One Familys Blog: Atlantic City Hotel Deals and Casino Offers

Atlantic City Hotel Deals and Casino Offers

With its prime real-estate location, the Atlantic City (AC) in Absecon Island on the Atlantic coast was developed as a tourist town. On this South New Jersey city a boardwalk was erected as early as 1870 and periodically several extensions and modifications were done. Currently the boardwalk, which is almost six miles reigns as the world’s longest boardwalk. Until around 1900, smaller hotels dotted the area and in the construction boom touched off in the early 1900s, these gave way to larger resort hotels. Disinvestment following the two World Wars and the stock market crash of 1929 resulted in the decline of Atlantic City. By 1960, most of the resort hotels of that era were demolished. The tide began to turn with the legalization of casino gambling in 1976. Today, Atlantic City has eleven Casino Hotels to its credit, most of which are located along the boardwalk.

Atlantic City is regarded as the Gambling Capital of the East Coast with revenues second only to Las Vegas. The current recession coupled with the competition from casinos in neighboring states has resulted in revenue decline for the local casinos.

The table below lists the casino options along with the best available rate and the entertainment options they provide (October 2010):

Property	Thumbnail	Best Rate Including Taxes and Resort Fees (if any)	Room Type	Description	Entertainment options
Atlantic City Hilton (Resorts International)		$75	Deluxe Room - Two Double Beds.	Opened in 1980 in the Beach Resort theme with 800 rooms on the Boardwalk.	Live shows at the Atlantic City Hilton Theater. Many restaurant options.
Bally’s (Harrah’s)		$88	Classic Room – Two Double Beds	Opened in the 1979 in the American Old West theme with over 1750 rooms.	The Main Ballroom and the nearby Boardwalk Hall hosts several events such as heavy weight boxing and Top 40 concerts.
The Borgata (Marina district development Corp)		$99	Classic Room – Two Queen Beds	Opened in 2003 in the Tuscany theme with over 2800 rooms as part of “The Tunnel Project”.	Poker room is largest in AC and features dialing tournaments with the World Poker Tour. “The Water Club” a boutique hotel-within-a-hotel with 800 rooms. 2400 seat Borgata Event Center hosts live shows. The 1000-seat Music Box theater hosts the nightly Borgata’s Comedy Club.
Caesars Atlantic City (Harrah’s Entertainment)		$134	Deluxe Room – Two Double Beds	Opened in 1979 in the Roman Empire theme with over 1150 rooms	Pier Shops at Caesar’s boutique shopping mall. Pool open to families from 8AM to 1PM. Dusk Night Club. QUA Baths and Spa.
Harrah’s Atlantic City (Harrah’s Entertainment)		$97	Marina Deluxe – Two Queen Beds	Opened in 1980 in the Marina Waterfront theme with close 2600 rooms.	The Pool (over 21 only), Waterfront shops.
Resorts (Resorts Casino & Hotel)		$65	Ocean Tower Room – two double beds	Opened as a Casino in 1978 in the Art Deco theme with close to 950 rooms. Originally built in 1929, it became the first legal casino in the Eastern US in 1978.	Theater and Comedy Club.
Showboat (Atlantic City Showboat, Inc.)		$88	Deluxe – Two Queen Beds	Opened in 1987 in the Lousiana Mardi Gras theme with around 1330 rooms.	House of Blues – Live Music shows by touring bands.
Tropicana (Tropicana Entertainment)		$80	West Tower Standard – Two Queen Beds	Opened in 1981 in the Old Havana theme with around 2130 rooms.	The Quarter at Tropicana – a giant entertainment complex with a 2000 seat showroom featuring live entertainment, IMAX theater, shops, and restaurants.
Trump Marina (Trump Entertainment Resorts)		$78	Deluxe Room – Two Queen Beds	Opened in 1985 in the Marina theme with around 725 rooms.	460-seat showroom, nightclub, pool, tennis, basketball, restaurants, and the Frank S. Farley 640-seat public state marina.
Trump Plaza (Trump Entertainment Resorts)		$95	Deluxe Room – Two Queen Beds	Opened in 1984 with over 900 rooms.	Rainforest Café. Seasonal Beach Bar.
Trump Taj Mahal (Trump Entertainment Resorts)		$129	Taj Tower Room – Two Queen Beds.	Opened in 1990 in the Taj Mahal theme with close 2250 rooms.	Great location at the Boardwalk adjacent to the Steel Pier, with rides and attractions for the whole family. Luxury Shopping.

In addition to Casino gambling, Atlantic City has several other entertainment options. Below are the major ones:

Event	Thumbnail	Cost	Description
Aquarium – Ocean Life Center		Adult - $8, Children 4-12 - $5, Seniors 62+ - $6	Open 10-5 daily. Location: 800 N. New Hampshire Ave. Great Location with a good view of the inlet from the 3rd floor. Smallish place – two floors – Great place to fill-in 1-2 hours. Kids love the Touch Tanks.
Absecon Lighthouse		Adults - $7, Children 4-12 - $4, Active Military – FREE	July-August Open Daily 10-5, Rest of the year – closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays, Open 11-4. 228 steps to the top. Fresnel Lens circa 1857. Breathtaking views of Atlantic City Skyline.
Lucy the Elephant		FREE	A six-story Asian Elephant built with over a million pieces of wood and tin sheeting in 1882. Location: 9200 Atlantic Ave, Margate, NJ two miles from AC.
Historical Museum		FREE	Open Daily 10-4 except for major holidays. Location: At the Boardwalk, at New Jersey Avenue adjacent to Showboat. Free parking in dirt lot till 4PM. 20-minute historical video "Boardwalk Ballyhoo: The Magic of Atlantic City,"