The transformation of the former Trump Marina is already underway as its new owners promise great things for the city’s Marina district.
There’s a new player in Atlantic City as the Golden Nugget officially took over operations of the former Trump Marina Tuesday, promising a $100 to $150 million renovation of the aging, and frankly, somewhat boring casino.
The Casino Control Commission approved the takeover and sale of the casino Monday in a unanimous vote, marking a return of the Nugget brand to the city after a 24-year absence.
During the hearing, Tilman Fertitta, head of the privately held, Houston-based Landry’s Inc, which bought the casino for $38 million, promised big things and a totally new look for the casino.
“We’re building a facility here that will compete against anybody else in town,” he told the commission, adding that the revamped casino will “no longer look like a hospital,” playing off a common joke about the Marina property.
“It’s exciting to be in the nation’s second-largest gaming market, and we’re excited to get started on the renovation to let everyone see the changes we have coming,” Fertitta told The Associated Press. “Everything’s going to be different. We’re touching every square foot. We’re going to have lots of new restaurants and bars.”
Part of those changes are already underway.
Gone is the massive Trump sign on the front of the property, which will be replaced by a Golden Nugget banner. And with the coming of Memorial Day weekend, the casino will open its first new restaurants and clubs.
The casino will remain open throughout the renovation, as Golden Nugget casino officials said they would never close down during the resort’s busy summer season. The company also renovated the Las Vegas Golden Nugget in 2005 without closing down the property.
“When we did this in Vegas, we found that the guests really didn’t mind it,” says Amy Chasey, vice president of marketing for the casino. “They found it to be exciting, even as we worked on the casino floor. It’s exciting as the new areas open.
“We kind of look at it a jigsaw puzzle,” she says. “Every time we close something for the renovation, something else will open. So we’ve done this before and we think we can do it even better this time through.”
Scheduled to open this weekend in the former Harborview restaurant is The Chart House Restaurant, an acclaimed national chain known for having waterfront views and backdrops. The restaurant, the 30th in the Chart House brand, has a view of the adjacent Farley Marina and has been completely renovated. Executive Chef Carl Colucci remains at the helm and has created an extensive seafood menu.
Golden Nugget encouraged its guests, through a variety of construction-related promotions, to be part of the sweeping makeover that actually began a few weeks before the casino’s parent company, hospitality industry giant Landry’s Inc., purchased the former Trump Marina for $38 million.
'It’s one of several themed events we have planned throughout the hotel and throughout the year, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Seven Stone just did such a phenomenal job when they were here last [on Jan. 21 for the LIVE Bar re-branding party] that we had to bring them back.”'
Transformation — It's a buzz word that only refers to the overall vision of Landry's Inc., the parent company of Golden Nugget, but also ties in nicely with the major shifts taking shape in Atlantic City as a whole.
It’s not that comedian Kathleen Madigan isn’t grateful for the gig when she christens the new Showroom at the Golden Nugget on Saturday.
Cooked with just as much skill, the dense meat was left mid-rare at its center. This is smart. Swordfish, being inherently quite lean, doesn’t take well to overcooking. The cut was thick, pure in flavor and not aggressively seasoned.
Some of the qualities that allowed Tilman Fertitta to reach the apex of the business world, and transform Landry’s Restaurants Inc. into a conglomerate worth nearly $4 billion, he seems to carry around like a set of car keys.
By his own admission, Tilman Fertitta isn’t a gambling man. But that didn’t stop the Texas billionaire from recently placing a $38 million bet in Atlantic City when his company, Landry’s Inc., bought the financially-strapped Trump Marina and immediately re-branded it with one of the most iconic names in the gaming business: the Golden Nugget. “I’m really not a gambler in casinos, I never really have been,” Fertitta says. “I’d rather take a multi-million dollar gamble in business than spend a few dollars in a casino. Put it this way: Before I got into this business, they didn’t send many limos to pick me up.” Fertitta’s company was best known for its various restaurant brands before it got into...
Fakefest is happening Friday through Sunday, July 8-10, at The Deck at Golden Nugget (at A.C.’s Farley State Marina). As has been the trend from year to year, all the bands playing Fakefest — and paying tribute to the classic rockers of yesteryear — are top-shelf.
What's happening at Atlantic City casino lounges, nightclubs and dance clubs each week
Area casinos provide opportunities to win cash and prizes, as well as offering special room rates and other upgrades and amenities based on your casino play
A comprehensive listing of entertainment coming to the Atlantic City casinos, Boardwalk Hall and Bader Field.
Thirty-three years ago this weekend, Atlantic City embarked on an experiment to use casino gambling to reverse the sagging fortunes of the one-time grand dame of America’s seashore resorts, who had been down on her luck for a couple of ...
In what they hope will be a sweetheart deal announced on Valentine Day yesterday, Tilman J. Fertitta, Chairman, President, CEO and owner of Landry’s, Inc., parent company to the Golden Nugget Las Vegas and Laughlin, announced that Landry’s has agreed to buy the Trump Marina Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.
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