DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AT WATER CLUB!!!
Stay at the Borgata instead...

Because of my previous positive expereiences at the Borgata Hotel and Casino, I had high hopes for this newley opened extension hotel called "The Water Club"

Even though this hotel is new, they are far from equipped to handle the sell-out summer crowds that arrived for this 95 degree weekend.

For a hotel that prides itself on its "pools" let me warn you... The 2 outdoor pools are the size of bathtubs and the pool area itself only hold about 50 people. We arrived on a Saturday at 2pm, and they would NOT ALLOW anyone to access the outdoor pools because they were "Filled to capacity"...

They would not even let you walk outside, not even to stand in the sunlight... people were FURIOUS! Me and my guests had to bring towels to lay out in the parking lot! And I am not joking. It was 95 degrees out and we came to lounge by the pool and get a tan, and instead we lounged on hotel towels on the pavement of the parking lot!!

The outdoor pools were full untill well past 4pm and by then, even if you could get outside, the hotel shadow blocked all the sun - poor design and engineering if you ask me. Why not build a pool in an area that is never cast in shadow? WHy not build a pool on top of the roof??

they do have an indoor pool on the 32nd floor, however if you want to use it it's $30!! Since when did a pool become and amenity you have to pay for?

The pool situation was the worst by far, but other then that we paid $700 for a "Vista Room" which is nothing more then a regular hotel room with a corner window. THe rooms were not impressive and definatly overpriced. I would have gladly traded it to go to a regular $400 Borgata hotel room which are MUCH NICER then the Water Club Rooms!!

THe hotel front desk lies about everything when you call them. They told me it was Valet parking only - not true, there is surgace parking and it is only $5. They told me that there is NO place to eat at the water club - NOT TRUE there was a food court, and a sunroom bar and lounge that was open 24/7. THey said that there was no early check in and it would be impossible to check in before 4pm. We arrived at 2pm and we're checking into our rooms immediatly.

And the Borgata seems to be ill prepared for the influx of people now staying at the Water Club. THe casino floor, restaurants and nightclubs are now jam packed since the place can hold double the amount of people, but did not expand much elsewhere in terms of gambling and dining.

Our reservation at the Old Homestead steakhouse was for 7pm, yet they had us wait until almost 8pm to be sat!! I have never had this problem at OH before, and have never had to wait more then 3 minutes to be seated.

At the Mur.Mur nightclub, our reservation was for 4 people, 2 bottles, yet when we arrived they told us that because it was a "special night since DJ AM was playing" we would now have to buy a minimum of 3 bottles. (keep in mind each bottle is $350+) you would think people paying so much money would be treated a little better. THey took us to our table which was barely even enough room for 2 ppl to sit, and DJ> AM only played for about 10 minutes and then left.

All in all I think the water club was poorly designed, they did not anticipate the amount of people who would come to flock for the outdoor pool, and the influx of the additional people staying at W.C has now somehow brought down Borgatas normally outstanding service. I think they got in over their heads on this one, and i will definatly NEVER go back to the water club.

I just returned from a last minute trip to Atlantic City with my mother and sister. We originally planned on going to Bermuda, but Hurricane Bertha forced us to change our plans. I was expecting an average stay, especially since my heart was set on Bermuda. I am not a gambler and I am generally not a fan of Atlantic City. I must say, however, that I was pleasantly surprised. The hotel is beautiful. The zen-like interior differs vastly from anything I've seen in AC. The room decor is lovely and modern. The pools are nice, however I agree with the other reviews: there aren't enough lounge chairs! All of the main restaurants are located in the Borgata, which is accessible through an interior walkway. The hotel employees were pleasant and eager to please. I visited the spa, but unfortunately all of the appointments in the evening were booked. The spa menu was quite pricey, but it looked amazing. I think the Water Club has done a great job of creating a unique AC experience. Book restaurant and spa reservations in advance and visit the pool early in the morning to ensure a lounge chair!

My husband and I decided to check out the recently opened Water Club in Atlantic City this past weekend. Some positives and negatives below. All in all- It is a new hotel, but in it's current state, I wouldn't recommend staying there, but would recommend a visit to the Immersion Spa.

POSITIVES:
1. IMMERSION SPA. Fantastic spa experience- the Swedish massage (I think their signature) was one of the best I've ever had. The people at the spa are so pleasant, and really try to make sure you feel taken care of. Also- great view from 30th floor of the hotel- floor to ceiling windows and relaxing lounge chairs w/ lap pool, jacuzzi and fitness room. If you are going, make sure you book in advance. I was lucky enough to get a last minute cancellation at 8am- the only time they had. (Side note- If you did not have a spa treatment, you have to pay $30 to use the spa facilities for the day)

2. ROOMS. The rooms are nice. Nothing spectacular, but nice. Great bathroom, esp. the shower. The bed is comfy and the pillows are great. The size of the standard room is decent and it was quiet both nights we stayed (Fri. night and Sat. night).

3. PROXIMITY TO BORGATA CASINO AND RESTAURANTS. Very close, easy walk.

4. SUNROOM: Relaxing room when not too crowded. Mozzarella is outstanding (This could also go under negatives b/c the bottled water is $8 for 8 fl oz - see more of this below- and I was charged $5 for a 2 pieces of stale wheat bread).

NEGATIVES:
1. LAY-OUT OF THE OUTDOOR POOL. For a hotel that calls itself the Water Club, I was embarrassed for them. Apparently they are already making plans to expand the deck area. In my opinion, they need to start over entirely. Both the deck and the pool are small and cramped. The size of the pool is something that you might see in the backyard of a suburban home, not at a hotel that is attempting to be high end. The chairs (both lounge and upright) are set out so close to one another - it's not relaxing at all.

2. GETTING OUT TO THE POOL. This was actually comical. The outdoor pool was a mob scene. I had gone down to the pool in the morning, and left for a short while (about 1 hr) to meet my husband for lunch (being courteous and taking my belongings with me, unlike many others who left theirs on their unattended chairs for hours and hours). After lunch when my husband and I decided to go back outside (it was a beautiful day) we were told by the security guard (security constantly guards the door out to the pool and ensures you have a valid room key) that the pool had reached capacity and we could NOT GO OUTSIDE. Several other people were told the same thing and people started shouting and getting irate (one person even threatened to sue for false imprisonment which was ludicrous quite a sight to witness). We were directed to a manager who told us we need to speak with another manager. When this person finally arrived, we were again told that we didn't have the appropriate manager. We had wasted about 25 min waiting for someone to give us the okay to go outside before we finally were told we could go outside "only to swim, but not to lounge." We went out and immediately found 3 open chairs (I guess some of the people that left their belongings on their chairs for hours and hours decided to come back and get them). I have no idea who is managing all of these "managers" but the fact that people were being told they couldn't go outside when there were several open chairs is pretty nuts.

Also- I had read an earlier review on Tripadvisor that expressed concerns about the pool area so I decided to call to see if I had to reserve a chair. I was told (by the same individual) no, then yes, then no, before being told I should call down to the pool and find out myself. Again- poor excuse for customer service. I did- and was told a solid- no. After our experience of being told we were not allowed to go outside- I told them about how I had called earlier and how frustrating it is--- to which we were told the pool will be first come, first serve going forward. I can't wait to see all the people that go down to the pool at 8:00am and put a book or towel on a chair and come back at 2:00pm. I think it's going to be chaos.

3. GETTING FOOD/DRINKS BY THE OUTDOOR POOL. Do yourself a favor and put snacks and drinks in your bag if you plan on staying at the pool for any length of time. As far as the service goes- there really isn't any. Several workers passed us by and we stopped each one trying to get a drink- and each one told us "I can't help you but I'll try to find a waiter for you". We actually watched each one of them walk away and not speak with anyone. This went on for quite some time, and we had a few laughs at the ridiculousness of it. My husband had to finally get up and get us drinks. Apparently they don't have tap water out by the pool, only bottled water- and charge $8.00 for 8 fl oz of Evian (less than the size of a drink box???). That is the only water they have- $8 - 8 oz. I'm all for paying for something if it's worth it- but that was just crazy.

4. INTERNET SERVICE. I had brought my laptop with me and hoped to get some work done. I was shocked that the hotel would charge as much as it does, and then skimp out on Internet service. If you want Internet service for 24 hrs you have to pay $9.95. Really- they couldn't throw that into the cost of your room?

5. MANAGEMENT. Seems they have more of a mis-management going on than any managers that actually seem to know how to provide customer service. Everyone seems to place blame with someone else and direct you to someone else.

6. LOUD MUSIC. Music was incredibly loud by the outdoor pool and also in the Immersion spa pool area. The outdoor pool- fine, I can see the loud music. I think the spa pool's music level should have been toned down. (side note- my husband thought it was totally fine).

We stayed at the water club 1 week after it opened. My sister was invited on opening day and she was raving about it so my expectation was very high. The lobby of the hotel was very modern and minimalistic. The room was also modern with beautiful beds (queen size), plasma screen tv, ipod dock/alarm clock, touch screen phone, large safe, and the typical over-priced snack bar. The bathroom is just as nice as the ones in Borgata but with L'Occitane products. The view was great on the 26th floor facing the ocean. The picture of the hotel seems to be very far from the casino but as soon as you get off the elevator, the casino is just a second away. We stayed at the casino a bit longer so we did not have time to get a spa treatment so we just used the jacuzzi and the pool on the 32nd floor. It cost $30 but the view is well worth it. We did not get spa treatments but i noticed that the price list is $40-$50 more than the spa in Toccari in Borgata.

For those of you who have stayed in Borgata and wondering how the Water Club is...it's just a newer version.