Hilton To Return To Atlantic City As Part Of A New Hotel-Condominium Project, Developer Says

Hilton has reached a deal to operate a hotel at a former Atlantic City casino once the building is refurbished into a combination hotel and condominium complex, according to the developer behind the project.

Colosseo Atlantic City Inc. has plans to rehabilitate the former Atlantic Club Casino, a boardwalk property that has been vacant since closing in 2014, turning one tower into 100 condominiums while the other tower will be hotel rooms.

Rocco Sebastiani, president of Colosseo, said the property could reopen by 2026. Colosseo purchased it in 2019 from TJM Properties and it had previously been eyed by Stockton University as a site for a satellite campus.

“There’s a strong demand for a second home, and there’s just no inventory,” Sebastiani said. “There is a generation of people that are looking for – we don’t want to say luxury – they just want a Shore home. They want something new.”

Hilton operated a casino-hotel at the building until 2012. Last called the Atlantic Club, it closed in 2014, a year that saw several city casinos shut down.

“Hilton is committed to growing our presence in New Jersey and meeting our guests’ needs in the destinations where they want to travel – with the right hotel in the right place at the right time,” a company spokesperson said. “We recognize the opportunity for growth in Atlantic City and look forward to announcing exciting details in the future.”

Sebastiani said he’s dealt with a cumbersome permitting process while Atlantic City officials said Colosseo had been in “non-compliance” with state construction codes.

The state’s Division of Codes and Standards will now have jurisdiction over the project, said Lisa Ryan, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Affairs. Atlantic City officials praised the decision to keep the project moving forward.

“This decision was made because the city construction official (Anthony Cox), who had also been performing building subcode duties, resigned last month from doing building subcode work,” Lisa Ryan, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Affairs, said. “Without a building subcode official, the city cannot conduct a building plan review or approve certificates or permits related to the project.”

Atlantic City Solicitor Michael J. Perugini said in a statement, “Mr. Cox was, at all times, within his rights to enforce the New Jersey construction code to protect the interest of the City of Atlantic City and the community in which the developer is moving forward with his project.”

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