The weekend before July Fourth was a big one in Atlantic City. That’s when the casinos started to reopen — but not all of them. Borgata Atlantic City remained closed.
But by the end of the month, all nine casinos will have their doors open. Borgata AC has slated its reopening for July 26.
Borgata reopening originally delayed
The decision to delay Borgata’s reopening stemmed from Gov. Phil Murphy’s walk-back from restarting indoor dining just before the holiday.
The change in dining availability forced the MGM-owned Borgata to break away from the other Atlantic City casinos and wait to open when it could offer guests a more complete experience.
“We feel it best that we remain closed until such time that the governor lets us know it is safe to offer food and beverage,” said MGM Resorts International in a June 29 statement.
Now, three weeks later, the Borgata plans to reopen to the public after a soft invite-only reopening.
“Following the governor’s directive to postpone indoor dining, we took a step back to reassess our reopening date to ensure we could give our guests the world-class experience they expect from us, safely,” said Melonie Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Borgata, in a press release.
Safety plan in place for Borgata reopening
The Borgata will be following the seven-point safety plan instituted by MGM at all of its properties.
The plan includes enhanced cleaning schedules, required masks for all guests and employees, temperature checks and digital food and drink menus.
All Borgata employees will have gone through COVID-19-specific training. The resort will be following the state-mandated 25% capacity rule.
The casino’s Race & Sports Book will be open along with table games, but poker will be unavailable during this first phase.
Other changes for guests include:
- Limited rooms available for reservations.
- Disabling every other slot machine.
- No eating, drinking or smoking inside.
The Borgata’s retail stores will also be open, and self-parking will be available. Valet parking will not be offered during the reopening.
Borgata AC to offer improved takeout dining options
Like the other casinos in Atlantic City, the Borgata will not be able to offer guests indoor dining. But the casino has come up with multiple options that will please guests.
The Borgata has expanded its outdoor dining offerings to give guests more options. Besides its existing beer, the resort will be offering food and beer trucks along with the brand-new Sunbar at the Water Club, a hotel connected to the Borgata.
To help with social distancing, menus will be offered via QR code, and guests will be notified that their table is ready via text messaging.
Another way that the resort will be offering guests food and drinks is through a new program called BorgataEATS. It allows takeout and delivery orders to be made at the Borgata’s many eateries that guests can eat in their room as well as at home.
In addition to BorgataEATS and expanded outdoor dining, the resort will be offering 24/7 in-room service for hotel guests along with grab-and-go options from a store in the resort such as Borgata Baking Company, Starbucks and The Marketplace Eatery.
“When we reopen, Borgata will introduce new outdoor dining experiences, as well as a convenient takeout program from several of our fine and casual dining outlets,” Johnson said.
“We appreciate our guests’ and employees’ patience and understanding and look forward to welcoming them back.”
At long last, the top-performing Atlantic City casino will be up and running. Welcome back, Borgata.