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#1
03-14-2007, 06:35 PM
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A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
This is bad news for me because I stay in the Hojo next to the Trop regularly. They make this place sound affordable, but based on the description, it will probably be another $350+ per night hotel in AC.
A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one Sunday, March 11, 2007 By WILLIAM H. SOKOLIC Courier-Post Staff ATLANTIC CITY Curtis Bashaw knows a thing or two about revamping hotels. Look at what he did with the Virginia and Congress Hall in Cape May. Later this year, Bashaw will put his skills to the test with two hotels on the boardwalk in Atlantic City. A group headed by Bashaw bought the Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson hotels on Chelsea Avenue earlier this year. When summer ends, Bashaw will close both and spend eight months and $90 million to convert the two buildings into a 337-room luxury hotel, equal to anything available in New York or Los Angeles. Or Atlantic City, for that matter. "We'll have an awesome spa, a sexy cool bar indoors and out," Bashaw said. "The interiors will be fresh and hip." Accommodations will match anything Borgata has to offer in its hotel rooms, he said. "This is an exclamation point to the growth happening in Atlantic City." The yet-to-be-named hotel is aimed at those in their 20s, 30s and 40s who want to visit Atlantic City but don't gamble enough to rate a room. "For the consumer who wants to play and cannot find a room, this hotel will meet the demand," said Bashaw, former executive director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. Aside from the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel, this will be the first major nongaming boardwalk hotel project in decades, Bashaw said. Truth is, noncasino hotels have had a lackluster track record in Atlantic City. But occupancy has inched upward the last two years as a new buzz about Atlantic City circulated, he said. "Absolutely, I believe this is an emerging market." 
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#4
03-14-2007, 07:49 PM
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Re: A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
Exactly - I'm frankly shocked this hasn't happened sooner. Basically, AC has a situation where there are many fewer rooms than demand on a typical weekend, so it's a seller's market. That's why something like a no-name motel can charge $275 on a Saturday night.
There are many, many people who would come down to AC for a weekend if they could get a nice hotel room (casino or non-casino) at anywhere approaching a decent price. These same people don't gamble high enough to get a pro-rated or free room in a casino, but have enough cash (and not enough degeneracy factor) to stay at a flea bag. More nice hotels in AC (as well as casinos adding towers) will be better for everyone. The town needs thousands more rooms than it has. Jeff
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#5
03-14-2007, 07:55 PM
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Re: A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
I wonder how much effect this will have in the short term. The Sands is closed, and the Holiday Inn and Hojo will be closing. I'm thinking the Days Inn maybe also be going along with them? The shortage of rooms will be even worse during the 8 month transition, so hopefully it doesn't take much longer than that.
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#6
03-14-2007, 08:27 PM
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Re: A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
I have been going to AC for seven consecutive weeks now. And I think that the way the city has handled what it has been been in terms of tourism and responsibility is horrible. If they were anything like Vegas, Atlantic City would have demolished some of these casinos and hotels along time ago. The Borgota is the shining star of what AC SHOULD be like. With an increase in hotels and better casinos, the city of AC could clean up, but I don't see that happening. This news of a hotel revision is actually good news. I think its madness to see some of these motels charging what they do on weekends.
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#8
03-14-2007, 09:34 PM
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Re: A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
If the Borgata handn't come to AC and shaken things up, things probably would have gotten worse before they got better. They do seem to be moving in the right direction, with new hotels and casinos coming.
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#9
03-15-2007, 07:22 PM
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Re: A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
[ QUOTE ]
Exactly - I'm frankly shocked this hasn't happened sooner. Basically, AC has a situation where there are many fewer rooms than demand on a typical weekend, so it's a seller's market. That's why something like a no-name motel can charge $275 on a Saturday night. There are many, many people who would come down to AC for a weekend if they could get a nice hotel room (casino or non-casino) at anywhere approaching a decent price. These same people don't gamble high enough to get a pro-rated or free room in a casino, but have enough cash (and not enough degeneracy factor) to stay at a flea bag. More nice hotels in AC (as well as casinos adding towers) will be better for everyone. The town needs thousands more rooms than it has. Jeff [/ QUOTE ] I'm with you. I make a good salary and enjoy playing low limit poker. I'd be more than willing to spend 100-150 for a good/safe/decent hotel on a Friday or Saturday night. I haven't found that yet, and I have a hard time believing hotels couldn't survive with those prices.
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#10
03-16-2007, 08:05 PM
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Re: A.C. closing two old hotels for a luxurious new one
Same sentiment here. I live in NYC area, and I go down to AC every third weekend or so. I have to keep this a one day (or night) affair, because staying over is just prohibitively expensive. As a result, I probably spend as much time in transit to AC as I do actually gambling in AC. With reasonable room rates, I would be spending the whole weekend there.
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