area. “The convenience gambler portion, what Atlantic City was built on since 1978, is a market that has been under a lot of pressure with the surrounding states going for that same customer. The good news is that there are forty seven million adults within a six-hour drive; Atlantic City has the potential to attract a much broader range of people. Ultimately, we are going to send a message that it’s not just about gambling,” he notes. When asked about the hotel’s standout, DeSanctis points to the location: “You drive under an overpass, arriving at the beach, and enter a dramatic 140-foot-tall atrium porte cochere where you are staring at 180 degrees of ocean. Atlantic City does not have the perception of being an aesthetically pleasing town. I think all of [the hotels here], and certainly this project, have spent a lot of money to make people feel differently.” hd www.hospitalitydesign.com July 2012 123http://www.hospitalitydesign.com