We stayed here in the luxury rooms for 2 nights.
Pros: 1)The rooms were beautiful, cosy, comfortable and had a balcony with amazing views.
2)There are 3 restaurants and 2 bars with a very decent and well-mannered staff. The menu is limited, but everything we ordered was delicious.
3) The pool along with the pool-side bar is absolutely stunning. The time we spent there can be called the highlight of our stay at Rio.
4) The complimentary shuttle service to Baga beach was very helpful.
5) The breakfast spread was superb and very fulfilling for both Vegetarians and Non-vegetarians.
Cons: 1) The check-in process was long and cumbersome as there was a wedding at the hotel coinciding with our dates of stay.
2) While most of the hotel staff is very welcoming, some of the snobs among them did spoil our mood. For example, Their breakfast timings are upto 10.15 AM, a couple of members from our family reached there at 10.05 AM and just took what they needed in their plates and sat at the tables. Neither did we ask them to prolong their time-limit, nor did we ask them to prepare anything else for us.
As soon as the clock struck 10.15, the management hastily started winding everything up from the counters. They were making it so obvious that they did not want anyone to touch the food as soon as the 'official' time was over. In all the chaos, they also broke a couple of plates and some glassware.
And as if this was not enough, they switched the air-conditioners off at 10.20 AM! That's the worst way to tell them that they should leave.
I have visited so many hotels, budget-properties and luxury-hotels, never have I been treated this way anywhere else. This is NOT how you make your guests feel 'welcome' at your hotel. I would like to remind the management of Resort Rio that it is we the customers who are paying for our own stay and the hotel or your staff is not doing us a favour or any kind of charity, so better start training the ill-mannered among you and teach them what hospitality is.
If you want to take an action, this happened on 10th of July at the restaurant serving breakfast in the extension of Resort Rio (Rio Cashewnut, if I remember correctly).
3) They have a stupid policy of not giving umbrellas to the in-house guests who take their complimentary shuttle service to Baga. We were told that the umbrellas are meant to be used in and around the hotel premises only. Again, I would advise you to learn a couple of things about making your customer happy. Umbrellas could be of great help for your guests, especially in unpredictable Goan monsoons, and your guests would require them the most when they are out of your property for a couple of hours.
The guests are obviously not going to run away with your umbrellas, and you can always charge them in case they lose it or fail to return it!
High-time you start trusting your guests and not treat them like criminals.
I would have easily given the hotel a 5 stars, but these bad experiences forced me to give it an average rating. Would I consider staying with you again? Yes probably when you take care of these few bad fish in your workforce, or else when your ratings and rates go so low that people like myself stop expecting these little things from you.