Posted July 05, 2018 at 09:13 AM | Updated July 05, 2018 at 11:45 AM
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(Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
By Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media
There are two brand spanking new casinos in town, but only one has a giant guitar out front and cool music memorabilia on every wall: Welcome to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
We stayed for two nights at the opened-last-week casino and hotel (the reinvention of the Trump Taj Mahal) and came out winners on the tables — and in our Instagram feed.
Sure, there were some kinks (read on to hear the saga of Umbrella-gate and learn why showering may be the riskiest thing you can do here), but we got to eat like kings, fly in a helicopter and party with Fetty Wap. What more could you want for 48 hours in Vegas East?
Here's everything you need to know about the Hard Rock Atlantic City.
(Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
The rockin' entrance and lobby bar
There ain't no lobby like the Hard Rock lobby cause the Hard Rock lobby don't stop.
The escalators to the gaming floor are flanked by wraparound LCD screens and carry you under the showpiece — a massive crystal guitar that hangs from the ceiling.
At almost any hour, it seems, live music greets at the lobby bar. It might not be Vegas, but it's a festive vibe to walk into that says, "Welcome to the party."
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The decor
Stroll off the gaming floor and the halls are lined with Hard Rock memorabilia, mostly stage costumes (be sure to catch the Kiss display) and guitars. Between them are portraits of musicians you know. Springsteen was everywhere.
I loved all the oranges and purples and black and glitz (and developed a fondness for the various funky rugs).
The whole place felt younger and edgier than the typical A.C. casino, even if the patrons were mostly the salt-of-the-earth folks you'd find at any other spot in town.
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(Courtesy Hard Rock)
The room
I didn't book an ocean-view room but gently asked about a view at check-in. I was pleasantly surprised when the woman at the front desk whipped out some kind of schematic and went to work. I arrived to the 14th floor in the North Tower and could see the Atlantic from bed. Score.
Overall the digs were just fine, with a solid bed, this cool headboard and the softest hotel carpets I've ever felt — but I wish the distinctly rocking decor from the rest of the place had made it inside. This could be a room at any hotel.
I'm guessing only a small portion of the nearly $500 million in renovations was spent here.
