Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resort and major hotel chain Hyatt have parted ways, according to a message published on the hospitality company’s webpage for the casino resort.
The message says that Ocean will no longer operate as a Hyatt-affiliated hotel or within The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand.
The hotel portion of the Boardwalk resort will continue operations as part of Hyatt’s The Unbound Collection brand through 11:59 pm EST on December 31, 2019.
The partnership between Ocean and Hyatt was among the first collaborations to be announced shortly after the Boardwalk hotel and casino resort was purchased by its former owner, late businessman Bruce Deifik, in early 2018. Ocean formerly operated as Revel for two years before closing doors in 2014. It then reopened as Ocean Resort Casino in June 2018 with a hotel that was part of the The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. Under new ownership, the property was rebranded this year as Ocean Casino Resort.
Ocean’s 1,399-room hotel was the eighth North American property to open as part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt portfolio. Hyatt launched the brand, which operates upper-upscale properties around the world, in the spring of 2016.
In its message on the Ocean webpage, Hyatt informed Ocean guests that they may continue to book reservations on the hotel chain’s booking channels until the last day of 2019. Existing reservations before that day will not be affected.
Existing reservations, excluding World of Hyatt stays, will not be affected by Ocean and Hyatt’s decision to cut ties. Members of the World of Hyatt loyalty program who have booked stays after December 31, 2019 were instructed to contact Hyatt’s Global Reservations Center.
Why Have Hyatt and Ocean Cut Ties?
After the announcement about the end of Ocean’s affiliation with Hyatt emerged, the casino resort said in a Tuesday statement that “due to our continued success, our hotel volumes no longer permit preferential booking for Hyatt Loyalty guests.”
The statement went on that they are “grateful to Hyatt for the impetus it gave us for our grand reopening and value Hyatt’s guests.”
According to stats from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, Ocean had the highest average rate per occupied hotel room during the first three quarters of the year and the second-highest occupancy rate among Atlantic City’s nine operational casino resorts. During the third quarter, Ocean reported an average rate per occupied room of $219 and an occupancy rate of 99.6%.
It also emerged that the Exhale Spa, a 32,000-square-foot fitness and spa center, would not be affected by the change. The facility features 32 treatment rooms, a mind and body studio, and a retail boutique. It was the first Exhale experience to open doors within a Hyatt-branded property after the hotel chain purchased the wellness brand in the summer of 2017.
Source: Ocean Casino, Hyatt part ways, The Press of Atlantic City
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