Bally’s Upcoming Renovations
Bally’s announced that they will be renovating their Atlantic City casino starting with the Claridge Tower.
The Claridge, meanwhile, will have its rooms redone as part of Bally’s renovation. Claridge operated as a separate casino hotel before it was folded into Bally’s in 2002. Marrandino said the Claridge will take on a boutique atmosphere, comparable to the luxury W Hotels chain, when its rooms are refurbished.
“It will have more of a W vibe to the hotel. An older W,” he said.
When I first started ECG, back in January, I recommended that Bally’s close and renovate the Claridge Tower while things were just beginning to head down hill for Atlantic City.
Las Vegas “reinvents” itself every 10 years or so for this reason. The Atlantic City casinos don’t change. I think this is just the beginning of a possible re-invention of Atlantic City casinos. Even day trippers want to feel good when they walk into a casino.
Many of the exsisting buildings are dated and not in good shape. A simple solution would be for Bally’s to close the Claridge tower. They should gut it and modify it or tear it down. There are ways to create a modern classic feel to a beautiful old building. Casino and restaurant design can come from the same design ideas as the rooms. Upon completion the Wild Wild West can undergo a similar country renovation. As much as I hate country themes there are people that like it.
Obviously, these aren’t new or groundbreaking ideas, but it’s nice to see the new boss come to town and shake things up a little. This is a move I’ve been hoping to see for a while. Bally’s needs to do something and it’s nice to see management finally taking a proactive approach.
