It's somehow fitting that the hotel/casino that forced Atlantic City into the 21st century is again the trendsetter.

When The Water Club at Borgata opened last month , it did so with the distinction of being A.C.'s first boutique hotel.

Yes, it is attached to the Borgata - a bright, airy, floral-scented hallway brings you from the clanging of the casino into the serenity of the black lacquered check-in counter and plush couches of The Water Club lobby.

But unlike new additions at Harrah's, Trump Taj Mahal and the Tropicana, the Borgata folks don't consider its $400 million supplement a mere tower.

Instead, it's a stand-alone luxury hotel, one with its own valet, its own check-in, a uniformed guard opening a glass door to the elevators for each guest (and checking to make sure the guest possesses a Water Club room key - those staying at the Borgata cannot cross over), an array of indoor and outdoor pools and a sophisticated air of comfort.

It has, you could say, its own identity.

Considering its name, water is obviously the overriding theme here.

The 32nd and 33rd floors of the 42-level hotel are dedicated to Immersion, The Water Club spa that offers floor-to-ceiling glass windows providing a breathtaking view of the ocean - a nifty distraction when using the treadmill - as well as a 25-yard lap pool (no kids allowed) and an array of rooms for pampering treatments. (A pass to use the gym and lap pool is $20 on weekdays, $30 on weekends and included in any spa treatment. Water Club guests can also opt to still use the Borgata's Pump Room gym for $10).

On the hotel's first level, two outdoor pools (again, no kids) and two indoor ones (yes to kids here) are surrounded by cabanas that can be rented for about $400 a day, a bar with a menu designed by The Water Club's exclusive chef, Geoffrey Zakarian, and foliage that includes such touches as fresh pineapple, which is grown there.

On a recent Friday, all of the pools were packed, and any newcomers were turned away because of overcrowding. The hotel's only solution so far? Get there early if you want a lounge chair.

While The Water Club hopes to attract ritzy deep-pockets who might choose to spend a day getting a Scandinavian Polish at the spa or hanging out in the Sunroom Lounge, plenty of patrons will see nothing other than their hotel room and the casino.

So what about those 800 new rooms?

Most are high-end suites that cost a couple of thousand a night or are reserved for the highest level gamblers. But about 360 are regular rooms, called Club Rooms. They're the same size as a typical Borgata room (460 square feet) with snazzier amenities.

A 40-inch LCD flat screen with HD-TV hangs on the wall, its main menu greeting you by name when you walk in. Telephones are touch-screen, bedding is dark brown and beige (with 400-thread count sheets that are incredibly comfortable) and a mini-bar replaces the refrigerator found in the Borgata's rooms. Wi-Fi wasn't working yet, but Internet is available in all rooms for $9.95 (or $14.95 for a super-fast connection).

Other amenities? Two bathrobes and two pair of slippers in the closet, an iPod docking station and rich carpeting. Those who have visited Wynn Las Vegas will see many similarities, right down to the turndown service, which here included a cozy candle left on the dresser with two packets of soothing eye gel.

As with the Borgata, the bathroom is luxurious, with a rain dome shower head inside its signature walk-in glass shower, extra-plush tan towels and an array of L'Occitane products.

The Water Club has also extended Borgata's cheeky sensibilities with a Do Not Disturb sign crafted as a wheel, so guests can choose if they don't want to be bothered because they are "meditating," "flirting" or . . . other reasons.

Goes to show that you can be fashionable and still have a sense of humor.
Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.