Back in October 2011, Caesars Entertainment Public Relations Manager Leslie Thuet told us "So far we do not have any plans to re-paint the Rio." Indeed, nothing has been done in the intervening four years and Caesars did not return multiple phone calls and e-mails relating to your query, which leads us to believe that doing nothing is still the order of the day.
Perhaps this will change now that the company’s CEO is Mark Frissora, replacing Gary Loveman. The latter was notorious for deferring maintenance on all but a handful of Caesars properties, preferring to pour money into new ones. During the financial crisis that led up to Caesars bankruptcy, Wall Street analysts frequently observed that Caesars was listing its casinos at inflated values that did not reflect their lack of upkeep.
The company was repeatedly rumored to be shopping The Rio or even near a deal but nothing ever came of it. Perhaps the tattered appearance of the building’s exterior, rife with peeling paint, made prospective buyers balk at the $500 million asking price. The rooms at The Rio evidently haven’t been renovated since 2005 and that didn’t go so well for Caesars. As many as 17 floors of the Ipanema Tower were redone without the appropriate construction permits being pulled. A two-month Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation found that "the project took shortcuts that could jeopardize public safety," abetted by safety inspections described as "cursory." ("The only work found that requires a permit was the replacement of one light fixture in each unit," said the four-paragraph Clark County report.) "They made a calculated bet that it wouldn’t go public," whistleblower Fred Frazetta told the newspaper.
R-J reporters found renovations that didn’t match plans on file with the county and that walls had been removed, affecting The Rio’s fire rating. The county reopened its investigation and, among its findings, discovered that holes intended for electrical sockets had been left open, potentially permitting smoke to travel from room to room or into hallways. The Rio was ordered to do remedial work on the elevator lobby, in stairwells, and on 14 guest-room floors. Similar corner-cutting was found at Harrah’s Las Vegas and Flamingo Las Vegas, and repaired.
Then-District Attorney David Roger had misdemeanor charges against Caesars dismissed, saying, "Misdemeanor citations are used as a tool to gain compliance. [Caesars] has demonstrated cooperation in achieving compliance as required." The company was, however, out of pocket $1.1 million for an independent audit and an additional hundred grand in administrative fees to Clark County.
Considering that it’s been 10 years since The Rio was renovated and that the job had to be patched up subsequently, we’re inclined to agree with you that it’s time for a makeover.
