Atlantic City appeals to a very specific kind of traveler. It’s a place for someone who wants to go to the beach, but also wants to be around a lot of casino gambling. If you just want the casinos you’re better off going to Vegas, or maybe just finding the one closest to home. If you want the beach, there are probably beaches closer to you. Even in New Jersey there are a lot of beaches from which to choose. But if you’re headed to town and want to stay in a casino resort there’s a good chance the Atlantic City Tropicana will be on your radar.
Unlike the Tropicana in Las Vegas, the Atlantic City Tropicana is a Caesars property. It can be booked with Caesars reward credits or with points transferred from Wyndham, or indirectly from any of Wyndham’s transfer partners. Rates here are not typically high, especially for a beachfront hotel. Unless it is a weekend in peak season you will probably be better off paying cash. Check rates on Expedia.
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Atlantic City Tropicana Location
AC Is not very big. You can see the town limits on the map above. If you go much farther south than the Tropicana the beach and boardwalk continue into Ventnor City. The end of the orange ACE highway is the train station, where you’ll arrive if you are coming by rail from Philadelphia.
Being on the ocean and boardwalk is obviously a great location. The distance from Tropicana to Ocean Casino is two miles along the boardwalk. I don’t think there’s any advantage to staying at either end or being near the middle of the boardwalk. It’s all just about the same along this two mile stretch.
Atlantic City Tropicana Property
There’s more to the property than is shown in the slideshow. For instance it has three pools, but they are all far apart from one another and require taking an elevator. There’s a showroom and comedy club, more restaurants, a large lobby, parking, an in-house terminal for tour buses, etc. And of course a sprawling casino floor. Get the full list of amenities on the Caesars site.
The resort has some age on it and frankly it is pretty ugly to look at from the outside. It is well maintained inside though. Even if it doesn’t scream luxury in every detail it is a perfectly pleasant place to hang around if you enjoy casinos.
The hotel administration could use a little help unfortunately. I was assigned the wrong room type at check in and told that no king rooms were available. Not a huge deal but mildly annoying. At one point during my stay another guest tried to enter my room, and after talking to him we realized that the front desk had assigned him my room while I was still checked in. That is a mortal sin in the hotel business as far as I’m concerned. It’s no bueno.
Thankfully this was in the middle of the day and nothing bad came of it. If the same thing were to happen late at night it could wake someone up at the least and get someone shot at worst. If I were a female solo traveler and a man walked into my room with a key I would probably check out on the spot and demand a full refund.
Atlantic City Tropicana Guest Rooms
The room was just all right. The only difference between a room at the Tropicana and one at the Days Inn next door is that the Tropicana is a high rise. My room was in the less desirable West Tower but it was on the 49th floor, with the 50th being a penthouse floor. I expect this was due to my holding Caesars Diamond status. Indeed, the whole point of this stay was to match statuses around Atlantic City. The windows were large and the view of Ventnor and the wetlands west of the city was very nice. I could even see a decent amount of ocean and beach despite being in the west tower.
The beds, pillows and towels were all comfortable but everything else was obviously cheap, especially the TV. It was a pretty old flatscreen model that only got about two dozen cable channels. The room featured vinyl flooring, no art or decor, and bathroom finishes that looked like they had been there since grandma was my age.
There were only two lamps which did not provide enough light. The chairs being set next to the refrigerator is awkward, and you have to move them to sit and watch TV. The lack of a desk was a very noticeable example of being cheap for the sake of being cheap. There were nicks, scuffs and dings throughout the room. Have a look for yourself in the tour below.
Overall Impression
It was fine. Definitely nothing special. The front desk really needs help and I didn’t see any sort of express check out, which is common at other Caesars properties. You are right on the beach, but you’re in a motel quality room. If you go in with low expectations and don’t overpay you’ll probably be satisfied. You can search a refundable rate at Caesars Palace or Hard Rock for not much more.
