It’s been one year since the Hard Rock Atlantic City and the neighboring Ocean Casino Resort opened on the Atlantic City Boardwalk and both casinos are still working to find their place in the market they expanded.
Ocean Casino Resort has gone through an ownership change and a minor rebranding while Hard Rock has seen its commitment to live musical performances bear fruit.
The ownership change at Ocean Casino Resort brought a new focus to the casino, something never stressed in its previous incarnation as Revel. In January Luxor Capital Group, a New York-based hedge fund and one of the principal investors, assumed control of the property.
According to Mike Donovan, chief marketing officer and senior vice president, the new owners have been trying to emphasize gaming while capitalizing on its hotel and non-gaming amenities.
“The property was never marketed as a casino before,” Donovan told the Press of Atlantic City. “It just feels completely different today than when I walked in the door in March.”
Joe Lupo, president of the Hard Rock casino, said changes there have been more incremental. The former Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort underwent a $500 million transformation in 2017 and 2018, but many of those alterations happened behind-the-scenes, he said.
“So there weren’t these big changes that were made in the last year, but it’s more a refinement of how do we provide better access and a better customer experience,” Lupo told the newspaper.
Lupo took over for former property president Matt Harkness in late 2018. A former executive at Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa, he had been working at a Hard Rock property in Tampa before returning to Atlantic City.
Since his arrival, Lupo said Hard Rock has been refining its gaming options and that’s made a difference. In May, Hard Rock was second in the market in slot revenue. “You look at numbers and you’re able to see where patrons are playing. So we were able to identify games to be added or deleted,” he said. “We’ve been aggressive at gaining more slot product and adding more slots to the floor.”
At the Ocean Casino resort, more noticeable changes have been made. Cereal Town and Ivan Kane’s Royal Jelly Burlesque Club have closed, but the casino recently had a grand opening for its Wahlburgers restaurant, complete with an appearance by actor Mark Wahlberg.
Ocean also opened the largest sports betting facility in the city with the William Hill Sportsbook, a 7,500-squarefoot facility in the center of the gaming floor.
Ocean is making progress on its buffet and has installed a new elevator that makes it easier for hotel guests to enter the casino floor. “We heard what guests wanted and we’ve tried to respond to that,” Donovan said.
