GREAT ESCAPE
Team building goes to new extremes at
Escape AC at Tropicana Atlantic City. Groups of up to 10 participants are locked in one of the four themed rooms - The Poker Room, Boardwalk, Casino Cage or Backstage - and must test their wits and work together to solve clues to escape from the space within 60 minutes.
ATLANTIC CITY
Local Update
• Documents filed with the Atlantic County clerk's office last month indicate the former Revel casino, renamed Ten, was sold to a Denver developer, but owner Glenn Straub denies selling the shuttered property. Straub, who bought the casino in August 2015 for $82 million, has yet to reopen it, though he announced two opening dates - now passed - earlier this year.
• The former Trump Taj Mahal Casino Hotel is being transformed into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City. The 2,010-room property, currently undergoing a head-to-toe renovation, will debut next May. Hard Rock will be majority owner of the gaming resort, in conjunction with two partners.
• Earlier this year, the 2,000-room Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa unveiled its 18,000-square-foot Central Conference Center, bringing the property's total meeting space to 106,000 square feet. Created by Avenue Interior Design, the two-story former nightclub space offers five meeting rooms, a boardroom and an office on the lower level, as well as a 6,500-square-foot ballroom on the upper floor. Another recent addition at the Borgata is the 223-seat Angeline by Michael Symon, the first Atlantic City venture for the Iron Chef and The Chew co-host. Among the dishes served up are mom's meatballs; porchetta with mustard fruit; and linguine and clams with pancetta and chili flakes. Symon joins Borgata's other renowned chefs and eateries, including Wolfgang Puck (Wolfgang Puck American Grille), Bobby Flay (Bobby Flay Steak), Michael Schulson (Izakaya Modern Japanese Pub), Geoffrey Zakarian (The Water Club), and restaurateurs Greg and Marc Sherry (Old Homestead Steak House).
• The 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel recently expanded its gaming offerings with the addition of 22 new slot machines on the Margaritaville Casino floor. The resort offers 24 function rooms (14 with natural light and ocean views), including four ballrooms. In all, the property features more than 64,000 square feet for events.
• The Showboat Atlantic City, a casino resort that closed its doors back in 2014, has reopened as the non-gaming Showboat Hotel with 852 guest rooms.
• This past July, the CEOs of two rival gaming giants - MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment Corp. - appeared at a news conference with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to hint at a possible joint Atlantic City venture. At press time, details had yet to be announced.
• Harrah's Resort Atlantic City has invested approximately $30 million to upgrade the 450 guest rooms in its Bayview Tower, near Harrah's Waterfront Conference Center, which debuted in 2015. The resort also unveiled the multimillion-dollar upgrade to its Pool After Dark nightclub, which regularly pulls in top-name celebrity hosts, DJs and performers straight off the Billboard Hot 100 charts. The club now features a new, elevated stage and DJ area, enhanced with eye-catching graphic displays on massive LED walls, as well as a gaming pit on the main floor.
WALK (OR RUN) THIS WAY
Atlantic City hosts a number of runs, walks and other contests of athletic prowess year-round. In August, for example, the
Atlantic City Triathlon challenges athletes with a .25-mile swim, a 10-mile bike race and a 5K run that finishes on the iconic Boardwalk.
Limits are tested each September during the Ironman 70.3 Atlantic City. Beginning at sunrise with a 1.2-mile sheltered swim in the back bays, athletes embark on a bike course through vineyards, a state forest, various towns and a portion of the Atlantic City Expressway before finishing with a 13.1-mile run on the Boardwalk.
The AmeriHealth NJ Atlantic City Marathon & Half Marathon has participants from across the U.S. competing to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Every October, runners test their strength and stamina in this 26.2-mile race known for its flat and fast course that wends its way along the Boardwalk, the streets of Atlantic City and neighboring communities of Ventnor, Margate and Longport.
A full calendar of outdoor races and athletic contests can be found at here.
Meeting Hotels: Properties include the 2,590-room Harrah's Resort Atlantic City; 2,079-room Tropicana Casino & Resort Atlantic City; 2,000-room Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa; 1,756-room Bally's Atlantic City; 1,140-room Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino; 942-room Resorts Casino Hotel; 800-room Water Club, a Signature Hotel by Borgata; 728-room Golden Nugget Atlantic City, and 502-room Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Atlantic City Convention Center; exhibit space, approximately 486,600 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 45; (888) 222-3683
Airport Transit: Atlantic City International Airport, about 10 miles from the heart of the downtown district. Transfer cost by airport shuttle, $15; by taxi, $30
Taxes: Luxury tax, 9%; sales tax, 4%; occupancy fee, 1%; tourism promotion fee, $5 per room for casino hotels; total tax on hotel rooms, 14% plus the tourism promotion fee
Contact: Meet AC, (609) 348-7100 or (888) 222-3683