The Chelsea
111 South Chelsea Avenue, Atlantic City
(800-548-3030, thechelsea-ac.com)
Number of rooms: 331; Summer price range: $99-$347
The Chelsea is daring for what it lacks—the hysterical sounds and flashing lights of a gambling floor. That’s because the Chelsea, which opened in 2008, has no casino. It is, by Atlantic City standards, a boutique hotel, and a stylish one at that. Think 1950s retro chic, a place Dean Martin and Rosemary Clooney would have gotten a kick out of.
Forged from the renovated bones of a former Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson Hotel (which was once the Teplitzky Hotel, an Atlantic City fixture for many years) now joined at the hip (pun intended), the Chelsea’s rooms are divvied up in two sections: the hotel (the former Holiday Inn), has bigger rooms, some with ocean views, and the annex (the former HoJo’s) has less pricey rooms that draw a younger party crowd on summer weekends.
The two sections are connected by a lobby that leads to several attractions: the Sea Spa, with saltwater pool; restaurants (Teplitzky’s, a retro diner, and Chelsea Prime, a steakhouse on the fifth floor); and plenty of opportunities to party (the fifth-floor bars, Cabana Club, and pool that feature DJs on weekends). The Chelsea also stakes out a section of beach, where cabana boys set up lounge chairs, towels, and umbrellas for guests. The hotel bills it as the only full-service beach in A.C.