The Atlantic Club??sits all alone at the south end of the Boardwalk.
I occasionally stroll by and start recalling these long-ago weekends.
The??Hilton??(among several former titles for the property) used to be my destination of choice. Those dinners at Peregrines and The Oaks are tough to overlook.
I still remember my short meeting with the late James Gandolfini??(aka??Tony Soprano) together with the cast in the hit HBO??series The Sopranos. This was 2006 and the future Atlantic Club, along with the majority of the resort town, was enjoying a few years of equilibrium.
The Club was your basic casino resort with slots and table games, and it provided an escape from the crowds that may overwhelm boardwalk and the beaches north. Especially in the summer.
Today, its best??known??for being the first of four Atlantic City casinos to shut in 2014.
But Atlantic Clubs destiny could soon change for the better.
The Associated Press reported the a new owner had been found by Atlantic Club. Colosseo Atlantic City Inc., a New York City-based investment and building firm,??purchased it from TJM Properties. The purchase price wasnt disclosed.
Its not the casino left in AC, however, the information does make me wonder whether this will eventually be.
And if this does occur, will the reborn property work in Atlantic City?
After several unsuccessful attempts to sell the 800-room home, it looks like TJM (owner and operator of the Claridge Hotel) finally found a suitable buyer.
We have made every effort to find a buyer who might realize the potential of this Atlantic Club Casino Hotel, said??Matt Bradley, one of the heads of operations and development for TJM who handled the sale.
The owner didnt elaborate on plans. But, letting the resort sit vacant for another five years does not appear to be at the cards.
We are looking forward to operating at Atlantic City??and assigning such a wonderful property, said Rocco Sebastiani, Colosseos principal. His plan would be to operate the home.
Rummy Pandit, executive director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gambling, Hospitality and Tourism at??Stockton University, appeared optimistic concerning the Atlantic Club sale.
Finding a new purchaser for one of Atlantic Citys smallest properties has not gone smoothly. A few suggested deals were made public but didnt pan out for one reason or another.
Here is a return:
It also does not help that the outside of the building is deteriorating. Hard Rock and Ocean Casinos 2018 openings turned the spotlight off from whatever might have occurred with Atlantic Club, also.
If and when the home does reopen, a fantastic possibility is The Atlantic Club sign will be about the construction.
Call it the swap on a list of property names.
Former??Las Vegas??casino mogul??Steve Wynn??opened the home in 1980 back as the Golden Nugget. Some may recall the commercials featuring Frank Sinatra:
Wynn ended up purchasing the property seven decades after. It had a set of ownership and name changes during the next two decades.
Following the land closed on Jan. 13, 2014,??Caesars Entertainment??and??Tropicana Entertainment??purchased it. The sale needed to be approved by a bankruptcy court judge.
That year, TJM Properties obtained possession.
For the very first time because 2014, its looking like there could be hope for The Atlantic Club (or whatever they choose to call it).
And we arent speaking about it being used to film scenes for Zack Snyders forthcoming Army of the movie.??
But details concerning variety of rooms, the redesign, and conveniences have to be declared. That will make me hesitate a bit if I will be honest. After all, we waited to re-open Revel for decades to get Glenn Straub.
The one thing we do understand is it will be a non-gaming resort because of a deed restriction placed on the property. And if this project come to fruition, Stockton University people may take advantage of their proximity.
With regards to what makes sense for the owner and customers, Pandit stated a multi-use facility??notion might be quite win-win.
Something that is part hotel and part condo would enable residents to have access to valet parking, gym and spa, restaurants, and room service supplies.??
As the Hilton did Can it create memories? Probably not.
But for Atlantic City, if its going to establish itself as more of a destination, bringing back vacant hotels to life is a great start. No one likes an eye-sore.
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