Riviera Hotel & Casino

I've stayed here with friends a few times. An older hotel/casino but well-kept. Clean. and Cheap compared to comparable hotels. If you're on a budget, this place is often featured in those "travel packages". Good deal. Right across the street from Slot O Fun and other cheaper gambling spots (and $1 foot long hot dogs!) You laugh about the hot dogs -- but at 3am, and totally blitzed, these dogs hit the spot. This hotel/casino is pretty north of the bellagio, etc (about a 1/2 hour walk). But its one of the few cheap rooms that are actually clean and well kept.

Let's be honest. People stay at the riviera because it's cheap and technically it's still on the strip. So my complaints may be petty but are still warranted.Complaint number one: The place is in major need of a renvation from top to bottom. 40 years ago the place was probaly a 3* hotel but now you feel as if you stepped back in time with ugly carpets, drapes and waitresses. Complaint number two: The funny musty smell in my room from the second i walked into it. Then expieienceing it's metamorphosis into the smell of RAW SEWAGE. A slight sewage smell but a smell none the less. I think it was coming from the bathroom. Speaking of the bathroom (and we could for days) it too had other smells as well. The tub was moldy and the mold was actually visable. Complaint number 4 or 5 (whose counting anyway) was the fact that the heater didn't work and it was about 40 degrees in the room. I went in january and the outside temps were in the 30's. so the room got cold. When i turned on the heat the musty dust filled bucket of pbroken parts spurted out cold air for about a half hour before heating up to a blistering 40 degrees. Final complaint: The leak from the ceiling put a cap on the riviera experience fo me. For some reason the ceiling above the heater and window beagan to leak. This was just a place to flop at night for me so i really didn't care. Apparently neither did anyone else. The maid cleaned my room that day nd fixed the leaky problem. She put a fresh dry washcloth under it as it dripped. Problem solved why didn't i think of that. The riviera is cheap and if your not picky then stay their but if you can afford another 25 per person a night then stay at treasure island. I will next time. I went to vegas 12/29 to 1/3 2003. New Years in vegas is something everyone in should do. Pay the money for a hotel party somewhere. it's worth the bucks because. A: the don't let anyone who is not a guest into the big casino's on new years. and B: The strip is cold and packed with low lifes.

After flying from our weeks stay in San Francisco we flew to Las Vegas to stay at the Rivera Hotel & Casino for Christmas week.The hotel is huge with over 2000 rooms, first impressions were good. Depending on the type of room you stay in - the standard rooms are clean and quite large for a standard room accomodating a kingsize bed, TV with pay per view movies and a small table with two chairs and a full size ironing board with iron. There was plenty draws space and a sufficent wardrobe space. There is a gym located in the South Tower on the 12th Floor where you can get a steam, gym use and sauna for $15.00, and the facilites are very good.The hotel has a Buffet for Breakfast lunch and dinner. The dinner buffets we OK, but could have offered more non meat products as my partner was a Vegan. Las Vegas is unfriendly when it come to catering for Vegan or Vegetarian eaters. Unless you go to a Chinese or Indian Restuarant you won't find anything in the hotel food courts.The hotel Food Court offers Chinese meals, Sandwiches, Burger King and a Mexican Food, along with a Icecream and Coffee parlour. The outside sign says 24hrs but closes at 12.00 midnight.There is also "Kadys Steak House" which is open 24 hrs offering steaks and other breakfast items and a Italian Resturant and "50's style hot dog dinner. Staff are friendly and helpful - but be careful when asking for directions, as the streets of Las Vegas go on forever and you might find yourself walking more than 2 miles (as we found out), before you reach your desitination. The local CAT transport bus service runs outside the hotel bus no 301 - that takes you right to the top of the strip and further on to the bus depot, where you can transfer to the bus that takes you to the Las Vegas Outlet Centre offering a good selection of factory shops selling clothes shoes, jewellery etc. Fares on the buses are $2 per trip, where ever you go. We got a $5.00 24 pass which is much better and saves you money.The hotel has a constantly busy casino with fellow Americans who travel from other states to gamble away their cash from dusk to dawn - as with every other hotel. There are regulary shows at the hotel too. The swiminging pool is closed during winter months (but considering the amount of rooms the hotel accomodates its not very large). The only downfall with the hotel is that you have to pay an Engery Surcharge - we we charged $3.26 per day, per couple. The hotel state the charge is due to increase electricty costs. In my opinion this is unacceptable as electiricy costs should obviously be included in your rooms charges. - "One catch to watch out for".Overall the hotel is in a good location across the road from Circus Circus and in North End of the strip. Towards the South end are Luxor, Mandlay Bay, and New York New York and many other hotels which welcome guests from all hotels to see their shows and outside themes.

I just returned from a weekend in Vegas and I stayed at the Riviera. After reading the reviews here, I was TERRIFIED. Well, I don't know what people were complaining about. I saw NOBODY trying to sell time shares. I smelled NO mold or mildew. Check-in and check-out were both quick and easy. the room was fine. The buffet was fine. The coffee shop was fine. The casino was fine. The employees were ALL very nice - the blackjack dealers were a little sassy, but I like that. All in all, it was a perfectly pleasant place to stay. Then, factor in the fact that I only had to pay $25 A NIGHT for a Friday and Saturday night, and I think I got a fantastic deal. The Riviera is not fancy. It's not supposed to be and it doesn't pretend to be. If you want fancy, go someplace else. The Riviera is a reasonably nice, comfortable, clean, pleasant place to stay in Vegas at a great price. Good for them!

You people who do not care for the Riv. Hotel are not looking at the big picture. Who goes to Las Vegas to spend all the time in the room.? You go to see the shows and eat and gamble and see the sites. I have been going to the Riv. for several years and I think I will continue for years to come. They keep the rates down so low who can help but visit them. They do this for you.! I have more money to gamble with...YEAH!!.. The Hotel has alot of history and can you imagine the stars that have passed through those hallways over time.!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never had any problems with the staff. They all seemed well trained in the jobs assigned to them. Very polite and ready to assist. The carpet is a little old and the rooms are a little outdated, but they are still nice and clean. So you want the carpet changed and all the rooms re-done, well be prepared to pay a higher price for the stay you have in mind. They (The Riv.) stay affordable for all the guests that continue to come back. I am one of them. If you want the glitz and glamor and the marble and all that stuff, go ahead and go to the south end of the strip and pay double or triple for the same bed. The RIV. HOTEL is a great place to stay and I am one who will return time and again.

We arrived thanksgiving day and left Sunday morning...Check in was very quick(less than ten minutes)...Had a very nice stay. The rooms were very nice and clean... We stayed in the Monaco Tower...We ate in the buffet two times and the food was super...We even ate at Kristoffers...the food was excellent but a little pricey...They have a very nice casino...played blackjack and did pretty good...My only complaint would be trying to walk different places,,,I would advise you to take a taxi.(mostly under 10 to 15 dollars including the tip for the driver)..Casinos look a lot closer than what they really are...Also rent a car and see Red Rock Canyon...It is beautiful...We got out at the first scenic stop and walked out on the rocks...We even seen a rattlesnake that my husband almost stepped on....That was his most exciting part of the trip there....Ha Ha Ha....Next we stopped and walked up to the wild burros which was pretty cool...All in all we had a fantastic first trip to Las Vegas and I would stay at the Riv again...

I stayed here Fri 11/14 thru Sun 11/16. The price I paid certainly was less than anything else on the strip in Vegas for this weekend. But, the rule "you get what you pay for" absolutely applies in this case and there's not much to write home about here."The Riv" was once considered a glamorous, swinging place in the first 40 years or so of existence, but it is now an old, tired, dirty, ugly, smelly, depressing eyesore. It's located in the older, uglier "low roller" section of the North strip among other old school casinos that have been renovated perhaps more recently and successfully: Stardust, Frontier, Sahara, Circus Circus, Westward Ho, etc. It's quite a hike to the more glamorous and exciting Center and South Strip locations and the time share and prostitute pamphlet hawkers you must navigate along the way are quite annoying.uNow to my experience at the Riviera... I arrived around Noon to a very confusing lobby area swarming with guests checking out. I stood in line for quite a while and when it came my turn to speak to the desk clerk she coldly told me I could "try" to check in now at one of the automated terminals otherwise I could come back at 4:00. The automated terminal got the job done, but obviously there's no chance to ask for bedding or smoking changes, certainly not a possible upgrade. I was assigned a 2 bedded non smoking room in the Monaco tower. This is one of 4 towers built at various times over the past 40-50 years and is located at the far rear of the property. It's quite a hike through several doors and outside past the pool area. I was assigned a room on the 4th floor with a view of the parking garage, casino roof and a back entrance below. If I looked further past that I could partially see the Stratosphere Tower and Sahara at night. I was immediately repulsed upon entering the room (well actually after stepping off the elevator). The room was musky smelling, claustrophobic tiny with horrible carpet, drapes and linens. My guess is they probably are original to this building when it was built in the 70s. There was a very loud and smelly a/c unit under the window, a small safe that could be used for a fee and a very small TV with limited channels. A table and two ugly, uncomfortable and out of proportion chairs were jammed in between the closet and the TV. I then ventured to the bathroom to find a strong smell of mildew, with a horrible beige colored fiberglass tub with stains and a beige sink and toilet to match. The vanity was a bad faux dark brown marble that has lost all shine and texture over the years. The sink also leaked from the sides so that it would wet your clothes if you stand close and didn't put a towel around it. Later when I tried to get some sleep I discovered that the double beds were apparently shorter than normal. I'd say they're 6' long at most as I'm 6'3" and my feet hung off the end even if I slept sideways. The mattresses were lumpy, super soft and topped off by the smallest, worst excuses for pillows I've ever seen. Finally, I could hear lots of noise all night long as cars pulled in and out of the valet and people were coming and going through the back entrance, including lots of very vocal Marines who were there for some sort of a formal ball that weekend.All I can say is if you only need a place to place your bags, stay up all night and try to take a very quick shower without touching anything, then this dump might suffice. But don't expect to sleep or not leave without feeling repulsed and depressed.Also, "The Riv" is apparently still under the impression that there's a severe energy crisis going on, since they charge a $3.27 per night energy surcharge. What a joke!This room was certainly not 3* quality... I've stayed at many much nicer and cleaner 2* motels. Although I've heard that some rooms in other towers are somewhat larger and relatively nicer, I would avoid bidding 3* Strip in fear of getting stuck here. The wrecking ball can't come too soon for this dump in my opinion.

We went to Las Vegas Oct. 4. The whole town was packed with conventioneers. All rooms were taken. We were reserved at the Riviera (it's all we could get when we reserved). We were a little nervous because of the comparitively low price but figured we could live with most problems for a few days. We arrived at the hotel at noon (four hours before check-in). We anticipated leaving our bags and keeping busy until check-in time but that was not the case. Our room was ready! It was large and very clean. We were allowed to check in early and were able to begin our vacation immediately. We ate at Kady's once. Did not care for it. Loved the breakfast buffet across the street at Circus, Circus. The slots at the Riviera were loose and there were plenty of nickel slots to choose from. The cocktail waitresses were there on a constant basis. They were polite and friendly. We visited the hotels on "the Strip". Found them to be so crowded that they were barely enjoyable. The Venetian was the most roomy with plenty of breathing room. Still, we could hardly wait to get back to our peaceful end of town. Could not get any waitress attention while playing nickel slots at any other hotel except the Riv. Ate at the Frontier. That was very good. Went downtown and enjoyed a buffet that was quite good and reasonable. The slots were loose there, too. The light show downtown is spectacular. We will return to Vegas and the Riviera. The friends we traveled with knew of a place for locals called Klondike Inn. Two dollar blackjack and terrific waitress service kept us busy two nights in a row. Met some great characters there, too. The dealers were friendly and fun. We did all this because we rented a car. Well worth it. If you use a Visa or MC know that the extra charge for insurance is covered by your card so the cost of the rental is very cheap.

This was our first trip to Las Vegas. We arrived Oct. 4th and left Oct. 11, 2003. We were very happy with everything about the Riviera. Our room was spotless and housekeeping did a wonderful job daily. Everyone in the casino was very pleasant and drinks were always offered to us while gambling. We were never and I mean never harrassed by someone trying to get us to look at timeshare deals. We had a wonderful time there and would definetly go back. The food was very good and I don't think the buffet was overpriced for the large selection that was offered. I am sorry for people who didn't enjoy their experience but, we had an absolutely fabulous time at the Riviera!

We arrived in the late afternoon on a Sunday and the check-in line was a little bit long. The staff of the company selling timeshares, are abundandt, but are easily brushed off, just ignore them. The room was a BIG, bright king non-smoking room and had a nice light colored decor. The carpet is getting worn, but it was clean. The "24 hour" restraunt, Kady's was only open 6AM to 10PM and the food was only average at best. The steak house, Kristoffers, was EXCELLENT. Go to Jitters for early morning coffee and danishes. La Salsa in food court is good too. This is not one of the fancy, updated, new HUGE hotels, but it was a nice place to stay. All of the staff were very courteous.