Asbury Park, where personality practically wafts off the ocean breeze, will soon have a hotel with character to match. A derelict Salvation Army building is being transformed into The Asbury, the shore town’s first new hotel to open in more than 50 years.
The youngest jewel in the crown of a multi-billion-dollar redevelopment by real-estate company iStar , The Asbury mashes up Asbury Park’s Victorian-era history, rock-n-roll present, and shiny future into a new kind of social hub.
This is not your parents’ beach hotel. A kind of fantasy vacation postcard come to life, The Asbury will create spaces like a giant rec-room lobby where adults can feel like kids again, kids can unleash their imaginations, and the outside world gets left at the door.
The project is a collaboration between renowned hotel innovator David Bowd, known for creating the sought-after Salt Hotels brand, and Anda Andrei, iStar’s Creative Lead for the entire Asbury Park redevelopment project, and the former design director for the Ian Schrager Company.
“This historic building is a beautiful blank canvas for us to create a special place that adds to the unique spirit of Asbury Park,” said Andrei, who hand-picked architects, designers, and hotel operator David Bowd to bring the project to life. “I love collaborating with immense talent, and knew instinctively David had to be involved. He has a wonderful gift for connecting the hospitality experience with one-of-a-kind communities and we bring out the very best in one another.”
Bowd, who will program and manage The Asbury, agreed. “We have spent a great deal of time in Asbury Park and have completely fallen under its spell. The Asbury is our labor of love. The end result will be a collection of rooms, amenities and experiences that show the world that The Asbury is for all kinds of people, just like Asbury Park itself – the mix is what creates a sense of fun and adventure.”
Inside The Asbury, a happening lobby will become the action-filled center of the hotel with everything designed for perpetual motion. The front desk and check-in will double as The Counter, a grab-and-go kitchen where guests can fetch keys, order coffee, or buy something from the retail store. A ground-floor lounge will become Asbury Park’s rec room, with ping-pong, pinball machines, board games – and a communal table for travelers who want to feed off the energy and get some work done.
Upstairs, the 110-guest rooms will come in an unusually wide range of sizes to suit all kinds of travelers, from queen rooms and king rooms to family rooms and suites to bunk rooms that can sleep up to eight. The essence of the rooms will be simple, clean, and functional, but with many thoughtful touches—bathrooms light and bright, huge closets, custom made mattresses with great linens. Black-and-white beach and music scenes will adorn the walls, along with classic music posters that reflect Asbury Park’s rock-laden past and spectacular sea-side views.
A quintet of new venues will make The Asbury a compulsive hangout for guests, locals, and visitors:
Even meeting spaces will be different. Asbury Hall & Lawn is a 4,800-square-foot, flexible indoor/outdoor event space unlike any other on the Jersey Shore. Elegantly designed, with the most advanced AV equipment and divisible into two or three smaller spaces, The Hall will serve social and corporate gatherings of all sizes.
Stonehill & Taylor Architects, known for game-changing adaptive reuse projects like Manhattan’s Ace and NoMad hotels, oversaw The Asbury’s transformation. Bonetti Kozerski Studio, whose clean, understated interiors have won fans like Andre Balazs and Donna Karan, designed The Asbury’s “bungalow-on-the-beach” guest rooms.
The Asbury is located at 210 5th Avenue, Asbury Park, just two blocks from the beach and buzz of the Asbury Park Boardwalk. Rooms are expected to start at $125 per night.
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