Vegas advice needed
 

Hi
Planning to attend a conference in Vegas in early March. The venue is Rio but after reading the posts here I'm having second thoughs about staying there.
It's my first trip to Vegas, what I've come across in this forum is that it's better to stay on the strip and that the Rio is kind of dated as compared to others in the price range and that the location being away from the strip is frustrating?
I DO need to attend the conference though so any ideas on where to stay so that I have easy access to both?
Thanks

Far and away the best hotel on the Strip is the new Wynn.

www.wynnlasvegas.com

Stay there and take a cab to the conference.

thanks gekko but I was really hoping for something within Rio's price range, any expereince with Harrah's? I hear it's a sister property and they have a shuttle to Rio.

Stay at the Rio and shuttle to the strip when needed. Palms is across from the Rio and fine for dining and fun. Gold coast is next to the Rio with good cheap dining. All 3 hotels have strip shuttles so you'll have no problem getting to the strip when you're ready to go.
Conference is at the Rio so you're not gonna want to get up early just to deal with a shuttle, better to be right there. Later in the day when you have leisure time, waiting for a shuttle is no prob.

Traffic in Las Vegas is no picnic. Stay at the Rio like others said. The Rio is not so bad and the rooms are large.

I would stay at the Rio. It's so much easier staying where your venue is. Palms would be my second choice, across the street. It does look fun, and I just recieved a brochure from them today.

And you can use the Rio to Harrahs shuttle to get to the strip. :-)

I always recommend staying on the Strip--except when attending a conference in an off-strip hotel. It's simply easier to stay where the meetings will be. I go to Vegas about 4 times a year, trust me when I say traffic can be hell. "Commuting" between a strip hotel and the meeting is not convenient. Shuttles are ok if you have all the time in the world, but to use them for being at a meeting on time is not a wise idea. Taxi's are expensive and get caught in traffic, so the best choice is simply stay at the Rio.

(As for being "dated" .... does everyone change their furniture, house design (i.e. plumbing fixtures, tile, flooring, window treatments, etc., their car, and whatever every year ????) Ikind of doubt it -- go, enjoy the conference, take some side trips to the Strip and ENJOY !!!

I have stayed at the Rio a couple of different times and in my experience you would be much more happy there than at any similar priced hotel on the strip and trying to commute back and forth.

Rio has floor to ceiling windows in most rooms and great views of the strip if you can get a strip view room. Albeit the views of the mountains are nice too!

If this is your first trip to LV, be aware that most casino hotels do not supply coffee pots in the room. So if you have a small one take it if you drink coffee. If you are upgraded the rooms MAY have a coffee pot at the Rio. We stayed in a Diamond upgrade room and it did, but friends did not in their room.

There is a free shuttle from the Rio to Harrahs so try to use it frequently. The cost for a taxi to center strip from the Rio is probably $10 with tip. Harrah's is not nearly as nice as the Rio for accomodations. I like Rio's pool area too, if the weather is cooperative in March.

Have fun!

Like others have mentioned, staying at the hotel of the conference is probably a good idea. I'm not sure of the exact date of you trip, but Rio does have some specials for March: http://www.vegashotelspecial.com/ind...9-in-february/

The free shuttle mentioned by others goes to Harrah's, Bally's/Paris, and Caesars Palace. More information is here: http://www.vegasfreebie.com/rio-harrahs-shuttle.html

Agreed. If you're looking for a Rio-budget hotel, just stay at the Rio. For the price, it's nicer than the similarly priced Strip options.

Gekko is right about the Rio for a good budget hotel and the rooms are big..
We usually stay at the Wynn but we did stay a couple of weeks ago at the Palms which is across the street from the Rio and we had a great room and it was reasonable and the beds/linens were lovely.
I really liked the Palms alot!

Rio also has a brand new special: http://www.vegashotelspecial.com/ind...-from-69night/

Broadwaybox.com/lasvegas has some hotel deals that might suite you. Some nice offers from Strip hotels.