Is the Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City really reopening — at least partially — this week?
The property’s new owner, Glenn Straub, insists the shuttered Revel will be back in business this week. Although some are questioning how “open it really will be.
What’s going on with Revel?
Last week, multiple media reports, including comments from Straub himself, indicated that Revel would do a soft launch on Wednesday, including 900 hotel rooms, a dayclub, and multiple other amenities.
But a report from Philly.com over the weekend cast doubt on the idea that the property will be open in just days. There was little in the way of the hustle and bustle that would indicate even a partial launch of the property.
Instead on Friday, a sparse construction crew tackling the installation of a rope-climbing course and a zip-line ride in the resort’s former porte cochere appeared to be the only work happening at the 20-acre site. A lone maid could be seen inside the lobby mopping a section of the marble floor.
The report also noted that the exterior, meant to be shiny and gleaming, needed a power-washing.
This spring, Straub applied for a gaming license on behalf of Revel from New Jersey. But the only thing promised in the short term in slot machines, with a full casino this summer. The property originally had 130,000 square feet of gaming space.
All that leads to the question: Will Revel really be open, or is this more shenanigans in the sorted history of the biggest flop in AC history?
The backstory of Revel
Revel opened in 2012, with a cost of $2.4 billion poured into construction. Poor timing with the overall economy and AC’s fortunes led to the property closing in 2014.
Straub later swooped in and bought the distressed property for pennies on the dollar — $82 million. At one point, there were designs on reopening in July of last year, but those plans were scuttled.
But his ownership has been pock-marked with troubles as well. At one point, the city wanted to attempt to condemn Revel. And Revel was also subject to fines for being a fire hazard.
What will be at Revel?
According to Straub and his chats with the media, there will be a lot of amenities, eventually:
- An outdoor dayclub
- 10 restaurants
- A spa
- A movie theater
- A rock-climbing wall
- A skydiving machine
- A zipline course
- A bicycling course
Of course, all those things will only be available if Revel actually opens this week, or at some point in the future. And those are developments that appear to be in question, still.
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