Interior Design Tests Could Telegraph Rio Refresh

By Scott Roeben, on July 07 2022
2 min read 7 comments
Las Vegas

We’ve been keeping an eye on top secret renovation tests going on at Rio, and we’ve got photos you’ll only see here.

Rio has been testing things like carpeting, room numbering and lighting fixtures in its hotel for some time. No decision has been made to-date.

Once a style is chosen, it will be rolled out throughout Rio in a multimillion-dollar renovation by the new owners, Dreamscape.

We would like to have a strong opinion about this carpeting, but we know as much about interior design as we do about sports.

The decor tests are readily accessible by the public, but we aren’t going to tell you where, as that wouldn’t be scoopvantageous, a word we’re not entirely sure exists, but should.

In case you missed the last batch of tests, we’ve got you.

We tend to favor the previous carpeting tests over these, but there are a lot of moving parts with a renovation this size. Supply chain issues are real, and acquiring items, like custom carpeting, is taking longer than ever. Course corrections and compromises are sometimes necessary.

There hasn’t really been a strong thread between the various design features being tested. They range from abstract to frenetic to, most recently, topographical. Just go with it, they aren’t done yet. In the hotel renovation business, you have to kiss a lot of twists. Or face weights. Or something. We refuse to read any more about carpeting just for a blog post.

The light fixtures are moving in a good direction. We trust any of the elements could be swapped with parts of other motifs.

Rio has a Rio Carnival theme, but Vegas hotels have generally moved away from theming in recent years.

At the moment, Rio is managed by Caesars Entertainment, but that partnership is likely to end in 2023.

Once Dreamscape gives Caesars Entertainment notice of termination of their agreement, the partnership would end 90 days following that notification, from what we understand.

The lease goes until Dec. 2023, so Caesars Entertainment could be done at Rio as soon as Jan. 1, 2023. The relationship could also extend beyond that. Again, lots of moving parts.

The decision about timing of the transition has yet to be made or announced.

After Caesars Entertainment is out of the picture, Dreamscape will manage the operations of Rio.

As we were the first to share, Dreamscape recently brought on a new President of Gaming & Entertainment, Trevor Scherrer. Scherrer is a seasoned pro with 35 years of experience in the casino and hospitality realm. He was previously at MGM Grand, Mirage, New York-New York and Resorts World.

With its massive financial investment (expected to be hundreds of millions of dollars), Dreamscape’s plan is to return Rio “to its founding philosophy of a fun and energetic vibe.”

Let’s go!