I was there for a conference and it was "mandatory" to stay at the Riviera. The Riviera is a very old hotel and its apparent from the rooms.

It had been 7 years since I've visited Vegas and things have changed. It used to be inexpensive and you got that for your money. Now you pay big bucks and still get junk.

Although I was on a non-smoking floor it stunk like smoke, there was a gap in the bottom of the main door and the locks did not seem stable. There were inadequate locks on the windows too. There was tons of noise in the halls and the bathroom was terrible. Under the sink had tons of water damage and looked terrible.

Overall for paying a very high room rate I was very displeased with the the hotel. The food ranges were from cheap and nasty to inexpensive and not good. Plus you had to pay for internet service at almost $10 a day.

Compared to other cities it was outrageous and very unappealing. The bed was not comfortable and the room did not make you feel at home at all.

Had a good time at the Riviera Hotel. It was above average temps so we got to use the pool and outside area. Pool was great and the lifeguards were fun. If you don't want to rent a floating raft - bring your own.
Casino did not seem overly smoky and when we sat down to play the slots we were brought free drinks fairly fast. Penny slot area has 99cent Lime Margaritas and $2.00 Strawberry Margartias- very good!
The room was clean,bed was comfortable. Room is a bit small and they charge for local calls (a ripoff) Elevators are fast and our non-smoking room smelled very clean and was quiet.
If you like gourmet food this hotel is not for you. But we wanted to lay at the pool area and not run around to find different places to eat, so we used the hotel coupons which made the buffet only $6.00 each (included drinks and desserts). The buffet was good for $6.00 - I wouldn't pay the regular $12.00 for the buffet.
Location for the Riviera is ok, not great, it is located at one end of the strip. We bought day passes for the Deuce city bus which stops right outside the hotel and goes up and down the strip every 5 minutes. Otherwise it's a bit of a walk to the other casinos like New York, Paris, etc. But the Deuce bus worked well except during rush hour then it took about 40 minutes to get on the bus.
When we checked in we had to wait about 30 minutes in line (yuck) but checkout can be done in your room using a TV program. All in all a good trip and would stay here again. It's not the fanciest hotel but it costs a lot less and I would rather use my extra money to play the slots or buy margaritas. I would stay here again.

We stayed at the Riviera hotel in Mar/April 2006. We had a 14 night stay and found this hotel to be average in comparison to the other bigger hotels but is good value for money and really couldn't complain about it all.
I must admit that it did take a while to get checked in at reception on our arrival, but once we had, we found our rooms to be very clean and spacious. We had 2 double beds in our room with television and small dining table with chairs at the window. Our room looked down the strip towards the Stratosphere Hotel.
I found the maids to be very friendly and we were always given fresh towels when needed, and when we wanted more pillows (we had left a note in the morning) they were there waiting for us when we returned from our days shopping.
The pool area can get quite crowded if it's a hot day so be prepared to wait for a lounger but the waiting staff round the pool are more than happy to bring you a drink while you wait.
The food court at the Riviera is great with a wide selection of good food from Subway to La Salsa. One of the burger places do a cooked breakfast for less than $5per person which is far better than the buffet upstairs. I wouldnt waste your money. The lines are slow and the stations are low on food when it gets busy and takes a long while to be replenished.
Other than that, I find the Riviera Hotel to be clean, basic and good value, especially if you're looking for a hotel that's cheap and cheerful and just want somewhere to rest after a long hard day shopping or sunbathing.

Stayed in the Monaco tower which is a fair hike from check-in. Room was on par with a Days Inn, with very basic furniture, television, bathroom, etc. In-room A/C unit makes quite a racket when turned on. Pros about the Riv are the price (only $50/night during spring break week) and the short-ish walk to the Wynn (10 mins south) and Sahara/Stratosphere (10 mins north). Probably would not stay here again.