The Showboat Atlantic City is a hotel and former casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Showboat opened as a casino hotel in 1987 and closed in 2014; the hotel reopened in 2016. It is owned by developer Bart Blatstein.
History
On March 30, 1987, the Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center opened with a casino and a 60-lane bowling alley, The complex was built on land leased from Resorts International, just north of the under-construction Resorts Taj Mahal. The grand opening ceremony featured Bob Hope and Al Hirt. The Showboat opened the city's first racebook in 1993, following the legalization in 1990 of casino simulcast wagering. Steelman Partners completed a major renovation in 1995, creating a Mardi Gras theme. In 1998, the property's parent company, Showboat, Inc., was purchased by Harrah's Entertainment, now Caesars Entertainment. With the popularity of bowling on the decline, the bowling alley was closed in 2001, and the space was used for a new buffet and a coffee shop. In May 2003, the Showboat added a 544-room, $90 million hotel tower called the Orleans Tower. In 2007, the hotel remodeled its original tower, the Bourbon Tower. In the past decade, many improvements were made to the establishment, including a new hotel tower and a House of Blues on the boardwalk, along with a complete renovation of the boardwalk facade. In June 2014, Caesars Entertainment announced the planned closure of the Showboat, even though the property was profitable. The move was made in an effort to stabilize Caesars's other Atlantic City casinos. After a buyer could not be found, the Showboat closed on August 31, 2014, at 4:00 p.m. It employed 2,100 people, but 470 of them were immediately hired at other Caesars casinos. The shutdown came amid a wave of closures of Atlantic City properties, with four of the city's casinos closing in 2014. On December 13, 2014, Richard Stockton College purchased the Showboat for $18 million, with plans to develop a full-service residential campus awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees and other professional training programs. The plan was derailed by legal issues, and Stockton sold the property to Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein for $23 million in January 2016. Blatstein announced in June 2016 that the Showboat would reopen the following month as a non-gaming hotel. The "new" Showboat Atlantic City Hotel opened July 8, accepting reservations and welcoming guests. The new hotel features only one restaurant, bar and coffee shop. The former casino space and House of Blues areas are currently closed indefinitely and decorated with images of Atlantic City. In February 2018, Blatstein took a preliminary step toward applying for a casino license for the property. Blatstein said "There is over a billion dollars worth of investment in that part of the town that should not be ignored," referring to the reopening of two shuttered casinos next to the Showboat, the Ocean Resort Casino and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. In early 2019, Bart Blatstein was approved to apply for a casino license. Blatstein has plans to build a new casino in the lot in between Showboat and Ocean Casino Resort. Due to a deed restriction placed on Showboat by Caesars Entertainment, the building may not be used as a casino, so building a new building is a way around it. The new casino is expected to break ground in 2020. Later that year, Blatstein announced plans to convert 264 of the Showboat's hotel rooms into apartments.
Showboat had a 3,500 sq.ft. spa, a fitness center, a pool and two gift shops. Prior to the addition to the House of Blues, shows were performed in two venues, either the Mardi Gras Showroom or Mississippi Pavilion. Bob Hope was the first headliner at the resort. Other headliners included Phyllis Diller, Charo, The Judds, Ray Charles, The Spinners, Jack Jones, Alan King and Willie Nelson. Smaller Las Vegas-style revue shows were also sporadically booked in the Mardi Gras Showroom. The opening of The House of Blues in 2005 saw the entertainment bookings ranging from Cyndi LauperElvis Costello to the White Stripes to Erykah Badu. Boxing matches are held at the casino. Upon the reopening of the Showboat, the hotel rebranded the former House of Blues as the Bourbon Room which hosts concerts and other events. The hotel also introduced a video arcade called Starcade and a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course sponsored by Glow Golf However, both the Starcade and Glow Golf establishments have closed.
