Bally’s Corp won’t accept that Bally’s is a shell of its former self, dirty, a has been amid the rest of the town. Atlantic City’s second oldest casino encompasses an iconic address: Boardwalk and Park Place.
The corporate ownership committed $100 million to upgrade the property. One of the elements is simply known as The Yard. A refreshed hotel lobby represents a whole new experience from arrival to departure. The all-new design includes a complete refresh of the space from carpet to walls and a reimagined front desk with new finishes transforming the arrival experience to align with the stunning new guest rooms, according to NJ Online Gambling.
This beer garden-style venue will be a must-experience attraction offering live entertainment, a curated tap list featuring local and national brewers, craft cocktails, and a gastro-pub style menu. Adding to this experience will be 90’s themed arcade games, lounge-style seating, and an indoor and outdoor stage for live entertainment. Located at Bally’s courtyard just steps off the Atlantic City Boardwalk, The Yard is sure to become an instant classic all-year long.
AC’s second-oldest casino has a beer garden space ready for summer visitors
Still, there was some skepticism.
“This is a building that’s over 40 years old,” commission Vice Chair Alisa Cooper said at the time. “I don’t say that with any disrespect. It was opened in 1979. It’s a big building. … Is the money there … if you run a little short … in regard to the Atlantic City property?”
But the reassurances made to commission members that $100 million was committed to a massive upgrade bore fruit Thursday, when Bally’s executives played host to a “topping off ceremony” for The Yard, an indoor/outdoor beer garden to feature live music that will be heard by passersby on the Boardwalk.
Those who are lured in will note a gastropub menu, arcade games, and other attractions at The Yard. Venture inside a little farther, and the revolving bar near the fully refurbished hotel lobby will also be apparent. Most of the rooms, meanwhile, have been significantly upgraded.
Bally’s official ‘goes Yard’
The task of creating The Yard was passed from Atlantic City native and Bally’s Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer Phil Juliano to his son, Paul Juliano, the vice president of operations for the company.
“The market research for me was rigorous. I visited a lot of beer halls in Philadelphia and New York, so that was pretty cool,” the younger Juliano joked before an audience of media members and dozens of employees. “We want this place to feel relaxed, casual, and completely unpretentious. You can come from the beach and just roll in, come for dinner or lunch, or stop by for a drink.”
“Park Place and Boardwalk — you cannot have a rundown spot representing that famous address that the world knows about,” Juliano said, referring to the two most expensive properties in the iconic board game Monopoly. “As you walk through the building today, you are seeing things that contradict, or are certainly different from, what you remember Bally’s to be even a year ago.”
The renovation of 750 new Bally Tower hotel rooms and an upgrade of the high-limit table room, along with numerous new slot machines, are among the other features of “the new Bally’s.”
