I made my reservation 2 months in advance. I needed three rooms and I wanted to stay in the Tower. I was offerd two comp rooms if I wanted to stay in the Claridge. I declined; I was willing to pay to get the rooms in the Tower. They offered one room comped, one at a discounted rate of $149 and the third at regular price of $229. Having read all the warnings about folks being bumped to the Claridge I called a few days ahead to confirm my reservation. All was in order for three rooms in the Tower. I arrived and was told I had one room in the Tower and two in the Claridge. It took a half hour of "spirited discussion" to resolve the issue. They were polite and profession throughout the chat, but they were unyielding. A friend of mine who is more persuasive in negotiations than I joined in. In the end, we had to stay in the rooms they assigned us, but they did comp the second room in the Claridge. A half hour of aggravation, but I was pleased with the resolution.
But after we got to our rooms, I realized the whole discussion was much to do about nothing. Much to my surprise, the rooms were virtually identicle in quality and comfort. The rooms in the Claridge were a bit darker, as they have two smaller windows rather than a full wall of windows as in the Tower. Unexpectedly, the Claridge rooms were a tad larger. The beds in all the rooms were extremely comfortable. Furnishings in all rooms were virtually identical. And all the rooms were very clean. I expected the Claridge to be old and a bit worn, and it was. But I have to say the same about the Tower. I stayed there in the 80's and the bathrooms have not changed a bit. Again, it was spotlessly clean, but obviously showing it's mileage as it nears 30 years old. An old 21 inch TV hides in the amoire. The beds and bedding are brand new, but overall the room left me saying "ho-hum."
I usually stay at the Tropicana, but the group I was traveling with can be a bit demanding and I thought the quality level at Bally's would be a step higher. I think it's back to the Tropicana for me. Their rooms have more character. I have no complaints about Bally's (except honoring their reservations), but I am hard pressed to think of reason to head back. If I did, I would happily stay in the Claridge, rather than pay a premium for an average room in the Tower at Ballys.

May 19 for three nites. Bally's on the Boardwalk. Booked on line at least two months ago. Found a bargain on their own site under "Hot Deals". We of course requested Bally Tower after reading reviews about Claridge tower. Sure enough when we arrived at noon to check in, the hostess said a convention was in the hotel and no rooms were available in our requested digs. I told her about our apprehension about the Claridge, she let on like she hadn't heard anything negative. After a bit of persuasion, she consulted her manager, who authorized a room in Bally's tower on floor 21, not ocean front but nice view of both the ocean and the Bay looking north. Spectacular suite. Gold Fixtures, massive King Bed, sitting area. A true delight to be in our room. All staff very friendly and helpful. Security everywhere, Free parking w/comp card. Free drinks .All in all, a great gig. Hope to go back for an encore.

Just returned from a weekend at Ballys in ac.I have to say over the years they have really changed.The staff is more then friendly
I was overwhelmed by staff members coming over to you and asking you whats your name mine is ....I had nite mares of being booked in the claridge but given a choice at the front desk i said Ballys.I was given the towers with a private key located on the 15th floor..Quite to say the least.The room was beautiful.New beds /tv in the washroom/plasma/free coffee/safe/and a fridge/do remember if you get this room with a fridge you must have to turn it on..duh men whats wrong with woman i never thought called downstairs and they came right up to make fun of us..I highly recommend the hotel and the service in the restuarants is amazing .Try Gerties its great bagels muffins etc and the coffee is amazing...hot hot..Of course if you are venturous walk over the the pier with your coffee and go to the 3rd floor where they have beach chairs with sand that was just beautifl overlooking the beach..what a wonderful weekend i wish i was still there...and for non smokers you will be so impressed now how smoking has become a big no no in casinos..very limited .which is just amazing i so remmeber yrs back when you couldnt move without cigarettes in your face..Love that feature..

Stayed Th & Fri nights, May 15 & 16. Had booked comped rooms in the Bally's Tower but I fully expected to be placed in the Claridge. We arrived around 3 PM and check in was quick and painless. We were pleasantly surprised to be given a room on the 34th floor of the Bally's Tower.
The room was great. Direct ocean view but facing a little north toward the Taj. Room was large, clean and nicely appointed. Only minor negative was old 27" tube TV ..... however, if we wanted to watch TV we would have stayed home so I didn't deduct anything from the ratings. Bathroom was very large and everything was in order including a supply of towels. Our floor was very quiet and the room well insulated as we didn't hear any hall traffic or noise from neighboring rooms during our limited time in the room Check out was also very smooth using the TV system. We had the bags stowed and didn't actually leave until 6 PM. No problem at all and only $5 (with TR card) for the Valet parking .... I can't understand why anyone would self park in these places but I saw people toting bags all over the place to save a few bucks in tips I guess.

Anyway .... an exceptional stay. That's it on the hotel but for anyone interested in the meals and other stuff ...... read on.

We had a few meals at Bally's also. Pickles is a decent place for soup and a sandwich and we had coffee and pastries at both Gert's and The Bagel & Doughnut which were both fine but a bit pricey. We also had a late - 2AM - "snack" at the new restaurant .... 6ix or something like that which we found unimpressive. I had a ham & swiss which was okay and my wife had an omelet which they served with french fries. Go figure. A below average stop from our perspective. On Friday we tried Game On in the Pier at Ceasars. Tons of TV's and atmosphere but very quiet for early evening. Chicken strips and burgers were very good but also a few negatives ..... wife wanted pizza and a frozen drink but they had neither. Pizza is on menu and were just told they didn't have it "tonight". No idea if they just don't have frozen drinks or if that also was temporary. Coffee was cold although they made a fresh pot when I complained.
Other than gambling and eating we went to a concert in the Showboat HOB. We had balcony seats for the Gin Blossums and The Nudies. This was our first time at the HOB and we would highly recommend it for shows. View and sound in the balcony is excellent. For the record .... The Nudies were great for the opening act. In fact, they just seemed to be getting warmed up when it was time to turn it over to the Gin Blossums. The GB's started a little slow but also cranked it up after they got going. The lead singer spent a good portion of the time near or in the audience which was great for the people downstairs but not so good for security. All in all a great show and we're looking forward to returning for Little Feat in June and Gov't Mule in July.
As for the gambling ..... that went VERY well. I came out about even between slots and Let It Ride with a $500 hit on quarter Silver and Gold machine in Showboat and straight flush in Let It Ride in the WWW. My wife came away with way more than anyone would believe playing various quarter slots in the WWW, Bally's and Trump Plaza. Mostly Bonus Frenzies but she seems to have a knack for picking the right machines.