Rio Las Vegas, the 36-year-old, 2,520-room off-Strip hotel-casino, is making a bid for more large gatherings with new policies that include waiving resort fees for all group business.
The elimination of resort fees is effective immediately, applies to any booking year and has no end date, according to the hotel-casino.
“Planners have told us for years that resort fees are one of the most exhausting parts of contracting in Las Vegas,” Ashley Lowe, senior vice president of sales at Rio, said in an emailed release. “They complicate budgets and create doubt at exactly the wrong moment. We want Rio to be the easiest ‘yes’ in this market, and that means being upfront about value from day one.”
Lowe said the property soft-launched the waiver for 2026 and 2027 group gatherings and “the response was immediately overwhelmingly positive, so we decided to extend it to all years.”
The elimination of resort fees is one of several policy changes involving group sales at Rio in a bid to attract more bookings.
As part of the broader group promotion, Rio also is offering:
-Complimentary internet in all meeting spaces.
-A 20 percent discount on audio visual, excluding labor, provided by Encore.
-Double Hyatt meeting planner loyalty points.
-A 10 percent discount on food and beverage.
-One suite upgrade for every 75 room nights.
-One complimentary room for every 40 rooms actualized.
-A $500 shipping and receiving credit.
-One complimentary amenity for every 40 rooms.
Rio officials say no other Las Vegas property offers a comparable resort fee waiver structure for group business.
Typically, resort fees can add $50 or more per room, per night to a group’s overall costs and have long been cited by planners as one of the most frustrating elements of hotel contracting.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
