rates drop here in the summer because it gets hotter, if $8/night is an issue you should recondsider tavelling. in the winter when the CES Electronics Trade Show comes to town they triple the rates at EVERY hotel, the Riv would be about $250-$300 night, they do that the whole Trade show season, anything under $100 on the strip is a gift, unless your north of Sahara. thinking about it Excalaber might be under $100

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The Riv blows but it has the room's for the tournments and that is key, if the Riv goes down the BCA etc are gonna have their asses handed to them to find a different location, the other joints on the strip want insane $$$ for conference/banquet rooms. The South Coast which is WAAAY south on the Strip might work they have the space and might be fair on the pricing, hotel's rape promoters on the banquet rooms, they run such strict time lines its brutal, and they need time to set up and break down after any event-it gets expensive.
I know the Riv sucks, i have been going there for over 20 years and it hasnt changed, when the land below it is worth more $$ it will be gone, the good news is that alot of the old joints have been sold and blown up and they are building higher density propertys, and there is less pressure on the strip for occupancy, the RIV survived so far and might with the slow down in the economy, The strip has enough inventory.
those big rooms the tournmant is in have saved that hotel, they have shit there all the time, chess players, gun shows, arm wrestling probably, they are awalys full up. They have a great marketing Dept that makes it affordable to the promoters and attendees, so they have a high occupancy rate and drop from the gaming-thats the only reason the Riv hasnt went down, Seee they dont give a shit about the pool tournment there only concern it the gaming drop., they use those big rooms for events to keep the hotel full and the drop higher-the Mirage used Siegfried & Roy to get people to hook players for their property, every hotel has a hook, the Riv uses those big rooms and cheap rates for the hotel-be thankful.
ok i'm done
