text: The Riviera suffers from a serious case of Old. It isn't just that the structure is old, it's that its spirit seems to be merely lingering, waiting to die, as do much of its staff. That's not to say that it's bad. It's just old. It's various lobby and casino displays are themed around really cool events that happened there fifty years ago (when brass and mirrors were \"in\"), and nothing about what's going on there now. Because there's nothing cool going on there now. \"Riviera! Look how hip we used to be!\" is a great slogan to sum it up.\n\nMy experience at the Riviera started out with extreme annoyance at how long it took to check in. There were maybe twenty people in line, yet it took about 90 minutes to get to the counter. And then I discovered that they had lost my reservation. After waiting another thirty minutes while the clerk was investigating the situation in a back room, she returned to say that they were able to work something out, and offered two free tickets to some crappy comedy show in their theater. Needless to say, I'd never heard of the comic, and just tossed the tickets.\n\nIf you're going to Vegas for other reasons, and don't plan on being in your room or the casino much, then you could do worse than the Riviera. If nothing else, it's cheap. We were in town for the NAB Show and just wanted cheap lodging, for which Riv came through.\n\nThe Queen Victoria pub is pretty good, and they have a lot of great beers and ales on tap. We had crappy service the first time we ate there, but the servers on the other two occasions made up for it. The fish and chips are excellent.\n\nI also got a kick out of the pool area, because when you step into it from the hotel, you could have just stepped right back into 1960. It kinda made me feel like Frank. I would say that the period decor is spot-on, but it isn't decor; it's original period. If you're shooting a movie and you need a Rat Pack-era pool setting, get your ass to the Riv.\n\nWill I stay there again? Probably not, since I've decided that my life goals need to be moving forward instead of stagnating. Next year I'm aiming for Treasure Island. Not Bellagio, yet. I shouldn't get ahead of myself. But, if someone were to tell me, it's the Riviera or nothing, then sure, I wouldn't mind staying there again. I could use the fish and chips as an excuse.