the Strip.

Guy Fieri El Burro Borracho at Rio

The restaurant personality everyone loves to hate, Guy Fieri is opening his Mexican joint El Burro Borracho at Rio.

According to the press release, "El Burro Borracho, or the Drunken Donkey in its literal translation, will bring a vibrant, fun atmosphere with the Guy Fieri touch. Guests will enjoy authentically prepared Mexican dishes with upscale touches and the signature, flavorful flair you would expect from Fieri. Crispy Mahi Mahi Juan Tacos, Flaming Queso Fundido, Acapulco Gold Salad, Drunken Fish Tacos, Lava Rock Shrimp, signature tortas, enchiladas, burritos and an array of house made, signature salsas are just a few of the items available on the menu."

I personally don't have a problem with Guy, but he really does bring it upon himself with those wacky menu items. A little self awareness would go a long way, but then again he's done quite well with his antics - manufactured or not, so whatever works right?

This will be Guy Fieri's second Las Vegas restaurant. The other one is Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen & Bar at The Linq. His roots in Las Vegas stem from being a graduate of UNLV.

When I first heard about this news I suspected El Burro Borracho would replace the closing Rio Village Seafood Buffet - but the press release says that Guy's restaurant will actually be located near the Rio pool.

Rio and Wynn Buffet Changes

Changes are coming to two of my favorite Las Vegas buffets.

The Wynn Buffet is undergoing a refresh and expansion. The buffet closed last week and will be re-opening on November 23, 2015. While the Wynn Buffet was already the best in the business they are attempting to be even better by adding a reported 100+ new menu items. I'm a little worried they're messing with a good thing here, but I'm sure it will still be good after the reopening.

The Village Seafood Buffet at Rio is also closing, and will be combined with Rio's pedestrian Carnival World Buffet according to the Las Vegas Advisor. I think this is likely a bad development. Village Seafood Buffet was an underrated gem, and although it will still exist within the Carnival World Buffet (for an up-charge) it likely won't be the same.

View from Rio Parking Garage

When looking for a great view of the Strip you might think about something like Ghostbar at The Palms, The High Roller, or perhaps Voodoo Lounge at Rio.

Those places are great, but if you're looking for a nice view and don't want to spend any money - several of the hotel parking garages around the Strip can give you a nice view for absolutely free.

Here are some pictures I got recently from the Rio parking garage. The view isn't quite as nice as Voodoo lounge, but it's not bad.

Rio Pool and Strip View Photos

When I stayed in a Rio Samba suite I took a few pictures from my room of the Strip and the Rio Pool.

Rio Samba Suite Review Pictures

I had a chance to stay at Rio recently and was upgraded to one of the relatively new Samba suites.

One of the biggest positives at Rio is the large size of the rooms. Every room is a "suite" in the Las Vegas sense of the word, although these rooms might not qualify as suites in other cities.

The Samba suite was very nice. You could tell the carpet and almost everything else in the room was newly replaced. One strange thing was the placement of the TV right in front of the window - but who watches TV in Vegas anyway?

Bottom line - because of their off-Strip location Rio usually has very affordable room prices. Booking a room at Rio and then trying to score an upgrade to a Samba suite at check-in might be a good option for a budget trip - assuming you can deal with being slightly off the Strip.

2015 WSOP November Nine Final Table

The 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event is down to the final table. The remaining November Nine players will continue to battle for the title this fall at Rio Las Vegas. 6,420 players started the tournament, each putting up a $10,000 buy-in.

The biggest story however might be the player who didn't make the final table. Daniel Negreanu was by far the most famous poker pro in contention, and was likely the only recognizable name to casual poker fans. Negreanu finished in 11th place taking home $526,778. Negreanu knows what it feels like to come up just short of the title - he also finished 11th in 2001. I'm sure he's disappointed but just making it that far in a field of 6,420 players is a huge accomplishment.

Player	Country	Chips
Joseph McKeehen	USA	63,100,000
Zvi Stern	Israel	29,800,000
Neil Blumenfield	USA	22,000,000
Pierre Neuville	Belgium	21,075,000
Max Steinberg	USA	20,200,000
Thomas Cannuli	USA	12,250,000
Joshua Beckley	USA	11,800,000
Patrick Chan	USA	6,225,000
Federico Butteroni	Italy	6,200,000

Mirage Volcano Cutting Showtimes

The famous volcano in front of The Mirage will be reducing the number of times it erupts per night. The volcano showtimes will be 8 and 9 pm on weekdays (Sunday through Thursday) with an additional 10 pm show on weekends (Friday and Saturday).

Previously the volcano had erupted every half hour from dusk until midnight. It has operated since the hotel opened in 1989. The volcano was upgraded in 1996 and underwent another major renovation in 2008.

Unfortunately this marks another reduction of free attractions on the Strip. The MGM Grand lion habitat,the Pirate Show at Treasure Island, and the Rio Show in the Sky were some other free attractions that closed recently. While the volcano isn't closing completely it's upsetting nonetheless.

It appears MGM Resorts International is reducing the volcano's hours as a cost cutting measure. MGM has also been selling assets recently. It seems like they need money for something. I guess they are watching their pennies closely with the $1.2 billion MGM National Harbor starting construction, along with Massachusetts and Macau projects underway.

Caesars Entertainment Resort Fees starting March 1, 2013

After years of advertising that they don't charge resort fees, Caesars Entertainment has changed course 180 degrees. The company will start charging the fees on all Las Vegas rooms booked after March 1, 2013.

This is quite a change from the summer of 2011 when showgirls from Bally's protested resort fees on the Strip.

All eight Caesars properties in Vegas (Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bally's, Harrah's, Flamingo, Rio and The Quad) will start charging resort fees ranging from $10-25 a night, which will include the use of basic amenities like internet access and use of the hotel fitness center.

From an outside perspective this seems like a strange move. Since most Las Vegas Strip hotels charge resort fees, I thought Caesars was in a great position being able to advertise that the didn't have the fees. Obviously adding fees will provide a revenue boost for the company, but they could have just as easily done that by raising hotel rates outright.

Caesars obviously didn't think they could continue on with the no-fee strategy though, as eye-catching low rack rates backed up by secondary "hidden" fees are proving to be a very successful strategy for travel providers.

Rio Show in the Sky - Closing March 30, 2013

Rio's Masquerade Show in the Sky attraction will be closing for good on March 30th.

The show opened back in 1997 along with the rest of Rio's Masquerade Village expansion. It features dance and style from Brazilian Carnival, and Mardi Gras floats which are suspended on guide rails hanging from the ceiling. Guests can ride on the floats for a nominal fee, or just watch for free.

While it's sad to see an attraction like this close, I'm not surprised in the least bit. It was surely very popular at the beginning of its 16 year run, but I really don't think people were making the trip over to Rio just to see the show anymore. Showtimes had already been cut down to weekends only, and the cost of labor for the show performers couldn't have been cheap, especially for a financially depressed company like Rio's parent Caesars Entertainment.

That being said, it's one less thing on the list of "free things to do in Las Vegas" along with the recently closed Lion Habitat at MGM Grand. You have to wonder if providing a free attraction to bring people into your hotel is a viable strategy anymore, although I'm guessing it still works with the Bellagio fountains. Many of these attractions dated back to when Vegas was marketing itself as family friendly. Since the family friendly thing seems to be a thing of the past, many of these free family attractions are going to bite the dust.

Penn and Teller sign 6 year Extension

Penn and Teller celebrated their 20th year in Las Vegas by doing a special show Friday night (February 8, 2013). During the show they performed material from when they first came to Vegas in 1993 and called Bally's their home.

According to the Pulse of Vegas blog, Penn and Teller and Rio also announced a six year contract extension, which will make them the longest-running headlining act at an individual hotel in the history of Las Vegas.

In other Penn and Teller news, they will be getting a star on the Hollywood walk of fame soon, and Penn will be facing off with Donald Trump again on Celebrity Apprentice all-stars.

Penn and Teller is on the short list of shows that I want to see in Vegas, so this extension should give me ample opportunity.

January Restaurant Roundup

A couple of restaurant tidbits have crossed the wire over the past couple of days.

The biggest news is probably the Gordon Ramsay restaurant rumored for Paris Las Vegas is actually happening. Robin Leach reported the Ramsay news way back in December 2010. A year went by without anything happening, but now there's an official press release stating that Gordon Ramsay Steak will be opening in the spring to replace the closed Les Artistes Steakhouse.

KJ Dim Sum & Seafood Chinese Restaurant is opening at Rio. Pulse of Vegas says they should be open in time for Chinese New Year, which is January 23rd. Las Vegas locals might be familiar with KJ's sister location in Chinatown, branded KJ Kitchen.

Lastly, Vegas Tripping is reporting that Union Restaurant at Aria is closing. It appears the restaurant might have suffered from service issues and was a tad overpriced.

Caesars All Night Pass

Back in April of last year, Caesars Entertainment introduced their Buffet of Buffets deal which allowed you unlimited access to any Caesars property buffet for a 24 hour period.

The promotion was so successful, they followed it up with the All Stage Pass which allowed you to see as many shows as you could within a 48 hour period.

Now they are extending the concept to their nightlife offerings with the All Night Pass. For one low price (currently $44.99 for Total Rewards members, $49.99 for non-members) you will be granted access to seven of the nightclubs at Caesars properties.

The clubs are Pure at Caesars Palace, Chateau at Paris, Gallery at Planet Hollywood, Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Saloon at Planet Hollywood, Crown at Rio, VooDoo at Rio and Carnival Court at Harrah’s.

The pass is available Thursday through Sunday only and is valid on the day of purchase from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. Blackout dates may apply.

I'm not really a nightclub person, but I suppose this might be a good deal for those wanting to check out a few different clubs in one night. The selling point is the ability to jump the line and get into the clubs right away. If that's the case it would certainly be a time-saver at some of the more popular clubs.

For more information, check out the Caesars Pulse of Vegas Blog.

November Nine is Set at WSOP

The 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event is down to the final table. The "November Nine" will square off November 5th through November 7th with the action airing on ESPN on November 8th.

November Nine chip count:

1. Martin Staszko - Czech Republic - 40,175,000
2. Eoghan O'Dea - Ireland - 33,925,000
3. Matt Giannetti - Las Vegas, USA - 24,750,000
4. Phil Collins - Las Vegas, USA - 23,775,000
5. Ben Lamb - Tulsa, USA - 20,875,000
6. Badih Bounahra - Belize - 19,700,000
7. Pius Heinz - Germany - 16,425,000
8. Anton Makiievskyi - Ukraine - 13,925,000
9. Sam Holden - United Kingdom - 12,375,000

It's a very young final table, with 7 of the 9 players 26 years old or younger. Poker is increasingly an international game, as only 3 of the players are from the USA (2 playing out of Las Vegas).

Rio Casino Robbed of $35K in Chips

For the second time in a matter of months, a major Las Vegas casino has been robbed at gunpoint.

At 4:30 this morning, a man reportedly wearing a disguise consisting of a fake mustache and a fedora hat managed to swipe $35,000 worth of chips from a gaming table at Rio before hopping in a cab to escape. The cab driver didn't know the man had just committed the robbery and proceeded to drive him to Terrible's Casino.

In a similar incident, the Bellagio was robbed of over $1 million in chips in December by a man who escaped on a motorcycle. The alleged robber in that case was caught earlier this month.

These are probably isolated incidents, but I would imagine this will prompt the hotels and casinos to at least consider beefing up security a little. Although if a robber has a gun and is willing to use it there might not be much a security guard could do in that situation.

Source: CBS News.

UPDATE: It appears that police know the identity of three men implicated in the robbery and have arrested two of them. The cab driver was allegedly in on the robbery.

BK Whopper Bar to open at Rio

The Burger King "Whopper Bar" concept has been making its way to some of the more popular tourist areas around the world. CityWalk at Universal Orlando was the first location, with Times Square soon to follow. It was only a matter of time before Las Vegas got a Whopper Bar. The Vegas location will be opening at Rio in March.

I'm usually a pretty big fast food fan, but I'm not so sure about the Whopper Bar. When I first heard the name I envisioned an actual bar where waitresses would serve beer along with your whopper. Something like your standard sports bar, but instead of "bar food" you would have access to an upscale version of the BK menu.

It turns out the Whopper Bar is less like an alcohol bar and more like a fixins' bar. From what I can gather it's a Burger King, but with a limited menu consisting of mostly whoppers. You get to customize your whopper with a bunch of toppings which are put on the burger right in front of you, like at Subway. It appears that some locations serve beer and some don't. I'm guessing Vegas will, but who knows.

While I'm sure the whoppers are delicious, I really don't think I would make a special trip to visit a Whopper Bar. It doesn't seem different enough from a standard issue Burger King to get me excited about piling my whopper full of toppings. Writing this blog post has made me very hungry though.

Source: Pulse of Vegas.

2011 WSOP Schedule Announced

The World Series of Poker is a huge event. The 2011 edition will include a whopping 58 tournaments in 50 days. The tournament will take place May 31 - July 19 at Rio, with the final table of the Main Event taking place from November 5-7, airing on ESPN the next day on November 8th.

Caesars Entertainment made a great investment a few years ago when they acquired the WSOP brand from Binion's. The event seemingly growing each year is a good sign for Caesars and the city as a whole.

The WSOP is a great event, but I have to wonder if 58 tournaments is too much. With so many bracelets up for grabs each year, it seems like each one becomes less and less valuable. They are still very hard to win, but a pro can play so many tournaments that it's likely he (or she) will come up with a bracelet eventually.

For more on the 2011 schedule, check out WSOP.

Bring Your Dog to Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace, Imperial Palace and Rio now allow guests with dogs to stay at their hotels. I'm a little surprised that Caesars would allow dogs especially at the Agustus Tower since that is a fairly new and nice tower, but I guess if the pets are contained to a specified area then everything would probably work out and other guests wouldn't be disturbed.

UPDATE - January 2011: The Pet Stay program has now been expanded to include Caesars Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Harrah's, Flamingo, Bally's, Rio and Imperial Palace. Please check with each hotel for details.

Here's the policy:

Caesars Palace, Imperial Palace and Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are rolling out the red carpet for traveling dogs, with the launch of "PetStay," the resorts' new pet-friendly hotel program.

Guests participating in the PetStay program are greeted by several canine-friendly in-room amenities including a mat, food and water dishes, disposable waste bags and dog treats.

Caesars Palace, Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino and Imperial Palace each host a designated PetStay area within the hotel, equipped with welcome packets that direct guests to outdoor relief areas and dog walking routes as well as specialty room service menus. Additional Information about dog-friendly items for purchase and nearby dog services (such as grooming, walking and veterinary care) is available upon check-in at each of the participating resorts.

Policy
Caesars Palace, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and Imperial Palace have the following pet policy:

* Dogs staying at any of the three hotels must weigh 50 pounds or less and be present at the time of check- in.
* Up to 2 dogs per room are allowed
* Dogs are permitted to walk through designated common areas while on a leash and accompanied by the owner.

Hotel room rates for owners traveling with a dog are competitively priced at a $25 per night upgrade for designated pet-friendly hotel accommodations in the Augustus Tower at Caesars Palace; a $20 per night upgrade applies to similar accommodations at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino and Imperial Palace.

Source: Harrah's - Pet Stay Las Vegas.

7319 Enter World Series of Poker Main Event

With 7,319 players, the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event at Rio is the second largest in the history of the tournament. First prize will be just shy of $9 million.

There has been a lot of discussion as to weather the increased field could mean that the economy is rebounding. It's certainly possible, but I don't know if this event is reflective of the Las Vegas economy. Players come from all over the country, and even all over the world, so it's a pretty small sample size to be an economic indicator.