Party Dispatch :: The Chelsea Atlantic City's Preview Party

May 1, 2008 at 2:03 PM | 2 Comments

Stephen Starr, Colleen Bashaw, and Curtis Bashaw.

On Tuesday night, we checked out the Preview Party at the Beatrice Inn for The Chelsea Atlantic City which is still on schedule for a mid-July opening.

Our favorite Philadelphia Restaurateur (and soon to be Hotelier) Stephen Starr was there along with Curtis Bashaw and his sister Colleen Bashaw who designed the interior of the Chelsea, as well as a number of Curtis' other hotel projects in Cape May.

While we were a little disappointed that there were no pictures of the interior, or a presentation about the hotel, drinks were free, hors d'Oeuvres were excellent and the opportunity to actually get into the Beatrice Inn without having to pay off a bouncer made up for it.

And yes, we sat on the couch where Lindsey Lohan probably made out with 684,384 guys (in one night) last week and felt a little bit of the celeb vibe.

But seriously though, we had an opportunity to talk 1 on 1 with Curtis, Colleen & Stephen-- all of whom have a personal connection to the history of Atlantic City, the site of the Chelsea.

Colleen told us how her grandfather was a pastor in a church a block away from the Chelsea, and when she was younger would always spend time in AC and around the original hotel that was there--Teplitzky's.

Stephen reminisced about the times when he actually stayed in Teplitzky's as a child during the summer months, and was excited to be able to bring in a restaurant bearing that same name. (Look for the wall of old pictures from Teplitzky's. They were all sent to Curtis & Colleen by Mrs. Teplitzky, the wife of the original owner who is overjoyed that her old haunt will live on!)

The Chelsea is a true boutique hotel. The owners are emotionally involved and are truly hands-on, (Colleen & Curtis are on-site every week) and are seeing to it that the hotel doesn't get stuck with a reputation as just a non-gambling hotel in Atlantic City, but rather a place where families can spend their vacation without coming across those crazed seniors rushing for the penny slots.

(Sorry Grandmom. We didn't mean to offend you.)

[Photo: LaForce-Stevens]

Tags: Party Dispatch / Hotel News / Hotel Parties / Hotel Restaurants / Stephen Starr / Curtis Bashaw / Colleen Bashaw / Hotel Hype / AC Hotels

by AndrewC

HotelChatter

Select a Region or Country:

Party Dispatch