I took my boyfriend here for his 30th birthday & we had a great time! I've stayed in several resorts in Atlantic City & have to say, I think The Chelsea was my favorite.

To be fair, I should start by saying we're not big gamblers. We went to AC because of it's close proximity to NYC and because it offered everything you would need for a summer weekend away - beach, pools, good restaurants, nightlife, etc.

The Borgata, Tropicana & others I've been at definitely have a lot to offer in-house but sometimes it's almost too much action going on & I liked the idea that we could kind of get away from it all at The Chelsea.

CHECK-IN
We arrived around 2 pm and had no problems checking into our room early. We stayed in one of the luxe king rooms in the hotel which overlooked the pool area. We were given a quick overview of the various amenities at the property & sent on our way.

NOTE: If you are looking for a more up-to-date room, make sure you don't book a room in The Annex! That part of the hotel is a bit more motel-shabby & I heard a lot of people complaining that they hadn't realized that they booked rooms there.

ROOMS:
Our room was great! I loved the retro decor that felt trendy but not stuffy. It definitely appeared that a lot of thought went into the design of the room.
The room itself was well-sized with a king bed, armchair & ottoman, bureau where the flat-panel tv sat & a cute mini-bar/mirrored entryway. The bathroom was also nicely designed & had a rainfall shower. We had some issues with the air conditioning in the room. It was fine on arrival, but when we got home Friday night around 3 am - it felt almost like the heat had come on. We thought it would get better when we turned the thermostat down but it really never did. I mentioned it to the front desk when we checked out so that was my fault for not dealing with it sooner. But I noticed a few other reviews mentioned similar issues - so I wonder if the AC system is just out-dated there?

POOL:
The 5th floor area of the hotel is definitely gaining attention. There are a few different indoor lounge areas as well as the bar area near the pool. It felt like a mix between Miami & Vegas - and for a little while at least, I forgot I was in AC. At night, the pool area was a different scene with a DJ & a crowd that was there to have fun. Since our room overlooked the pool, we could still hear the music when we got home around 3 am. But it wasn't enough of a distraction that we had trouble falling asleep. The pool & surrounding chair area wasn't huge so it was completely full by noon on Saturday. Definitely an interesting crowd of 20 & 30-somethings mixed with what appeared to be European tourists.

LOCATION:
The Chelsea is located next to the Tropicana & within walking distance to several other properties. We had dinner reservations at Buddakan at The Pier so ended up cabbing it there for $5. We also visited The Beach Bar at the Trump Plaza & had fun. It was a pretty laid back crowd during the day & at night, they were dancing to Top 40's, 80's, etc. Definitely not a club atmosphere but we preferred that. There is also a Dunkin Donuts 1 block up, away from the beach, which was great for our trip home.

PARKING
The valet welcomed us with a luggage cart & quickly took care of parking the car. Valet parking was $10/night & was attached to the hotel. While it was a piece of cake during check-in, check-out was another story. This was probably my biggest complaint with the hotel. When we were ready to leave, there was a cluster of people waiting (in no particular order) and no parking attendant in sight. It took about 15-20 minutes before we were able to get someone's attention, but once the problem was acknowledged, the staff worked quickly to try to resolve it.

OVERALL:
While the hotel is clearly still working out some kinks (or at least I'd like to think that's what the issues were), I would definitely recommend it to my friends & plan to stay there again if I go back to AC.

On June 28th I went down to the Chelsea for one night. I stayed there one time last October and it was great, this trip however was a different story. Like other reviewers say, the facility itself is really nice but the quality of service is a huge let-down.

After checking into the room and noticing there was no remote, we called down to see if they could bring one up when they got a chance. Well, they never did and after multiple calls one finally did arrive, but it too was broken. A huge deal? Nope, but still.

Later, we tried to get a drink from the pool bar only to be told that they decided to close early that day so we were out of luck. The next day was the big problem. After enjoying some time on the beach (the workers on the beach were very nice and set up chairs and umbrellas for us) we decided to head up to the pool but it was closed. Then we headed down to their other pool and that too was closed. I was later able to find out they were closed by city inspectors because the water was at unsanitary levels of some sort. We also tried to schedule a massage only to learn they too had to ”close” early that day for unknown reasons. Can’t help but think this was connected to health inspections…could be wrong though.

O well, at least it was a sunny day so why not sit by the pool and enjoy a drink? Wasn’t going to happen on this trip though. While the bar was open, most of the drink mixes were out. No Margarita’s or Mojito’s this trip. Well, at least everything looked nice…too bad we couldn’t enjoy them.

I emailed the hotel as soon as we got back and they said they received my email and would forward it to a manager who would get back to me…no one has since had the courtesy of returning my email. Bottom line, there seems to be issues with management. Things happen here and there that are beyond anyone’s control but on this past trip too many things went wrong too just pass off as coincidence. Its unfair for any company, especially in this economy, to gladly take people money and in return deliver a product that is sub-par. O well, I would like to come back but I don’t think I will right now. I’ll stick with Harrah’s and their great pool area

This is a mixed review. Stayed in the Luxe (new) Tower on a Sunday night. Room faced the ocean and was very stylish. The pool looked lovely and dinner at the Chelsea Prime was great (but was understaffed). My major complaint is around service. Long lines to check in and check out, long waits for the bell man, restaurant understaffed, no special attention despite the fact that we checked in and told the staff it was BOTH my husband and my birthday that day. We were also disappointment that the cool-looking bars/club/pool all closed early on a Sunday evening in the summer. We paid for the whole Chelsea experience when we booked our room and were left unfulfilled.

Even worse is that I took time to write a letter to the hotel manager and have not heard back at all 3 weeks later. I think this speaks volumes about their commitment to customer service. Such a shame....this hotel has great potential!

We were there mid-week in July. My wife and I used the Atlantic City location as a base for explorations up and down the Jersey shore. We are not into the AC gaming scene, so this non-casino retreat was perfect. Our stay in the Luxe Tower was terrific. The King bed offered a thick comfy mattress, and lots of fluffy pillows. It faced a new HD TV with a good choice of free cable and HBO, plus recent hits and adult fare for a fee. The I-pod friendly clock radio is ready to play tunes from any music source with a standard earphone jack, or even the TV, with the right adapter. The buzzer on the clock radio was too quiet to be a reliable wake-up. Request a wake-up call for insurance.

My wife wasn't crazy about the eclectic retro decor, but the trendy-chic look was pleasant enough, and the furnishings and room size were good. The bathroom was comfortable, with thick white towels, robes and a hair dryer. The large walk in shower was a nice touch if you don't need a tub. The thermostatically controlled water temperature worked fine, but volume from the "rain fall" shower head seemed light. Be prepared for a loud "whoosh" when flushing -- the toilet is equipped with the latest pressure enhanced flush mechanism to provide clean flushes within government-mandated water restrictions.

The room was clean. In-room coffee would have been nice, but I guess they are pushing room service. Free wireless internet is available, but there is no real "work center" like those in hotel chains that cater to business "road warriors." It is clearly a room designed more for leisure than business, although a company retreat was booked in the hotel when we were there. You will find an iron in the closet for quick touch-ups.

The staff seemed friendly and eager to please, from the first encounter with the parking valet . Parking is not free, but we were charged a reasonable $5/day, with unlimited free in and out. The fifth floor heated outdoor pool was long enough for laps. If is surrounded by chaises for sunbathing, with an adjacent canopied bar and poolside food side beverage service available. There is an even larger salt water pool on the ground floor, between the tower and the coffee shop. The Spa next to the saltwater pool is closed Tuesday and Wednesday, but the staff will let you use the exercise room on request .

It is located just off the boardwalk, at the south end of the casino strip, near the Tropicana. Caesars is a pleasant stroll further down, but the steel peer and beyond can be a hike.

The lobby areas, coffee shop, restaurant, and 5th floor game room and lounges are all clean, fresh, attractive, and inviting -- with a selection of books, board games, and even a pool table available. We didn't see it, but I believe reports of a hot bar scene weekend evenings.

This is a very nice hotel with above average service and facilities, but you may question the value if you pay more than $300 a night to stay here. Discounts are available on the web, and if you shop carefully, it can be a real bargain.