Archive for the ‘Atlantic City News’ Category

As the slow, cold, winter months approach businesses everywhere are adjusting their plans. The Borgata Water Club is no exception. The 800-room luxury spa resort & casino will for the second time this year take rooms out of service during the mid-week due to declining business during the season. The Water Club, which cost $400 million and opened just last summer (2008), contains numerous spas, pools, and shops, and rooms cost around $600 on the weekends.

Guests looking to book the classy Water Club may not be out of luck due to the cut back in available rooms. Meanwhile, the Borgata’s main tower of 2,000 rooms will remain open and able to accommodate turned-away Water Club guests. Borgata spokesperson Noel Stevenson stated a week ago, “During the summer months, demand was great…Now that we’re in the shoulder season, with the schedule adjusted based on demand, on most Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the Water Club will primarily cater to butler and guest suites, group business and special events.” She also said that the Water Club’s cut back was no different from any business adjusting to the slower season. On this she says, “You don’t want to be sitting there with that many rooms and no one to fill them.”

The Water Club is not in trouble, however. Boyd Gaming Corp., the parent company of Borgata, reported strong third-quarter earnings despite the rest of Atlantic City’s slow decline on the same day that the announcement of the cut-back came out.

WestJet Airlines Now Connected With AC International

At 8:44 PM, Atlantic City International Airport is scheduled to receive its first flight from the Canadian WestJet airline. WestJet is Canada’s second largest passenger airline service and this flight marks the start of a seasonal schedule at AC International. This is also the first air corridor between the True North and America’s second largest gaming destination, Atlantic City.

The tourist and entertainment industry is looking forward to the potential boost in customers. Atlantic City casinos have been experiencing drops in revenue for over a year due to the economic downturn as well as more and more regional gaming destinations providing competition.

“Atlantic City International Airport is about to become South Jersey’s international airport. The regional initiative undertaken to increase air service and expand the airport has taken off, and we are committed to meeting the demand for more airlines and more destinations from ACY.”

Bart Mueller – Executive Director of the South Jersey Transportation Authority

For those who frequently travel in and through Atlantic City, you may be aware of the face that the Albany Avenue Corridor is one of the worst congested areas during rush hours. The Inland Thoroughfare bridge is too narrow to allow a proper amount of traffic capacity, and it also is prone to flooding.

The city is now planning to increase the maximum capacity of the Corridor by expanding the crossing of the Inland Thoroughfare, and widening the road from four lanes to six. The whole project will be carried out by building a new crossing of the Thoroughfare between North Hartford and North Chelsea avenues, a new bridge, either fixed-span or a draw bridge, a tunnel, or by several of these methods. There will also be a pair of one-way routes added. Traffic entering from Albany Avenue Bridge will leave via one of these new crossings. Using such one-way routes would greatly increase the flow of traffic and help to reduce the currently congested traffic. There are further plans to increase grade separation of West End at Albany, in order to help traffic keep moving to Ventnor, Chelsea Heights, and Absecon Island, and one lane will be added from West End to Exit 2 of the AC Expressway in each direction. The exit itself will also be expanded upon to make better use of these new improvements.

Overall, if this project goes through, it will provide much better access to all of west Atlantic City and the surrounding areas of Ventnor, Longport, and Margate. The flooding issues will be no more, and local traffic will see a significant increase in efficiency.

The Tropicana Hotel & Casino will be debuting its newest addition, Alto Vino, on Friday!

Alto Vino will be the place to go to experience wines by the glass and pair them with small plate foods.

Senior Vice President of Resort Operations Al Maiorani was quoted as saying:

“The concept is that it’s the only wine bar in Atlantic City with wines by the glass, high-end beers, single-malt scotches and cognacs..  Plus, we will offer small plates with cheeses, a charcuterie and hot and cold antipasta. A wine bar in the room with the best view of Atlantic City will bring the Top of the Trop back to its heyday when everyone went there.”

Alto Vino, in keeping with the tradition of classy joints such as itself will feature nightly entertainment, lounge music, and jazz.

“We want it to be a unique experience…We tasted hundreds of wines to come up with a fine selection of 15 whites, three sparklings and 15 reds..The whole thought was that you can get a two-ounce pour of a nice pinot grigio, plus a small plate of cheese for $5 to match it up. Then move on to a chardonnay with some aroncini (Italian rice balls). Then go to a red and a beautiful pinot noir and match it up with grissini and truffle butter with prosciutto di parma. It will be a really fun place.”

-Al Maiorani

All of the wines at Alto Vino will also be available in two-ounce pours so connoisseurs can create their own flights.

One Atlantic, located on the fourth floor of The Pier Shops at Caesars, will become the first over-water independent event venue in Atlantic City. Spanning 100 yards above the Atlantic Ocean, One Atlantic will be the premier location for all kinds of social events including weddings, corporate functions, and charity balls, galas, and more. The design of the space allows for many different setups from 1,000-person banquets to 20-person gatherings.

The beautiful views of Atlantic City from One Atlantic.

We designed One Atlantic specifically for events, taking full advantage of the stunning over-water location. When you step into the space and look out on the ocean and the Atlantic City skyline, you know you’ve found something truly special.

-Jesse Herman, managing partner of One Atlantic

Herman is referring to the stunning panoramic views of Atlantic City’s skyline, boardwalk, and beach offered by each room of One Atlantic’s 10,000 square foot interior space, even the bathroom! As if that isn’t enough, One Atlantic also features a 2,000 square foot outdoor garden terrace, capable of accomodating up to 200 guests. One Atlantic will feature gourmet catering with menus designed to fit the tastes of a wide variety of guests including international, organic, kosher, and vegetarian dishes.