We stayed 3 nights in the Ipanema tower. Our room was only on the 3rd floor so not much of a view, also we never had any sun shine due to the other towers blocking it. But on the positive side we never spent much time in the elevator and the room was very nice. I hate not having free internet though and the food and drink prices were very high. We ended up eating often at the Gold Coast next door which means we also ended up gambling there too. Smart on their part luring people in with food and drink deals. Pool area was good and all hotel areas were very clean.

Stayed at Rio from April 30th to May 4th. Fast check-in service. Love the view from the roomm of the strip. Stayed in Ipanema tower on 13th floor. After getting to the room, we notice the safe was locked by previous people and called downstairs, a person was at the door within 10 minutes to open for our use. The Carnival buffet is by far the best of all the buffets that I had done in Vegas. The free bus runs every 20 minutes to the strip which was great as last year we stayed off strip but had to walk each day to the strip. We were able to see more shows on the strip and also had fun gambling there. The show in the sky at the hotel was great to watch and I loved collecting the beads. We are planning to return in November and will be staying at the Rio again.

I was comped for 1 night at the Rio, we arrived on a Thursday evening. No check in line at all, the CS rep was very nice and I asked if I could get an upgrade, she said sure "I hope you like it", I was originally reserved in the masquerade tower.
Well up to 18th floor and wow what a view of the strip and pools. There was plenty of room and we had a fridge but in the hall way, not the closet.
The beds were comfy, my only complain was that while retiring for the night, I couldnt see the TV in the far bed, thats it.
I would defintely stay here again, and the voodoo lounge was great. It was rather windy up there, but it was a good vibe and the views were great too.

I am not sure why people are giving this place a bad rap, we had a great stay. The room was clean and the service was great. Every employee that I crossed smiled and said hello. We spent a day at the pool and also had a great time. The drink prices were inflated, but hello, you are in Las Vegas. All in all we had a great time. Keep up the good work Rio.