I stayed at Ocean Casino Resort from September 15th-17th for a work trip, and this was actually my…read morefirst time visiting Atlantic City. I live in Las Vegas and come from a hospitality background, so I'll admit I probably notice hotel details more than the average traveler. That said, I also know every city has its own personality, and Atlantic City is definitely not Vegas nor should it be.
I arrived around 8 PM after flying into Philadelphia and making the drive over, so between the long travel day and the time difference, I was exhausted. Check-in was easy, and I was given a room on the 35th floor with an absolutely beautiful view of the ocean, boardwalk, and city. The room was very clean, well maintained, and the bed and pillows were incredibly comfortable.
I ordered room service that first night, which was super convenient because the TV has the room service menu and other hotel information right there. I placed my order, jumped in the shower, got dressed, and by the time I was finished the doorbell was ringing. Perfect timing! The food was delicious, and the portions were definitely large enough to share.
The next morning I went to the gym, and I have to give Ocean major credit here, the gym is AMAZING. It was also surprisingly busy early in the morning. My only suggestion would be opening it earlier than 6 AM. I'm a 4 or 5 AM gym person when I'm traveling so I can work out, get ready, and still have plenty of time before the workday starts. Having Starbucks inside the property is another big plus, and being able to use the Starbucks app to pay made it even better.
I also had brunch at Harper's. The food was good and, once again, the portions were huge. Later I walked the boardwalk, rode the Ferris wheel, and really enjoyed getting to experience Atlantic City for the first time. For dinner, I ate at LaScala's Fire. Our waiter was great and provided excellent service. The food itself was a little under-seasoned for my taste, so I had to doctor it up a bit, but service-wise I had no complaints.
One thing I really liked from a security standpoint is that you have to scan your room key before entering the hotel elevator area. The property itself is HUGE. I honestly don't think I explored even half of it during my stay. Since I visited during the off season, it was a little quieter, but I can imagine this place is a completely different animal during peak season.
Overall, I had a very good stay. The views were stunning, my room was clean and comfortable, the food portions were generous, the gym was fantastic, and I slept great both nights. If I had one area of feedback, it would be that some of the employee interactions felt a little less warm or personable than what I'm used to. But coming from Las Vegas hospitality, I also recognize that Vegas has its own very particular style of service. Atlantic City has more of that East Coast, straight to the point personality, you know exactly where you stand!
I noticed Ocean has some pretty rough reviews, but that really wasn't my experience. I think sometimes people walk into a casino resort expecting every single detail, comp, or interaction to go exactly the way they envisioned. I went in ready to experience a new city for what it was, and I genuinely enjoyed my stay. I would absolutely stay at Ocean again on another Atlantic City trip.