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Atlantic City Rolls Dice On New Non-Gaming Hot Spot, The Chelsea

The Chelsea hotel combines a classic Hollywood look of the late 1930s with modern-day luxuries.

Not everyone who visits Atlantic City is a gambler headed for a casino hotel. Although they sometimes don't get as much attention, there are dozens of tourist attractions, great shopping and restaurants, and a famous boardwalk and beach that make the city worth visiting even if you don't go near the slots or games of chance.

Now, for the first time in more than 40 years, the Jersey Shore's outstanding entertainment mecca has a non-gambling hotel, a charming boutique style named The Chelsea.

Located on the Boardwalk (at 111 Chelsea Ave.) the hotel features 332 guest rooms and suites, a 15,000 sq. ft. rooftop swimming pool, a 10,000 sq. ft. luxury spa complex, two signature Stephen Starr restaurants and a cocktail lounge, "The 5th Floor," destined to be one of the city's most popular. The Chelsea occupies the site of two former hotels (a Holiday Inn and a Howard Johnson) and is part of an ongoing effort to revitalize Atlantic City and provide more upscale guest accommodations. The project has been led by Cape Advisors, Inc. who developed The Virginia Hotel and Congress Hall in Cape May, New Jersey.

The interior design combines the sophisticated, classic Hollywood look of the late 1930s with contemporary luxury. The Chelsea captures the classic era's chic style. The result is a relaxed elegance which can be found throughout the hotel.

The Chelsea's restaurants have been designed by Stephen Starr, the visionary restaurateur with multiple restaurants in both Philadelphia and New York City. Chelsea Prime, a superb steakhouse, is decorated with classic black and white photographs of 1940s Atlantic City.

It features elevated Hollywood-style booths, sweeping ocean views, and mouthwatering cuisine. Teplitzky's (named for the original hotel proprietor) serves diner-inspired food in a fun, classic setting. It also houses a hideaway cocktail lounge and coffee shop with original terrazzo floors, redwood walls, and cantilevered stools. Teplitzky's also provides the hotel's 24 hour room service, and a pool side menu for its saltwater pool.

The Chelsea's Sea Spa is a rejuvenating destination that takes its inspiration from Atlantic City traditions and the legacy of the resort hotels of generations past by drawing on the ocean's richest resource, sea salt. For thousands of years it has been considered a panacea and is a part of several Sea Spa's specialty treatments. Remedies include custom-blended organic sea salt head-to-toe body exfoliations and foot treatments, complemented by a seasonally heated saltwater pool where guests can take a dip and loosen the kinks.

Blonde Ambition, The Go-Go Girl Glow, and a Genie In a Bottle are just some of the services and treatments available.

The Chelsea's social scene has also made its way to the saunas and steam room in the exclusive Florida Room, adjacent to the spa's 10 private treatment rooms, which promises to melt away sins from the past with a steam, sauna, Jacuzzi, or time spent relaxing on the heated stone bench.

The rooms and suites are both very comfortable and handsomely decorated throughout. My room had an extra large bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower (with rain forest shower head) and a wall-size backlighted mirror. Service at The Chesea is outstanding (prompt and courteous) from the parking garage to the front desk, to its house keeping staff, and room service.

Situated at the corner of Pacific Avenue and South Chelsea Avenue, the hotel is near many of the town's most popular attractions and landmark locations which can be easily reached on foot, on one of the hotel's complimentary bicycles or in one of the Chelsea's hotel cars.

The Chelsea is proudly a non-gaming hotel, but for those who want to roll the dice, many of Atlantic City's most celebrated casinos -- the Tropicana and Caesars Atlantic City -- are nearby. Guests can also visit The Pier Shops at Caesars, featuring local outposts of national and international brands ranging from Gucci and Tiffany & Co. to Scoop NYC and Apple. Outlet-shoppers will find many great possibilities nearby at The Walk.

For more information view www.thechelsea-ac.com or call 1-800-548-3030. Every trip to Atlantic City, America's great entertainment and vacation destination, should begin at www.atlanticcitynj.com.