Well, actually that was the motto of Black Power activist Stokely Carmichael … but, in essence, that's the message coming out of the camp of Sen. Hillary Clinton, favored candidate of Harrah's Entertainment. I knew in my heart that the Clintons were willing to tear down the Democratic Party to get the presidential nomination, no matter how tarnished, but I never thought their surrogates would come out and say it. Shameful.
If you feel as I do, wash out that bad aftertaste with this.
Speaking of Harrah's, every day I walk by The Rio on my way to work. After four and a half months, I can't hold my tongue any longer: As swanky as it is on the inside, The Rio's exterior is looking like The Casino That Harrah's Forgot. Simply put, the paint is peeling. Not a flake here and there, but big, long strips all over the place, especially where that Jack Daniels wraparound billboard used to be.
We know that Harrah's is going to have to count its pennies, now that a leveraged buyout has left it with enough debt to choke the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Also, thanks to a series of reports by the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Joan Whitely, we've learned that maintenance hasn't been Job One at Harrah's lately. But would it wreck the balance sheet to go down to Ace Hardware, pick up a few cans of paint and touch up The Rio? (I exaggerate, but you get my point.)
Every so often, one rumor or another surfaces to the effect that Harrah's is trying to offload The Rio, whether to Boyd Gaming or George Maloof or whomever. These rumors may be more entertaining than true. Yet, a decade ago, it was Harrah's prize Vegas acquisition, the resort property that was going to entice regional players to cash in their Total Rewards points here. Now it looks like a red-headed stepchild.
It shouldn't be this way. The Rio still a great property with the most beautiful hotel tower in town … after dark, anyway.
