Grand reopening planned for 2018
Capping what is undoubtedly the best news in years for the Atlantic City casino market, officials of Hard Rock International joined with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian and other dignitaries to officially announce the completed acquisition of the former Trump Taj Mahal casino on the Boardwalk, and to unveil the operator’s plans to transform the property into the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, bought the shuttered Taj Mahal in March from billionaire Carl Icahn, who had closed the casino in October after a long-running dispute with union workers. It was the last of five Boardwalk casinos that have closed in the past three years.
Hard Rock will spend $375 million to renovate and re-brand the Taj with its signature rock ‘n’ roll theme, and most importantly for the local market, will create 1,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs when it stages a grand reopening of the casino hotel in summer of 2018.
The Hard Rock Atlantic City’s casino will feature 2,400 slots and 130 table games, but the property’s renovation will showcase the entertainment theme the operator has spread around the world. Two separate concert venues will offer a total of more than 7,000 seats. A full-service spa will feature a variety of relaxing and recharging treatments, and “The Sound of Your Stay” music amenity program will offer complimentary in-room Fender guitar checkouts.
And of course, the property will be dotted throughout with music memorabilia, part of Hard Rock International’s priceless music memorabilia collection, the largest in the world. The property’s design will feature museum-like displays adorning the walls. Memorabilia for the hotel will be carefully hand-selected with a focus on contemporary musicians and artists who call New Jersey home.
The Hard Rock Café Atlantic City will move to a new 400-seat venue, including an improved stage and central location within the property featuring beach access.
The entrance of the casino will be completely reimagined, beginning with updating the existing facades along Pacific Avenue, at the resort entry, porte cochére and along the Boardwalk. Upon arrival, guests will enjoy a new check-in experience and lobby lounge.
The details were revealed in a press conference that was itself symbolic in nature. Held in the Hard Rock Café—which remained open after the adjacent Taj Mahal closed—the event took place 27 years to the day after Donald Trump presided over the Taj Mahal’s grand opening.
This time, it was New Jersey native Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International, presiding over festivities that began with a performance by a Bruce Springsteen tribute band and featured a parade of dignitaries who celebrated the return of thousands of lost jobs to the beleaguered seaside resort.
“From world-renowned music events to innovative dining concepts, we’re excited to bring the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino experience to the Atlantic City Boardwalk, which has been home to our Hard Rock Café for more than 20 years,” Allen said. “Our commitment to Atlantic City has never been stronger, and we look forward to being a catalyst for further growth and development of the area.”
Allen promised the operator will transform the former Taj into “something very special,” not just with respect to the local market, but to the gaming industry at large. He said the “bones” of the former Taj “are tremendous,” the original property having cost a total of $1.3 billion by the time its build-out was complete.
“We are committed to do one thing and one thing only—to do it right,” he said. “If we can’t do it right, we’re not going to do it. And the reality is that ‘do it right’ doesn’t just mean just some new carpet or memorabilia.”
Allen outlined the plans for a complete renovation of all guest rooms—“not just bedspreads,” he said, but gutting the rooms with new bathrooms, furniture and state-of-the-art amenities. He said the casino floor will be completely redesigned. “The narrowness and all the current obstructions will be gone,” he said. “We’ll completely redesign the casino floor to create a true entertainment destination, not just a gambling destination.”
He added that the property will feature all new restaurants, and said the focus on entertainment will include major shows mid-week. “Atlantic City has become a night-and-a-half market,” he said, noting that Hard Rock venues in Florida typically sell out events throughout the week. “Last year, we did over 30,000 live music events on a global basis,” Allen said. “There is no other brand in the world that even comes close to that.”
Allen also gave credit to his local partners, New Jersey developers and minority owners Jack Morris and Joe Jingoli, for making the project come to fruition. “We recognize we need to work with others,” he said, noting that the operator has joined with local partners in most of the 228 properties it operates around the world.
“I truly believe Atlantic City is about to experience a new renaissance,” Jingoli said at the press conference. “For any city to succeed, two things are a must—job creation and investment in the community. This project has both.”
Christie praised the accomplishment as one of the most important steps in bringing Atlantic City back to glory, an effort over which he has presided for most of his two terms in office—not without controversy, as he spearheaded a state takeover of the city’s tourism district.
“This is an extraordinary brand that is coming here to Atlantic City in a very, very big way,” Christie said. “And that’s great news. The investment is great news for the city and the state. And we are confident Hard Rock will do this the right way. It’s going to have a significant impact on the local economy.”
Similar kudos came from New Jersey state Senator James Whelan—who commented that the three principals are “all Jersey guys”—and Mayor Don Guardian, who said, “Thank you, Hard Rock, for believing in Atlantic City.”
Hard Rock reached an agreement with the Meadowlands racetrack to build a casino there should gaming be legalized in North Jersey. Although the referendum failed by a large margin in November, it contained a caveat that would have given Atlantic City casino operators first crack at a possible two casino locations. Now that Hard Rock will have an Atlantic City presence, should the bill re-emerge with a similar measure, Hard Rock would almost be assured of a lucrative North Jersey location.
Meanwhile, the Paradise Shops at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood were the hotspot of South Florida when they opened in 2005. Now the area is deserted; the clubs, restaurants, bars and boutiques had to vacate by March 31. Only the Hard Rock Live concert venue will be spared when the complex is demolished to make way for the tribe’s proposed guitar-shaped tower addition, which will include an indoor retail area of high-end shops, expected to be completed in 2019.
One holdout was the ResortWear shop, owned by siblings Tamir Wershaw and Malka Livingston. They sued the Seminoles, stating the tribe allowed them to take over another tenant’s 10-year lease in 2014. But in 2016, with four years left on that lease, the tribe served eviction papers with no offer of compensation for ending the lease early. The suit sought more than $15,000 in damages but Wershaw said he would settle if the tribe would give them a space in the new complex.
Recently, the suit was settled, said plaintiffs’ attorney Robert Stok. However, due to a confidentiality clause, he could not provide many details, such as whether the owners received any money from the tribe and if ResortWear will get a space in the new complex.
“It’s very possible that after it’s finished, my client would move in there. But I don’t know that they might not want to move in there. It’s possible they will establish their business in another location,” Stok said.
In February 2016, the tribe proposed an 800-room guitar shaped hotel—if the legislature would approve the gaming compact negotiated by Governor Rick Scott and the tribe, which hasn’t happened as yet.
Seminole tribal spokesman Gary Bitner said, “The project is still in the planning stages and has not received Seminole Tribal Council approval, which is necessary before anything is built. The work being done now is preliminary and will allow for more rapid redevelopment, once the plans have been finalized and approved.”
