The Showboat's Coming Back...WITHOUT A Casino
By KYW's David Madden
(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Two years ago, four Atlantic City casinos shut down in the name of economy. Next month, one of those shuttered facilities will reopen, as a hotel without gaming.
Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein bought the Showboat three months ago, but held back on doing something with it while local politics played out. "After the city and the state came to a resolution on the finances of Atlantic City, I then had the confidence to go and start to reopen the Showboat," Blatstein told KYW Newsradio.
Phase one involves reopening 850 hotel rooms, which will make it the largest non-casino hotel in New Jersey. More to the point, it'll mean hundreds of new jobs.
"There are 1,331 rooms in the Showboat in three separate towers and it's been shuttered for a couple years," he said. "So it's kind of a fire drill to get it open in a month."
This is Blatstein's second business venture in Atlantic City. He already owns and operates The Playground, an entertainment complex on the boardwalk in what used to be a retail mall.
Why no casino? He says studies have shown him the town has enough of them. What's needed are more places to stay, particularly in the summer tourist season.
Send an e-mail to info@acsbhospitality.com to learn more on making reservations or applying for a job.
