Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City opens. (Hotel Development).

The $1.1 billion, 2,002-room, 4.195 million SF Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa threw open its doors just before midnight on July 2 at Renaissance Point in Atlantic City, marking the opening of the first new hotel casino there in 13 years.

Executives of joint-venture owners Boyd Gaming Corporation and MGM MIRAGE led the first throw of the dice along with celebrities from the film, fashion and entertainment worlds. Immediately following, thousands of patrons flowed in throughout the night to get their first glimpe of Atlantic City's new, premiere travel destination.

At official ceremonies in the main ballroom, attended by New Jersey Governor James McGreevy and Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford, the Borgata's CEO Bob Boughner said, "I want to thank all the people at Yates/Tishman who helped bring in this project on time and on budget."

Tishman Construction Corporation and Yates Construction Company are joint-venture construction managers for the project.

Don Snyder, Boyd Gaming Corp. president, noted, "We are very proud that this project came in on time and on budget. That was very important to us. No other project in this town has done that."

Ground was broken September 2000 and progressed on a 33 1/2-month fast track schedule, as work proceeded simultaneously on the guest room high-rise, casino/retail low-rise, and infratructure and landscaping.

William Boyd, chairman and CEO of Boyd. Gaming Corp., said, "This project has exceeded my expectations. I am so proud of what we have accomplished since first announcing this development in 1996.

Designed in classic Italian style, the casino's guest rooms and suites include six tiers of accommodation--1,600 classic rooms, 313 fiore suites, 8 studio suites, 39 opus suites, 40 piatto suites and 2 residences.