In actuality, the Borgota is a very nice hotel. On weekends (especially in the summer) there will be a huge check-in line. To combat this, the Borgota has a fairly large check-in desk with room for more than ten agents. The Borgota also features performance artists dressed as marble statues who stand in lobby areas pretending to be still, and then will move and startle unsuspecting passers-by. If you're lucky this will be going on while you're waiting to check in and you can snicker.

When you do have a room key (and a room number for that matter) head over to the "living room". The "living room" is nothing more than another lobby, deep armchairs and couches near the room elevators, but the fact that it's behind glass panels and guarded by security makes just getting up to your room feel exclusive. Don't try to get past the guard without showing your room key.

Upstairs, queen beds with white bedding greet you. There's something to be said for the elegance of a place that provides you with white bedding; it seems to just say, "We are so exclusive that we can totally afford the amount of cleaning that will be necessary to provide you with all white bedding." There is cool lighting in the halls, and cool pictures in the rooms (I wanted to steal one of Venice), which helps to make for a pleasant stay. The bathroom also has one of those cool showers with a bench so that if you get tired in there, you can sit down and take a rest. Sweet!

The worst part about the Borgota is the crowds; there seem to be people everywhere. I suppose it's big enough for all of us though, so you should just say "excuse me" nicely, and keep walking. Like I said, there are shops, restaurants, lounges and, of course, the casino to keep you occuppied. There is also a pool and spa and a gym. You actually don't have to leave this hotel if you don't want to. But when in AC, I prefer to take a stroll on the boardwalk.

With shining gold outside, Borgata looks like it was transplanted right off the Las Vegas strip. Employees are friendly and staffing is, if anything, excessive. Check-in took virtually no time, although the staff is clearly not all from a gaming background. (One customer asked where the coffee shop was and the employee pointed out a Starbucks. In gambling-land, a coffee shop is actually a diner-type restaurant.)

Rooms are spacious and luxurious, although the view can be anything from a parking lot to the rest of Atlantic City. The beds are comfortable at best, but the technology and size of the room more than make up for them. Besides, who sleeps in Atlantic City, anyway? The bathrooms are enormous and the showers have a seat in them, although the lack of a bathtub is unusual.

Unfortunately, every new hotel has its issues, and the Borgata is no exception. Signage is terrible, and it is easy to walk past the elevators without knowing they are there. Restaurants are expensive, with some entrees approaching $100, and the casino floor is confusing and poorly laid out. While issues such as the signage and employee inexperience are fixable, the hotel will have to develop more AC-friendly restaurants that reflect the wishes of the crowd. By the way, skip the buffet (dinner is $25 per person) and head over to the cheaper and far superior one at the Showboat.

The hotel is located off the boardwalk in the Marina. It is not walkable from the boardwalk and a car is recommended. If you do not have a car, the Jitney or cabs are certainly available, although cabs are not cheap. A cab costs $27 from the Atlantic City aiport.

This is a property with a lot of potential, and is definitely worth a visit, particularly if you have never been to Las Vegas. Finding a cheap hotel is difficult, however, so at $179 per night, the rate is pretty good. It will be interesting to see how the hotel looks six months from now, when it has had a chance to acclimate itself to Atlantic City.