Rio Las Vegas operator confirms some employees laid off

The operator of Rio Las Vegas has confirmed that the property has laid off some employees. A company representative indicated Thursday that the layoffs were the result of a personnel adjustment that occurred after New York-based Dreamscape took over operations from former owner and manager Caesars Entertainment.

An email statement from the company obtained by The Las Vegas Review-Journal reads: “We proactively expanded our workforce while taking over operations from Caesars Entertainment in (the fourth quarter of) 2023.

“As the resort undergoes extensive construction and remodeling, we now have a better understanding of the staffing levels Rio Las Vegas needs to provide guest service and operational efficiency. We deeply appreciate the unwavering commitment and diligence of all our team members and extend our heartfelt gratitude to those directly affected by the adjustments.”

The company did not specify how many employees were laid off and indicated some social media posts on the number were inaccurate, according to the publication. A notice of the layoffs also had not been filed with the state as of Thursday afternoon.

Caesars sold the Rio to Dreamscape in 2019 for $516 million. Dreamscape’s top executive, real estate investor Eric Birnbaum, embarked on a $350 million renovation of the property after his company took over operations in October 2023.

The renovations include upgrades to all suites, new food concepts to replace the company’s buffet lineup, and improvements to the sandy beach pool areas. Slot machines also have been upgraded on the casino floor. 

Dreamscape had previously announced an effort to hire over 100 people in November to staff its new Canteen Food Hall, which replaced the well-known Rio Carnival World Buffet. The food hall opened on January 19th.