Atlantic City hotels

Does anyone have any good suggestions for "affordable" places to stay this weekend? The casino hotels cost a fortune, and the cheaper hotels sound like fleabags, according to the customer reviews on TripAdvisor.

From what my group has been able to glean, every decent place in AC itself is sold out (but a few are willing to sell you rooms at ridiculously extravagant rates, as opposed to merely extravagant). Some of us are in Absecon (aka "Atlantic City North" a few miles out, here:

[www.marriott.com]

If you want to stay someplace affordable, go up the Black Horse Pike to Absecon. I'm not sure what the quality is - I've never stayed in one of those hotels - but AC proper, even the shitholes, is expensive as hell on the weekend.

Also, try the flagship (at the end of boardwalk at northern end). Ive stayed there before. Nothing great, but from what i remember it was clean and reasonably priced.

Beeeej
From what my group has been able to glean, every decent place in AC itself is sold out (but a few are willing to sell you rooms at ridiculously extravagant rates, as opposed to merely extravagant). Some of us are in Absecon (aka "Atlantic City North" a few miles out, here:

[www.marriott.com]

Thanks! I just booked a room for the weekend at a decent rate of $129 per night.

Last night the Courtyard AC had rates at $159+tax for a 2-night stay. Not sure if that rate has moved since then.

Jordan 04
Last night the Courtyard AC had rates at $159+tax for a 2-night stay. Not sure if that rate has moved since then.

Appears to now be fully booked.

I may stay in Deptford, near Philly, for quick getaway to Erie Sunday AM.

For those who don't mind staying a few miles outside Atlantic City, my contacts at Marriott have pointed out that a tempting alternative to the Fairfield Inn mentioned above by Beeeej is their Fairway Villa property. It's $169/night for a two-bedroom, two-bath VILLA. (A little cheaper if you're a AAA member.) For a bigger group, that'd probably work really well.

Jim Hyla
I may stay in Deptford, near Philly, for quick getaway to Erie Sunday AM.

Now there's a man with a plan!

Beeeej
From what my group has been able to glean, every decent place in AC itself is sold out (but a few are willing to sell you rooms at ridiculously extravagant rates, as opposed to merely extravagant). Some of us are in Absecon (aka "Atlantic City North" a few miles out, here:

[www.marriott.com]

This is also where I am staying. Thank goodness for Marriott reward points.

all that gambling finally pays off....have a comped room @ the borgata for Friday-Sunday.

Josh '99

Jordan 04
Last night the Courtyard AC had rates at $159+tax for a 2-night stay. Not sure if that rate has moved since then.

Appears to now be fully booked.

That was quick. I checked shortly after my post and it was still available. Perhaps some lurkers went and snapped up the remaining rooms.

jaybert
all that gambling finally pays off....have a comped room @ the borgata for Friday-Sunday.

No offense, but: holy crap, you must do a lot of gambling. The Borgata doesn't comp rooms for just anybody.

Josh '99

jaybert
all that gambling finally pays off....have a comped room @ the borgata for Friday-Sunday.

No offense, but: holy crap, you must do a lot of gambling. The Borgata doesn't comp rooms for just anybody.

and if you're doing that much, you've already paid for the room.

Jim Hyla

Josh '99

jaybert
all that gambling finally pays off....have a comped room @ the borgata for Friday-Sunday.

No offense, but: holy crap, you must do a lot of gambling. The Borgata doesn't comp rooms for just anybody.

and if you're doing that much, you've already paid for the room.

haha...sad but true. but its gambling i would have done, regardless. at least now i dont have to pay for a room this weekend while i'm there to watch the game.

Crodge2k and I also found the Fairfield Inn in Absecon when searching TripAdvisor on Sunday night, so will be there as well. I had thought that the Borgata looked like an interesting place to look around on Saturday afternoon before the games (not gamble--that's not our style.) Any recommendations for a nice restaurant there or near the boardwalk in AC for a wedding anniversary lunch? (We conveniently eloped 4 years ago when Cornell didn't make the tourney--this way we don't have to worry about how we'll celebrate our anniversary most years!)

BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

I'm booked at the Super 8 in Absecon. It's cheap, and let's face it, as long as it's clean and has a TV and wireless, I'm good.

As for things to do, this time of year there's really nothing to do in AC but gamble and eat. Unless you're a birdwatcher like me. I'm spending Saturday morning at Brigantine.

The Museum of American Glass in Smithville is interesting, but the folklife demonstrations probably don't start until later in the spring.

On another topic, I live about 90 minutes away from AC, and will be commuting to the games. I have a conflict on Saturday, but will skip it if Cornell is in the finals. My question is: Do I anger the Hockey Gods by buying tickets for both days?

ajh258

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

Borgata does have some pretty good restaurants, but i def. wouldnt recommend it if you want to do any sort of shopping (even if its just window shopping). i'd suggest the outlet mall (lots of reasonable stores), or pier shops (both reasonable as well as very high end) which is connected to the caesars hotel. i am pretty sure is within walking distance of where the games are played.

of note, you should be careful walking around at night (and during the day). AC is not the safest place. between casinos are probably OK, but i wouldnt venture further than that at night.

jaybert

ajh258

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

Borgata does have some pretty good restaurants, but i def. wouldnt recommend it if you want to do any sort of shopping (even if its just window shopping). i'd suggest the outlet mall (lots of reasonable stores), or pier shops (both reasonable as well as very high end) which is connected to the caesars hotel. i am pretty sure is within walking distance of where the games are played.

of note, you should be careful walking around at night (and during the day). AC is not the safest place. between casinos are probably OK, but i wouldnt venture further than that at night.

Just a great place to have the tourney and bring your family.Mine's staying home this year.

Do I hear.........attendance speculation? Anyone, anyone? My family is also staying home. Logistics are just a lot tougher with kids in AC and its further away for us. Can't miss any soccer or hockey training in advance of tryouts!!

RatushnyFan
Do I hear.........attendance speculation?

Bad, but not as bad as if Q had won in overtime.

Big time Hotel Score: Just used priceline.com. Selected the region of AC where the game is, selected 3.5 star propteries, and was sucessful at bidding 165.00 per night...Give it a shot. I ended up here [www.starwoodhotels.com]. Sheraton Atlantic City

Jim Hyla
Just a great place to have the tourney and bring your family.Mine's staying home this year.

The Onion hits the theme in my head between the hotel options, travel convenience, and city reputation with the following: "NFLPA And Owners Reach Agreement That Would Only Hurt Fans"

AnneDVM
Crodge2k and I also found the Fairfield Inn in Absecon when searching TripAdvisor on Sunday night, so will be there as well. I had thought that the Borgata looked like an interesting place to look around on Saturday afternoon before the games (not gamble--that's not our style.) Any recommendations for a nice restaurant there or near the boardwalk in AC for a wedding anniversary lunch? (We conveniently eloped 4 years ago when Cornell didn't make the tourney--this way we don't have to worry about how we'll celebrate our anniversary most years!)

This doesn't really answer your question, but for others who might be looking for an interesting place to eat, I've heard tremendously good things about the White House Sub Shop, which is just a couple of blocks up Mississippi Avenue from the arena.

jaybert

ajh258

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

Borgata does have some pretty good restaurants, but i def. wouldnt recommend it if you want to do any sort of shopping (even if its just window shopping). i'd suggest the outlet mall (lots of reasonable stores), or pier shops (both reasonable as well as very high end) which is connected to the caesars hotel. i am pretty sure is within walking distance of where the games are played.

I am going to promote the idea of not giving AC any business beyond the ticket to the venue. I don't want to encourage the ECAC or AC to want to keep the tournament there: the sooner it gets back to Albany, the better. This is one year where I am truly unenthused that Cornell managed to back its way into a bye and then a semifinal appearance.

Kyle Rose
I am going to promote the idea of not giving AC any business beyond the ticket to the venue. I don't want to encourage the ECAC or AC to want to keep the tournament there: the sooner it gets back to Albany, the better. This is one year where I am truly unenthused that Cornell managed to back its way into a bye and then a semifinal appearance.

Even if you are successful in convincing the entire Cornell contingent to withhold their discretionary funds, I think Atlantic City and the ECAC will notice the difference in overall weekend spending levels about as readily as Andy Noel is going to give a crap that you individually decided not to get Redcast. I think if the tournament is adjudged an economic failure, it will be because ticket sales themselves will likely be crap, and we already know that Cornell will have a halfway decent showing.

Beeeej

Kyle Rose
I am going to promote the idea of not giving AC any business beyond the ticket to the venue. I don't want to encourage the ECAC or AC to want to keep the tournament there: the sooner it gets back to Albany, the better. This is one year where I am truly unenthused that Cornell managed to back its way into a bye and then a semifinal appearance.

Even if you are successful in convincing the entire Cornell contingent to withhold their discretionary funds, I think Atlantic City and the ECAC will notice the difference in overall weekend spending levels about as readily as Andy Noel is going to give a crap that you individually decided not to get Redcast. I think if the tournament is adjudged an economic failure, it will be because ticket sales themselves will likely be crap, and we already know that Cornell will have a halfway decent showing.

It's about making me feel better, not about having a real impact.

After this weekend we'll know whether there was any merit to the notion that holding the tournament south of the southernmost ECAC school was a good idea.

Kyle Rose

jaybert

ajh258

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

Borgata does have some pretty good restaurants, but i def. wouldnt recommend it if you want to do any sort of shopping (even if its just window shopping). i'd suggest the outlet mall (lots of reasonable stores), or pier shops (both reasonable as well as very high end) which is connected to the caesars hotel. i am pretty sure is within walking distance of where the games are played.

I am going to promote the idea of not giving AC any business beyond the ticket to the venue. I don't want to encourage the ECAC or AC to want to keep the tournament there: the sooner it gets back to Albany, the better. This is one year where I am truly unenthused that Cornell managed to back its way into a bye and then a semifinal appearance.

I dunno... I mean, a lot of us were unenthused when the tournament moved from LP to Albany, in part because Albany has a reputation for being kind of dumpy, but went into it with an open mind and found some appealing local food/drink establishments and came to see it as a pretty decent place to spend a weekend. Yes, it's inconveniently located (so was Placid), but I still feel like it deserves an opportunity to make a good impression.

(However, they're off to a bad start given the lack of conveniently located affordable hotels.)

Josh '99
(However, they're off to a bad start given the lack of conveniently located affordable hotels.)

I was never in favor of LP. It's a beautiful setting, but I don't really give a crap about that when I'm there for a day and a half to watch hockey indoors: I always thought Albany was the better choice because it is centrally-located and has lots of cheap hotels within walking distance.

If I were going to make a long weekend out of it I might feel differently because AC, unlike Albany, is a destination (well, I guess it's more of a destination anyway...), but I'm not: I'm going to see hockey and then I'm going to leave, only now I have to spend more time in the car, burn more gas, take an extra day off, deal with driving back and forth between the venue and the hotel, and worry about getting mugged if I wander more than a block from the venue. And it's New Jersey. Bah.

Josh '99

Kyle Rose

jaybert

ajh258

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

Borgata does have some pretty good restaurants, but i def. wouldnt recommend it if you want to do any sort of shopping (even if its just window shopping). i'd suggest the outlet mall (lots of reasonable stores), or pier shops (both reasonable as well as very high end) which is connected to the caesars hotel. i am pretty sure is within walking distance of where the games are played.

I am going to promote the idea of not giving AC any business beyond the ticket to the venue. I don't want to encourage the ECAC or AC to want to keep the tournament there: the sooner it gets back to Albany, the better. This is one year where I am truly unenthused that Cornell managed to back its way into a bye and then a semifinal appearance.

I dunno... I mean, a lot of us were unenthused when the tournament moved from LP to Albany, in part because Albany has a reputation for being kind of dumpy, but went into it with an open mind and found some appealing local food/drink establishments and came to see it as a pretty decent place to spend a weekend. Yes, it's inconveniently located (so was Placid), but I still feel like it deserves an opportunity to make a good impression.

(However, they're off to a bad start given the lack of conveniently located affordable hotels.)

That's true, but there were also others of us that were happy that it did move to Albany. As of yet I haven't heard of any fans happy about this move. If the NCAA wrestling were not in Philly, our plan was to stay in downtown Philly, where there are other things to see for a kid who doesn't like hockey. AC has none of that, Albany was close and tolerable, and this year Philly is full.

Jim Hyla

Josh '99

Kyle Rose

jaybert

ajh258

Trotsky
BTW, any advice for fun things to do for those of us who took math don't gamble would be appreciated.

The Borgata is probably the newest and best casino in town. You'd have to pay for parking there. There's plenty of stuff like food, shopping, bars and etc. The rest of the Boardwalk is kind of boring IMHO.

Borgata does have some pretty good restaurants, but i def. wouldnt recommend it if you want to do any sort of shopping (even if its just window shopping). i'd suggest the outlet mall (lots of reasonable stores), or pier shops (both reasonable as well as very high end) which is connected to the caesars hotel. i am pretty sure is within walking distance of where the games are played.

I am going to promote the idea of not giving AC any business beyond the ticket to the venue. I don't want to encourage the ECAC or AC to want to keep the tournament there: the sooner it gets back to Albany, the better. This is one year where I am truly unenthused that Cornell managed to back its way into a bye and then a semifinal appearance.

I dunno... I mean, a lot of us were unenthused when the tournament moved from LP to Albany, in part because Albany has a reputation for being kind of dumpy, but went into it with an open mind and found some appealing local food/drink establishments and came to see it as a pretty decent place to spend a weekend. Yes, it's inconveniently located (so was Placid), but I still feel like it deserves an opportunity to make a good impression.

(However, they're off to a bad start given the lack of conveniently located affordable hotels.)

That's true, but there were also others of us that were happy that it did move to Albany. As of yet I haven't heard of any fans happy about this move. If the NCAA wrestling were not in Philly, our plan was to stay in downtown Philly, where there are other things to see for a kid who doesn't like hockey. AC has none of that, Albany was close and tolerable, and this year Philly is full.

I didn't mean to imply that everyone was unhappy; if "a lot of us" was misleading language I apologize.

Kyle Rose

Josh '99
(However, they're off to a bad start given the lack of conveniently located affordable hotels.)

I was never in favor of LP. It's a beautiful setting, but I don't really give a crap about that when I'm there for a day and a half to watch hockey indoors: I always thought Albany was the better choice because it is centrally-located and has lots of cheap hotels within walking distance.

If I were going to make a long weekend out of it I might feel differently because AC, unlike Albany, is a destination (well, I guess it's more of a destination anyway...), but I'm not: I'm going to see hockey and then I'm going to leave, only now I have to spend more time in the car, burn more gas, take an extra day off, deal with driving back and forth between the venue and the hotel, and worry about getting mugged if I wander more than a block from the venue. And it's New Jersey. Bah.

And certainly if this is your set of priorities ("I don't really give a crap about [the setting] when I'm there for a day and a half to watch hockey indoors" then all that matters to you is accessibility and the quality of the facility, and obviously given its relative distance from where you live it's less accessible for you. Obviously, however, different cities have different merits beyond just being centrally located and having conveniently located cheap hotels, and those other various merits are part of the whole package that might make a city a more or less apt host. I think it's only appropriate to give AC a chance to show that it has merits even for people who are just interested in getting in, seeing hockey, and leaving (for instance, I've heard that the Boardwalk Hall is a beautiful venue, whereas the Times-Union Center is pretty clearly a dump with awful boards), before we decide we hate it.

Give it a few years and I can suggest we hold it in the new home of the Philadelphia/Adirondack/soon-to-be-Lehigh Valley Phantoms (God, I hope they change the name!)

Until then we'll deal with A.C. for a couple years.

Even if Atlantic City doesn't get your hotel dollars because you're staying outside town, they'll get your parking dollars and at least some of your food dollars.

It seems possible that some of the ECAC room blocks at the hotels will end up with extra rooms as fans from teams that didn't make it cancel their reservations, but it's also possible that those cancellations will put the rooms back in inventory at rack rate (full price) rather than the ECAC rate. That's a very common, if irritating, practice among convention and event hotels.

Enough of the hotels in town are simply sold out, not just offering rooms at around $400/night now that their ECAC blocks are sold out, that I suspect most of the hotels will do fine regardless, and don't care whether we're there or not. In a sense, we're not the guests we want anyway; we'll be so focused on hockey that the majority of us won't be spending the long hours in the casinos and bars that give them their bread and butter.

rones
Big time Hotel Score: Just used priceline.com. Selected the region of AC where the game is, selected 3.5 star propteries, and was sucessful at bidding 165.00 per night...Give it a shot. I ended up here [www.starwoodhotels.com]. Sheraton Atlantic City

I actually took a look at Priceline for Atlantic City several days ago, but decided the region they might put you in was just too big to take the chance. It's all KINDA walking distance, but some of that is LONG-walk distance, and late at night it's beyond the area you want to be walking in. If Priceline let you say "Thanks but no thanks" to its selected hotel, I'd be more likely to use it more often.

I do have to say, it worked out well in New Haven a few weeks ago. I figured that I could bid practically nothing, when looking for a hotel room at 10pm on a Saturday for that night. I thought calling the Courtyard near Yale a three-star property was a bit of a reach, but I got a decent room for just $45, parked for free on the street rather than paying the hotel $15 more, and had the bonus of waking up the next morning to see a Popeyes across the street.

Time to play devils advocate here.......I, or I mean we, have known the tourney was in AC since at last year. Altho our overall team outlook for the year wasnt as promising as "usual", a little foresight may have been helpful here guys. I booked a room in AC (Ballys) thats roughly 5 minutes by foot on the boardwalk before the season started, with the idea that "if" they make it, I have a reasonable room with a prime location. And if they didnt? Then cancel the room before the 48 hour deadline and voila!! No penalty. Fyi.....the room was 115 plus tax.

toddlose
Fyi.....the room was 115 plus tax.

$115 is way more than I have ever paid for a room in Albany. Just sayin'...

I completely understand you there, but its a whole helluva lot better then the 300+ its goin for now. And with 3 people in the room, its easier to swallow. Plus, I plan on winning the room money back at the tables!!

I think we can all agree the tournament should be held at Lynah.

Just got this FW from Coach Schafer:

All-

Attached pls find an updated hotel list for Atlantic City as the Trump Plaza has reduced its room rates and provided a special phone number to call for reservations.

Thanks.

ESK

Edward S. Krajewski

ECAC Hockey

Assistant Commissioner

51 South Pearl Street

Albany, New York 12207

I've attached it, see someone listens.I love that the ECAC office is still in Albany. Good enough for them, not for us.

Trotsky
I think we can all agree the tournament should be held at Lynah.

Now that's something I can get behind.

The White House Sub Shop is very very good, there is always a line outside, but it's worth it. It's at Arctic and Mississippi.

Jim Hyla
I love that the ECAC office is still in Albany. Good enough for them, not for us.

Not just still in Albany, but still in the Times Union Center building.

Anyway, for what it's worth, I've grabbed three rooms at the Trump Plaza after seeing Ed's new list. I don't think that list was meant to hit the public, just ECAC media contacts and player parents, but I'm not complaining.

That means I currently have two rooms available at the Fairfield Inn in Absecon at $116/night that I'll gladly transfer to someone else if someone wants them. They are two-double-bed rooms, with breakfast and Internet access included. For anyone who PREFERS to stay outside town, these look great. I can cancel them until tomorrow, but if you want them, ping me at mha@14850.com or IM: mhaithaca and they're yours.

No in-out. (!!!)
All the beer is shit.
5 minutes and I'm about ready to hang shagwell. Dumbasses...

Kyle Rose
No in-out. (!!!)
All the beer is shit.
5 minutes and I'm about ready to hang shagwell. Dumbasses...

I agree. Atlantic City is a dump and only worth coming to if you're chronically addicted to gambling and have no other goals in life. I cannot wait to get out of my hotel room tomorrow morning.

ajh258

Kyle Rose
No in-out. (!!!)
All the beer is shit.
5 minutes and I'm about ready to hang shagwell. Dumbasses...

I agree. Atlantic City is a dump and only worth coming to if you're chronically addicted to gambling and have no other goals in life. I cannot wait to get out of my hotel room tomorrow morning.

I love how the slums are literally less than a block from the boardwalk. No wonder Trump was never able to turn this place into an east coast Vegas.

I was pleasantly surprised at just how empty the arena was yesterday. Turnout is much worse than I ever saw it at Albany (though I never saw it during a year in which Cornell didn't make the semifinals: I imagine those were glorious ghost towns). Hopefully the ECAC has an escape clause in their contract that allows them to back out of subsequent years if attendance is too low.

Kyle Rose
Hopefully the ECAC has an escape clause in their contract that allows them to back out of subsequent years if attendance is too low.

The fact that tickets for next year's tournament are up for sale on ticketmaster makes that highly unlikely.

Attendance for tonight will be up by at least two. See you all down there.

Greenberg '97

Kyle Rose
Hopefully the ECAC has an escape clause in their contract that allows them to back out of subsequent years if attendance is too low.

The fact that tickets for next year's tournament are up for sale on ticketmaster makes that highly unlikely.

Attendance for tonight will be up by at least two. See you all down there.

You're assuming that the handful of Colgate and Dartmouth fans are sticking around. Not a good assumption.