Rio Las Vegas, the 36-year-old, 2,520-room hotel-casino off the Strip, is making a bid for more large gatherings with new policies that include waiving resort fees for all group activities.
The elimination of resort fees is effective immediately, applies to all booking years 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 contracts in Las Vegas,” Ashley Lowe, senior vice president of sales at the Rio, said in an email. “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 paying attention to value from day one.”
Lowe said the property soft-launched the exception for the 2026 and 2027 group gatherings and “the response was immediately overwhelmingly positive, so we decided to extend it to all years.”
The removal of resort fees is one of several policy changes involving group sales in Rio in an attempt to attract more bookings.
As part of the wider group promotion, Rio is also offering:
– Free internet in all meeting rooms.
-20 percent off audio visuals, excluding labor, provided by Encore.
-Double loyalty points for Hyatt meeting planners.
-10 percent discount on food and drinks.
– One suite upgrade for every 75 room nights.
-One free room for every 40 rooms.
-A $500 shipping and receiving credit.
– One free amenity for every 40 rooms.
Rio officials say no other Las Vegas property offers a comparable resort fee waiver structure for group companies.
Typically, resort fees can add $50 or more per room, per night to a group’s total costs and have long been cited by planners as one of the most frustrating parts of hotel contracts.
This is a development story. Check back for updates.
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