Borgata adding 3,200-square-foot pool
Borgata stuck its toes in the water last summer to see if a major outdoor concert venue could work in Atlantic City.
Now, it’s taking the full plunge — but not with outdoor concerts. Instead, it’s transforming the one-and-done Festival Park into a large and luxurious swimming pool capable of accommodating up to 1,000 hotel guests.
For several reasons, the entertainment concept wasn’t as profitable as Borgata had anticipated, says Joe Lupo, the casino’s senior vice president of operations.
“A successful organization sometimes has to make tough decisions. A lot of people had a great time out there, but it was very difficult to book bands,” he says. “It was only specific to a genre of music that had a demographic that was willing to stand because it was a (general admission) type of atmosphere. We just didn’t see the ticket-buying like we would for an indoor facility. I think people waited to see how the weather was going to be. So not being able to book as many shows, (the venue went unused) six, sometimes seven days a week.”
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Borgata hopes to begin the big dig next month and expects the pool to be ready in time for the July Fourth holiday weekend. Although Borgata’s companion boutique hotel, the non-gaming, 400-room Water Club, has an outdoor pool, the new Roman-style pool will be a first for guests staying in Borgata’s 2,000-room hotel tower.
Like practically everything else at Borgata, the 3,200-square-foot pool will be an over-the-top amenity. Guests will relax on over 400 chaise lounges and daybeds or seek shelter from the sun in cabanas.
Borgata isn’t completely scrapping everything associated with Festival Park. The rented main stage is gone, but it’s repurposing other elements associated with the venue and blending them seamlessly into the pool.
“Most of the money we spent last year (on Festival Park) really remains intact,” he explains. “The bar, the smaller (side) stage, and all the infrastructure — like getting the land ready — cost a lot of money. And all of that is staying. We’re just changing the area where people stood (for shows) by digging a hole and putting a pool there.”
Instead of being used only sporadically throughout the summer, the pool will be used seven days a week, Lupo adds.
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There will be a DJ at the pool to “set the tempo” on weekends, but the facility won’t morph into a full-blown nightclub the way its neighbor, Harrah’s Resort, transforms its domed pool on weekends. Not this summer, anyway.
“We’re spending a lot of money on our pool, we’re spending a lot of money on our hotel guests,” he says. “We want to make sure we execute that right. Depending on how that goes, we may look at (the outdoor nightclub concept) for 2017. But for now, we really don’t want mixed messaging or positioning of what that pool really is. Right now, we’re going to have a really nice and energetic outdoor pool.”
The pool is only part of a propertywide upgrade for Borgata. Last fall, it closed its original nightclub, known as MIXX, and is spending millions to create a new 18,000-square-foot venue called the Premier Nightclub. The new room, which Borgata says will rival the top clubs in New York, Las Vegas and Miami, will debut this spring.
“For the new customer, the things that were hot 10 years ago aren’t hot now, especially with nightclubs,” Lupo says. “Nightclubs don’t have a very long shelf life. The young nightlife person wants to go into someplace fresh and new.”
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Later this year, Borgata will introduce a new restaurant helmed by Iron Chef Michael Symon. The dining room will replace chef Stephen Kalt’s Fornelletto, which features Italian cuisine. Symon’s restaurant will be the celebrity chef’s first attempt at Italian cooking.
Symon will become the fourth of the Food Network’s Iron Chefs cooking under Borgata’s roof, joining Bobby Flay, Geoffrey Zakarian and Wolfgang Puck. (Puck, who appeared on just one episode of the series, is considered a “retired” Iron Chef.)
The $50 million Borgata will spend on improvements in 2016 is twice what it spends during an average year to enhance the visitor experience, Lupo says. Unlike Las Vegas, which many people visit once a year, if that, Atlantic City relies heavily on repeat business.
“The Atlantic City visitor will come anywhere from 10 (to) 50 times a year. So it’s important that we continue to evolve our product and give (people) a reason to come back by offering different amenities,” he notes.
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During the fourth quarter of the year, Borgata will also add an additional 25,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, something other casinos have done.
“We continue to invest in our property and invest in our people and I certainly think it shows our commitment to the area and the city, and hopefully people can realize that we’re not going anywhere,” Lupo adds. “We’re going to remain on top by investing a lot of money. Our customers appreciate that and our employees do as well.”
Around town
The Journey tribute band Almost Journey performs in the Golden Nugget Showroom on Friday at 8 p.m. as part of the Flashback Friday series. The show is free.
Country singer Jason Aldean performs at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $34.75 and $69.75, available at ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.
The long-running Southern rock band 38 Special headlines in the Tropicana Showroom on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $45, $55 and $65, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.
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Soft-rockers Air Supply return to Resorts Casino Hotel on Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $45, $55 and $65, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.
Singer and 2009 “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert headlines Caesars Atlantic City on Saturday at 9 p.m. Tickets are $47, $67 and $87, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.
Asylum Fight League 50, a mixed martial arts show, is in the Xanadu Theater at Trump Taj Mahal on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $75, available through ticketmaster.com or (800) 736-1420.
The country band Parmalee performs a free show in Bally’s Wild Wild West Casino on Saturday at 10 p.m.