Riviera Las Vegas will close its doors on May 4, 2015 at noon. The property is being acquired by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The Las Vegas Strip property will be used for a massive expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center footprint.
This announcement motivated my wife and I decide to get a suite at Riviera before its closure. We wanted to have an old school Las Vegas-style night while the property still exists as the Riviera is the last of its kind on the Strip.
Riviera Studio Suite
My wife and I got what is described as a “Studio Suite” at Riviera. These are in the Monaco Tower, the most recently remodeled hotel building at Riviera. We stayed in room 4707, which is actually on the seventh floor. The room did not look like the pictures on Riviera’s website. We either got issued a different room than we paid for or the pictures are not representative of what is actually available.
The room was clean. The furnishings were in acceptable condition. There was one major maintenance issue. The shower drain was extremely slow and backed up water when used. Another issue was that the room used analog cable. Many of the channels did not come in clearly.
The room rate was only $57. Ignoring the drain issue, this is a very reasonable rate. There is also a junk $17 resort fee. It includes free wireless internet, but it did not work. We could pick up two bars on the wireless connection but it would just get dropped.
The resort fee also includes the pool. We did not use that amenity since it was in the upper 60s outside, although there were some people there sunbathing. Use of a fitness center is also included in the resort fee. We didn’t use that either, but if we wanted to, it was in another tower on the other side of the casino.
Advantage Playing the Coupon Book
The room comes with a coupon book. We used several offers that gave great value. We started with the 10% off discount at the R Steakhouse. This is a hidden gem at Riviera. The dinner is always great there, as well as the service. The pricing is very affordable, especially for the Strip.
The furnishings of the R Steakhouse have seen better days. Most of the booth seats were damaged from normal wear and tear. There is no reason to fix that with the property closing in less than a month.
There is a buy one get one free comedy club coupon. This made two tickets $29.95. It was worth it.
Jackson Perdue and Robert Duchaine were the performers. The venue was about half full. We were right in front of the stage. The coupon book also included buy one get one free drinks for the comedy club. We took advantage of that, too.
The booklet also includes a free $10 and free $25 match bet good for even money wagers. We made sure to use those coupons before we left. We bet red on roulette and lost the $25 match play, while winning the $10 coupon on the same bet on the next spin.
Most of the other coupons in the book were 10% discounts at a variety of outlets in the food court. There were also coupons for the casual dining options and a couple of hotel services.
Noticeable Changes on Casino Floor
There were several noticeable changes on the casino floor since the closure was announced. Three table games have been removed from the pit near the bar. Some slot machines have been removed from the floor, including the Press Your Luck machines, which I think were the last ones in Las Vegas.
Nevada casinos that are not affiliated with others must giveaway progressive jackpots before a closure. Riviera does have another casino to transfer jackpots to so it must pay it to players in some way. Several promotions running appear to be funded by these jackpots. About half of the progressive slot jackpots are stuck on the reset number. It appears that once the jackpot is hit, the progressive meter no longer runs. This lowers the value to slot players.
Bar Inventory Issues
The main casino bar is preparing for the closure. The old $1-$2-$3 deal has been changed to reflect what is overflowing in the inventory. It seems flavored Skyy Vodka was not as popular as predicted. It is on sale now for $2 a shot. Captain Morgan is, too.
The back bar shows how limited the selection is becoming. Much of the space where liquor bottles once sat on the back bar is now empty. Many of the same bottles are duplicated in the space to make it look like there are more choices.
The bartenders, like everyone else we encountered that works at Riviera, did a great job and had a good attitude considering the situation. It seems many of the employees have been able to find new jobs. That is great news.
Pics with the Crazy Girls Statue
Of course, my wife and I had to get our pictures taken with the famous Crazy Girls statue along the Strip. Producers of the show told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that it will move to a new venue. There is no word on where that will be at this time.
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