Just for fun, Dan Lee, the chairman of casino operator Pinnacle Entertain-ment Inc., challenged his executives a few years ago to devise a way to revitalize the aged Resorts Atlantic City.”If we owned (Resorts) and I gave you an unlimited amount of money, what would you do to that building that would make it competitive with the Borgata?” Lee asked them.
Lee already had his own ideas. He knew Atlantic City’s oldest casino would never rival the Las Vegas-style Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, the newest property in town.
“The only way to be competitive would be to tear it down,” he concluded. “You could spend a billion dollars on it, and it still wouldn’t be competitive.”
Really? No kidding. The complete article goes on to expound on the poor casino layout and old building design. 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.
These are some simple ideas that can play on the history of the buildings. I think Resorts, as it exists today, is probably done. The best time to plan for the next wave is when you have to. That time is now.
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Life is a gamble. You need to get rid of the old ones to get new ones. New ones that will far outweigh the old and stagnant. Thanks for the info!
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