08401 Travel Guide
What Is This / Atlantic City Hotels / Casino Hotels / Trump Hotels / Hotel Lobbies / Hotel Games / Hotel Casinos / Hotel Snapshot / → All Tags
What Is This At Trump Taj Mahal?
We like to keep it fun but informative here at HotelChatter so our series, What is This?, is devoted to odd-looking items in hotels that upon first glance look as if they serve only a decorative purpose. But everything happens for a reason, right? And we're here to tell you what these things really do.
Most things in Atlantic City hotels you can pretty much take at face value. Casino floor. Slot machine. Starbucks. Jimmy Buffett-inspired beach bar.
But we had to stop and do a double take while wandering around the lobby at Trump Taj Mahal the other day. At the bottom of the escalators, right next to the Baccarat Pit, we spotted what appeared to be a giant children's playpen—then we remembered where we were, and dismissed that thought. Bright, shiny beach balls scattered around a life-size tic-tac-toe board.
But who was playing? Were we allowed to jump in? What the heck was this thing anyway?
Casino Hotels / Margaritaville Hotels / Jimmy Buffett / Atlantic City Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Bars / → All Tags
Margaritaville Atlantic City Is Happening In 3 Weeks
Don't pretend you haven't been counting down the days to the opening of Jimmy Buffett's new Margaritaville Casino in Atlantic City. From your cubicle at work, you've fantasized about biting into a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on the boardwalk, or playing blackjack on one of the brand new Margaritaville-themed casino tables.
Well, the wait is almost over.
Just over a month since Buffett announced plans to team up with Wyndham on a new St Thomas resort, things are gearing up in Atlantic City for a grand opening on Memorial Day weekend. The new venue will sit inside the 942-room Resorts Casino, and its entrance will be marked by a sculpture of a giant blender. (Yes, you read that right.)
Meanwhile, outside, its oceanfront Landshark Bar, will be Atlantic City's first-ever year-round full-service bar and restaurant on the sand side of the Boardwalk.
Hotel Parties / Atlantic City Hotels / Hotel Casinos / Casino Hotels / Borgata Hotels / Hotel Anniversaries / Hotel Promotions / Hotel Deals / Hotel News / → All Tags
Go Borgata, It's Your Birthday! They're Doling Out Deals Like It's Your Birthday
As we all know, Atlantic City has never had trouble finding a reason to throw a party (last year, it was the opening of Revel, which was celebrated over multiple weekends).
Now, it's The Borgata's turn to crank up the volume, as the casino hotel's big 10th anniversary is fast approaching, and you can bet (heh) they're going out of their way to let you know about it.
Hotel News / Hotel Woes / New Jersey Hotels / Atlantic City Hotels / Revel Resorts / → All Tags
Revel's Financing Approved as Summer Approaches the Jersey Shore
Last time we checked in with Revel, they were in the process of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Last week, a court judge approved a $250 million financing plan that will allow the hotel and casino to continue its operations, including employee wages, sustaining loyalty programs, and paying its bills.
That’s good news for visitors this summer, who, in theory, shouldn’t see any operational changes if they look to help Revel make a comeback. That said, Revel laid off 83 workers last Wednesday from a variety of positions, so it remains to be seen whether those cuts will have any noticeable effect on the consumer (they still have 3,217 employees, so we’re guessing they’ll be all right).
According to the Associated Press, Revel is also rumored to be considering whether to drop its non-smoking policy, which is thought by many, including HC, to be one of the reasons for the casino’s poor performance. It is one of the few Atlantic City venues to have such a regulation.
Hotel Woes / Hotel News / New Jersey Hotels / Atlantic City Hotels / Revel Resorts / → All Tags
[UPDATE] AC's Revel *Plans To File For Bankruptcy
[UPDATE: We received an email from Revel's public relations firm who has asked us to reword our story to indicate that the hotel "plans to file a consensual prepackaged chapter 11." ] Things just keep getting worse for the Revel in Atlantic City. On Tuesday, the most expensive casino ever built in New Jersey announced that it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
While it is a shame to see, we suppose it doesn't really come as a surprise as Revel's performance has not only been under tight scrutiny since its opening last spring, it has also been pretty poor, consistently at the bottom of the rankings when it comes to gambling revenue in Atlantic City. A lot of that disappointment and inability to attract a wide variety of clientele has been blamed on the hotel's non-smoking policy and high-priced restaurants.
Apparently, the house doesn't always win.
Hotel News / Casino Hotels / Atlantic City Hotels / Hotel Amenities / → All Tags
Is Borgata's New E-Casino Program Just For Couch Potatoes?
You know those times when you're all cozy in your Atlantic City hotel room, reading magazines in the bathtub, and you kinda feel like heading downstairs to blow a few hundred on the slots but then again, you'd have to, like, get up and put clothes on? Yeah, such a drag.
Luckily, The Borgata is fixing all that with a new E-casino program, making it the first US hotel to allow guests to gamble over their TV sets, using just a remote control. Kind of like ordering room service, except instead of someone coming to serve you delicious food, you're just clicking a button until all your money's gone. Sounds fun, huh?
One recent guest told the NY Daily News:
"I like the ambience of being down here on the casino floor. I like the noise of the machines. In my room, I'd find it depressing, to be honest."
Celebrity Chefs / Atlantic City Hotels / Wolfgang Puck / Borgata Hotels / → All Tags
Wolfgang Puck at The Borgata: Sets His Sights on Doha
We had the pleasure of being invited to the recent Savor Borgata Event in Atlantic City where chefs Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, Geoffrey Zakarian and others were there presenting food demos and a huge culinary showcase for a crowd we were delighted to see come out in droves to support the city just a week after Hurricane Sandy hit.
We were lucky enough to spend a few minutes interviewing some of the chefs. We talked about some of their holiday plans, and more importantly what’s on their hotel horizon.
We spoke with the personable Wolfgang Puck:
Celebrity Chefs / Atlantic City Hotels / Bobby Flay / Borgata Hotels / → All Tags
Bobby Flay At The Borgata: Dishes On Thanksgiving and His Food Future
We had the pleasure being invited to the recent Savor Borgata Event in Atlantic City where chefs Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina, Geoffrey Zakarian and others were there food demos and to present a huge culinary showcase for a crowd we were delighted to see come out in droves to support the city just a week after Hurricane Sandy hit.
Though the Borgata and sister hotel The Water Club are not on the Boardwalk, they did feel some of the effects of Sandy, but, as they say, the show must go on—and that it did.
We were lucky enough to spend a few minutes to interview the chefs. We talked about some of their Thanksgiving Plans, and more importantly find out what’s on their hotel horizon.
We spoke with Bobby Flay, after his Thanksgiving-dinner demo where he showed his huge audience how to properly cook a turkey, prepare a spicy pumpkin soup (with chipotles, of course!), convinced naysayers to embrace Brussels sprouts, and bigged up Geoffrey Zakarian's Lamb's Club at The Chatwal as one of his favorite restaurants--despite Zakarian telling us Conde Naster's were getting too fat from his food!
A little more from Flay:
Photo Gallery / Revel Resorts / Atlantic City Hotels / → All Tags
Inside The Revel Resort in Atlantic City
We've been chatting about Revel, Atlantic City's newest hotel/casino for a while. The project has been an exercise in patience that culminated in a grand-opening event this past Memorial Day with none other than Beyonce.
We thought it was time to actually go in and take a look now that most of the resort is completed, so you know what to expect in case you book a stay at this behemoth boardwalk property. Here is our experience, in living color:
Our stay coincided with the Atlantic City Airshow and needless to say, the Revel was packed. From our gallery, you'll see just how long the check-in line was. Now, there are kiosks that are supposed to help this kind of congestion, but they were broken.
We were appalled to see senior citizens with canes, wheelchairs and the like being made to wait in what seemed like an endless line, while we, the media, were whisked away to check-in within minutes. When we mentioned this to the Powers That Be, they assured us that this wasn't a normal occurrence to have special-needs customers ignored.
At any rate, the best way to show the Revel is through pics, because honestly, the place really is a sight to see and will give other hotels in A.C. a serious run for their money.
Keep reading to see photos of The Revel!
Hotel Technology / Hotel Remote Controls / Revel Resorts / Atlantic City Hotels / → All Tags
The Do-It-All Room Remote At Revel Resort
Lately we've been entranced with in-room iPads and fancy-dancy remote controls. Both seem to be getting super hi-tech and we're all for it so long as the boasted features actually work. We're not keen on lengthy how-to sheets that give us agita.
We'd like to see the end of multi-remote controls in hotel rooms and instead be able to power nearly everything with a touch of a button. Well, we saw just that recently at Atlantic City's Revel Resort. While our full gallery of A.C.'s newest hot spot is coming soon, today we're hyper-focused on this little gem--the room's souped up Prodigy PLX3 remote control.
The same size as your average TV remote, this little powerhouse actually controls just about everything the buttons on the front panel says it does. And we know because we pressed them all just like a little kid would!
Here's what worked--and the one thing that didn't.
Margaritaville Hotels / AC Hotels / Hotel News / Jimmy Buffett / → All Tags
Just in Time for National Tequila Day, a Margaritaville Casino is Coming to Atlantic City
In case you didn't know it today is National Tequila Day and what better way to celebrate than by pouring yourself a margarita or rather, learning about the new Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville Casino coming to the 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk.
The Margaritaville complex will feature a casino, restaurant, Five O'clock Somewhere Bar, retail stores, LandShark Bar and Grill, a year-round beach bar complex, and their first ever coffee shop. And should you find yourself on the boardwalk wondering where Margaritaville is, it won't be hard to find as the Resorts boardwalk facade will be re-branded by Margaritaville.
Way back when in 2008 there was talk of turning the Trump Marina hotel into a Margaritaville. That never happened and the property turned into the Golden Nugget instead.
Hotel Nightclubs / Atlantic City Hotels / Fourth of July Hotels / Hotel Parties / Hotel News / → All Tags
Revel HQ Teases Us With Another Preview On July 6
After missing out on all the fun over Memorial Day Weekend, Revel HQ, the four-level nightclub venue inside Revel, is finally ready to make its debut. Kind of.
The nightclub's official opening date isn't until September, but it is hosting another "preview" weekend on July 6 (yes, another—the first preview was held on June 14, and Revel even posted photos on its website for your browsing pleasure). The club will open to offer revel-ers a taste of the bottle service, the bass-thumping DJs, the suspended stage, and all the rest of it.
Oh, and incidentally, this preview happens to coincide with a two-night run at Ovation Hall by a little known rapper called Kanye West. Ever heard of him?
