MGM Tower — Hotel in Atlantic City

Borgata and now MGM have always been one of my favorites. I chose this location to host my Bachelorette Party. I am from Baltimore and now live in Charlotte. I did not want my friends to have to travel down to me twice so I picked this location as it is closer to them and one of our favorites over the years.

We love this place for all it has to offer and didn't really wish to leave the casino unless we had to.

Let's start with checkin. We arrived early and saw a sign where we could check in by phone. I did this and it said our rooms weren't ready yet. We walked to the bellman to leave our luggage so we could meet friends who had already arrived at the pool/casino.

We then walked over to the MGM side and realized we had checked our bags on the wrong side. We walked up to the front desk, which was not busy and asked the person at the front asked if she could help us. She said, "Well if you're staying here I can. " Of course I knew where I was staying , but I started to explain, I had Checked our bags on the other side. She simply just kept cutting me off and saying they were two different hotels. Her name was Lisa and honestly she was the rudest person I have ever met in hospitality.

I explained to her that I had checked in on the app and given my card for incidentals. She said it had not charged me, but my account had showed it had.

I then explained to her paid for the first night and would take care of the incidentals and my two friends would each be paying for a night.

I had picked the nicest room, I had never stayed in the stay well side before, but that being said the remaining balance was $450 for incidentals and around $600 for the last two nights. I told her I had put my card on the app, but if she needed it again that was no problem. She corrected me and said well you didn't and you didn't pay for the resort fees when you booked, so you will have to pay those too. Again, I was horrified and completely embarrassed. I said I understood but we we would still split the last two nights with my other two guests. She kept explaining policies and seemed annoyed. I am not sure why. Finally she charged us all and then I had two charges on my card, my friend had two and my sister had one. She kept explaining that the charges would fall off, which is fine, but her computer was glitching and she kept asking for our cards back. By the end of the experience, it took us 40 minutes to check in. I was very annoyed and embarrassed and just excited to get started on my Bachelorette weekend.

We finally got to our room and my sister presented me with a bottle of champagne and when I went to put it in the refrigerator there was old food in there.

We tried to call the front to let them know, but got no answer. We decided instead of wasting more time we would go to the beer garden pool and indoor pool & Jacuzzi area and begin our festivities.

We had excellent service the remainder from restaurants and pool staff. We had 12 guests with us and definitely had a great time, but it started very rocky.

My friend let the front desk know of our experience a day later. I was just going to let it go. She asked for a manager and none would come down to the desk but instead talked to her on the phone. The manager asked her why we didn't say something earlier about our service and the Cleanliness of the room? She explained we wanted to get our Bachelorette Party started and had already been frazzled by check in and did not want to waste any further time. The manager added a $100 credit to our room.

I flew and drove around 400 miles, rented a car, we booked numerous rooms and spent a good deal gambling, eating and drinking. The $100 seems like a slap in the face. They could have at least offered us a free stay for a night or two for our next visit or a night free for that visit.

I had been planning this trip and looking forward to it for some time and I feel let down by the lack of compassion, empathy and service.

I'm sure I'll be back, eventually, but not...

Walking into the MGM Tower at Borgata (formerly the Water Club) felt like placing a safe bet in a city that rarely offers them. The front desk agent noted it had been years since I last stayed, proceeding with an efficient, gracious check-in that delivered detail without the dreaded front-desk monologue.||MGM's partnership with Marriott delivered dividends as an Ambassador, which earned me complimentary valet, drinks for two, and a waterfront view—proof that even in Atlantic City, loyalty sometimes provides more than bonus points and tepid greetings.||The rooms have undergone a glow-up, trading the tan hues of the Water Club era for a sleeker palette of while marble and natural materials that evoke Miami chic on a slightly constrained budget. But design choices are a mixed bag: above the bed hangs a Mondrian-style collage that looks like it wandered over from the discount section of Etsy, far too small for the wall it’s supposed to anchor, leaving a void you can feel while you lie in bed pondering your winnings (or more likely, losses) at the casino downstairs.||In-room amenities? You’ll find a coffee maker and coffee, but if you want water, you’ll need to embark on a downstairs quest (credit card in hand). A fridge lurks under the TV, quietly ready to store your overpriced resort purchases. The bathroom remains a highlight, with its spa-like layout and quality fixtures, though the shower’s mild mustiness was a reminder that this is Atlantic City, where even luxury has a whiff of salt air.||The room was clean, aside from a missing DND sign and a closet light that decided retirement was immediate. Luggage arrived promptly—proof that service here still hums, even if some of the sparkle has faded since the Water Club’s opening days.||Downstairs, the Sunroom, designed for the rich and sexy to brunch in a bespoke space, has been downgraded from Cartier to Casio. The menu outside proclaims all-day fare, but the kitchen actually stops serving food at 3:30 pm, shifting to drinks only—a culinary bait-and-switch softened by a genuinely lovely staff (Jeyah, in particular, deserves praise). They handle it all with grace despite clearly being under-supported, with no bussers in sight, and the restaurant itself feeling like the MGM family’s overlooked cousin. Fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice on the menu? “Not really,” the server admitted, with the quiet honesty of someone who knows the house always wins. Meanwhile, the ants near the indoor planters were having the best meal in the restaurant.||The valet team deserves its own mention: friendly, fast, and effortlessly efficient—a reminder that sometimes, the best perks are the ones you don’t have to think about.||The verdict? The MGM Tower remains a quieter, more bespoke alternative to the main Borgata tower, blessedly free of lines and blessed with two private pools. Yet it’s hard not to notice the Water Club sparkle has dulled—gone is the room service curated by Geoffrey Zakarian, the plush robes, the small flourishes that once made the tower feel special. What’s left is still good, sometimes very good, just with fewer indulgences and more reminders that Atlantic City is about carefully managed expectations.||If you want a stay that feels upscale, with just enough quirks to keep your visit interesting (and your group text amused), the MGM Tower will deliver, provided you bring your own water and a...

First off this was not a first trip here. We have stayed here multiple times (when it was "The Water Club"). My husband was here for a conference so I tagged along for some fun, relaxing, and the indoor pool.||-It was clean, nice, and very very nicely/cutely decorated for Christmas/the Holidays. It is very festive this time of year all throughout the hotel and casino. ||-The buffet said it was open on Monday night on their website, but when we walked to the buffet the sign said it was closed. Other people were also walking up as they thought it was open too. Very poor communication. Also the buffet was not open at all during the week. Pre-Covid the buffet was open during the week. We love the buffet for breakfast so this was a HUGE disappointment. Not sure why it was closed as the hotel had at least two conferences going on and was packed. Please please bring back having the buffet open during the week when you have conferences going on.||-Since the buffet was not open it left only one sit down choice for breakfast and lunch. This became very crowded with wait times. Again having the buffet open would definitely help with this.||-We pay extra for the Tower for the nice adults only pool, but the regular Borgata pool was closed during the week so everyone from the Borgata was allowed to come to the quite/adult only pool that we paid extra for. ||-I have not been in a couple of years but the Tower (Water Club) used to have it's own full gym upstairs overlooking the water. This gym was awesome. They do not have this gym anymore. They do have a very small cardio gym on the Tower side now with no windows etc. You can still use the Borgata's Gym which is very nice/big for a hotel gym, and over looks the Borgata's indoor pool. The only downside is you have to walk a good ways through the casino sweaty etc. Not too big of a deal though just miss having that great gym in the Tower high up in the sky.||-I wish the Moondeck would have been open when we were there. They were just building setting up the week I was there. They looked really neat, and I would have loved to try one.||-Love the rain head showers in the Tower, but our room did not have one. Not sure if they did away with these when the changed to the Tower from The Water Club. Again this is not a big deal, but was just looking forward to it. ||-Just be aware that the Starbucks prices in the Borgata are about triple their "normal" prices.||-Make sure to make reservations for dinner when dining at one of the Borgata's restaurants. They are packed! You will have long wait times if you do not make a reservation. Please note that not all restaurants are open every night. If there is a specific one you want to dine at make sure you check the...