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Atlantic City · Hotel shortlist

Cheap hotels near the cathedral in Atlantic City

Luca Ferreira

Luca Ferreira Spain and Portugal

Updated 1 September 2026 · 8 Atlantic City hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Atlantic City, out of the 8 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 3.9 down to 2.6.

Every one comes in under $130 a night, and the one I would book first is $60.

Howard Johnson by Wyndham Atlantic City

Highest rated of the five

Howard Johnson by Wyndham Atlantic City

★★★★★3.9 from 1,036 reviews

Howard Johnson by Wyndham Atlantic City comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 3.9 from 1,036 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 2 star property, found under city centre and around $60 a night on the dates we checked.

8 hotels in Atlantic City qualified for this list and five made it. Budgetel Inn & Suites is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in

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All five, ranked

  1. Howard Johnson by Wyndham Atlantic City1

    Howard Johnson by Wyndham Atlantic City

    ★★★★★3.9 from 1,036 reviews

    • Pool
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

    Check rates Read more

  2. Budgetel Inn & Suites2

    Budgetel Inn & Suites

    ★★★★★3.4 from 194 reviews

    • Spa
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

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  3. Homestead Apart-Hotel3

    Homestead Apart-Hotel

    ★★★★★3.4 from 277 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly

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  4. Atlantic Motor Inn Near Boardwalk4

    Atlantic Motor Inn Near Boardwalk

    ★★★★★2.6 from 112 reviews

    • Parking

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  5. Knights Inn Atlantic City at Pacific Ave5

    Knights Inn Atlantic City at Pacific Ave

    ★★★★★2.9 from 318 reviews

    • Pool
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning

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How this list was put together

8 Atlantic City hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Luca Ferreira

Luca Ferreira Spain and Portugal

Shuts the workshop two weeks every summer and rides. The Pyrenees, the Danube route and most of Portugal on frames he built himself, camping most nights.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.