The Quarter at Tropicana Leads Atlantic City's Revitalization

19 April 2005

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey – (PRESS RELEASE) -- With the opening of The Quarter, the $280 million non-gaming expansion, Tropicana Casino and Resort has taken the lead in the city's revitalization. While the new 200,000- square-foot dining, shopping and entertainment complex literally changes the city's physical landscape, what's inside will have a deeply profound effect on how guests spend their time and money for years to come. With a new generation of tourists and consumers who are interested in gambling but want much more in a destination, the city's resorts and hotels are beginning to devise new options to attract today's more sophisticated and demanding travelers.

Research conducted by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority indicates that both cities receive nearly 35 million visitors each year. By the same token, both cities also produce comparable revenue from gambling each year. For example in 2004, Atlantic City generated $4.5 billion in gaming, while Las Vegas took in $6 billion. Due to Las Vegas's amazing dining, shopping and entertainment opportunities, guests spent over $27 billion dollars on non-gaming activities, almost five times more than in Atlantic City.

More than eight years ago, the forward-thinking Tropicana executives realized this and began formulating a plan to remain competitive in a market that they believed was about to experience a similar head-to-toe makeover as Las Vegas did over the last 10 years. They bet on guests demanding more accommodations, upscale dining, A-list entertainment, opulent spas and non- stop nightlife. The Quarter is an array of non-gambling options that has kick started a renaissance in Atlantic City, a significant first step as it undergoes the same seismic shift that reshaped Las Vegas.

"There are millions of new visitors arriving in Atlantic City each year. With The Quarter, we can give them something no other property in this city can, diversity. Under one roof, we offer multiple restaurant options, red-hot nightlife venues, extremely attractive retail and the area's most luxurious spa," says Dennis C. Gomes, president of Resort Operations for Aztar Corporation, Tropicana's parent company.

Offering guests an experience that is far beyond compare of anything else ever to be had in the city, The Quarter represents the future of Atlantic City. Through a three-story, true-to-life streetscape that embodies the essence of Old World Havana, The Quarter presents an impressive array of world-class restaurants, including: Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar; Carmine's, Red Square; and P.F. Chang's China Bistro. Sizzling nightlife options include: The Sound of Philadelphia; 32 Degrees Luxe Lounge; The Comedy Stop Cabaret & Cafe; and Planet Rose. Luxury retail businesses include: Brooks Brothers; MONDI; Zinman Furs; and Brandeis Jewelers. In addition to dining, shopping and entertainment, The Quarter is also home to bluemercury, the East Coast's most lavish luxury spa and apothecary.

The new project also boasts the Havana Tower with 505 new guest rooms, 45,000 square feet of meeting space, and 2,400 new parking spaces. Combined with the existing property, Tropicana is the largest hotel in the state of New Jersey. The Quarter at Tropicana provides visitors with more than 16 restaurants, while offering three times the entertainment, shopping and spa options than any other hotel casino in Atlantic City.

Tropicana Casino and Resort encompasses 14 acres and has ocean beach frontage of 220 yards along the famed Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Tropicana is operated by Aztar Corporation (NYSE: AZR - News), a publicly traded company that also operates Tropicana Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada; Ramada Express Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada; Casino Aztar in Caruthersville, Missouri; and Casino Aztar in Evansville, Indiana.