The Water Club at Borgata is one of the newest and most luxurious hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey, US. Atlantic City has always had the reputation of being the gambling capital of the East Coast. However, as in Las Vegas, hotel and casino owners in Atlantic City have come to realise that the average gambler is a now more sophisticated, requiring more luxurious facilities.
The Water Club at Borgata is situated in a prime East Coast location 120 miles south of New York City and 60 miles east of Philadelphia. It is 20 minutes from the Atlantic City International Airport and easily accessible by aeroplane, train, bus and car.
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With a location at Renaissance Pointe in the Marina District, adjacent to Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, The Water Club is a five-minute drive from the boardwalk, beaches and rail stations in Atlantic City.
Larry Mullin, president and chief operating officer for Borgata, said: “Shortly after we opened Borgata we announced our plans for The Water Club, recognising the high consumer demand for a second hotel under the Borgata brand of hospitality… On its opening in early 2008, The Water Club will continue Borgata’s efforts in redefining Atlantic City as a travel destination by introducing a new, uncharted hotel experience to the market.”
The Water Club Hotel
The 43-storey, $400m, upmarket boutique Water Club was developed by the joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation and MGM Mirage as an annex to the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
Construction started in 2006 and the hotel opened its doors in June 2008.
The opening marked the completion of a $600m (making total investment to date $1.7bn) masterplan development and formed an exclusive extension to the sophisticated, international style that already defines the Borgata.
The Water Club will have 800 upgraded rooms and suites, seven pool environments, three residences inspired by chic city lofts, a two-storey 36,000ft² ‘spa in the sky’ and 18,000ft² of meeting space.
Shopping facilities include six designer retail shops with men’s and women’s clothing, lingerie, shoes and jewellery boutiques. The hotel also offers direct access to and from the Borgata’s established amenities and casino.
Accommodation and facilities
There are 800 finely appointed guestrooms and suites, offering five tiers of accommodation. All Club Rooms at The Water Club provide entertainment facilities including a Sony 40in LCD flat panel TV and iHome stereo system with iPod docking station.
The rooms’ comforts will also benefit from 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, bathrobes and slippers, large bathrooms with granite countertops, glass-enclosed Italian marble showers (large enough for two, with rain dome showerheads), fully enclosed, separate WC, aromatherapy bath products, signature Water Club beds custom-designed by Sealy, a mini-bar, wireless high-speed internet access and IP phone and television.
Water Club amenities
The Water Club features state-of-the-art amenities. The comfortable lobby lounge, Sunroom, is located in the centre of the lobby. The lounge is flooded with natural light and is decorated with beautiful planting. Sunroom serves juices, cocktails and tapas.
Immersion Spa, the spa-in-the-sky, is located on the 32nd floor with 360° floor-to-ceiling water views. The two-storey spa includes 36,000ft² with 16 ‘experience’ rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness centre and a 25-yard indoor infinity-edge lap pool. There is also a gourmet spa menu offering 45 types of contemporary and traditional treatments and massages including Ayurveda, Scandinavian, Egyptian and Thai.
The fitness centre is located on the 33rd floor, featuring the latest cardio and techno machines with fabulous views of Atlantic City and the shore. The hotel also has indoor pools, one heated pool and two outdoor Jacuzzi pools. Refreshments at the pool lounges include refreshing juices, cocktails and snacks.
The Water Club business centre boasts 18,000ft² of meeting space with two glass-enclosed boardrooms, three additional boardrooms, eight meeting rooms and state-of-the-art media technology and advanced computer electronic systems. The meeting rooms have built-in screens, overhead speakers, LCD projectors, AV systems / plasma screen interface, video and teleconferencing facilities and a DVD player and recorder.
Contractors
Bower Lewis Thrower / Cope Linder Associates are the design architects for the project. Laurence Lee & Associates are the principal interior designers. Yates-Tishman Joint Venture (Yates Construction Company and Tishman Construction Corporation of New Jersey) are the construction managers.
Architectural features
At The Water Club, the element of water introduces the notion of vitality and sets the overall aesthetic tone. The superbly integrated design materials fuse clean, elegant lines with soothing water features.
Limestone columns, Italian blown-glass chandeliers and plush handmade rugs that are punctuated by rich splashes of colour are interwoven with several cascading water features around the property.
The hotel’s lobby lounge, Sunroom, provides a central view of the heated pool, which was inspired by the aesthetics of Miami South Beach, Florida. The Brazilian Ipé wooden deck features sand and cabanas overlooking a 400-jet infinity-edge Jacuzzi pool. The hotel’s two indoor pools are set amid lush live landscaping, large bamboo stalks and natural light, evoking the feeling of an outdoor setting.
The Borgata
The 35-storey Borgata is the joint venture project of Boyd Gaming Corporation and MGM Mirage. The resort casino spa features 2,000 guestrooms and suites, 161,000ft² of gaming, 200 gaming tables, 4,100 slot machines, 12 destination restaurants, 12 retail boutiques, a 54,000ft² European style health spa, 70,000ft² of event space and parking for 7,100 cars.
The architects for the Borgata were BLT / CLA Joint Venture Architects (BLT Architects with Cope Linder Associates). The gardens, pool area and relaxation areas were designed by Lifescapes International. The front entrance of the Borgata was designed and installed by EPCO Architectural hardware.
The Borgata required a 1,209-space parking facility dedicated solely for the Borgata employees. The six-storey, four-bay parking structure uses a double threaded helix to handle the high peak hour volumes demanded at employee shift changes. Walker Parking Consultants teamed with Baumgardner Construction Company and High Concrete Structures Inc to design and build this parking facility in only 12 months.
The Borgata first opened in July 2003 but has been extended since that time.
