Asbury Ocean Club Hotel Opening July Fourth Weekend
Reservations Being Accepted For City's Newest Luxury Hotel - Room Rates From $435 to $1187.50 Per Night
The City’s newest boutique hotel – Asbury Ocean Club – set open during the July Fourth holiday weekend, is now accepting reservations, iStar officials have confirmed.
The 54-room luxury hotel, designed to bring an effortless beach lifestyle to the Jersey Shore, occupies the fourth floor of the 17-story mixed-use curved glass structure by the same name. It is bordered by Ocean and Kingsley avenues between Third and Fourth avenues.
“Picture a fantasy beach house: magical ocean views, hand-picked, one-of-a-kind furnishings, and lush greenery, with sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling glass — tranquil simplicity and natural beauty at every turn, and just 70 minutes from New York City,” iStar officials said in a written statement. “Asbury Ocean Club Hotel will bring that dream to life this summer when it opens on Asbury Park’s vibrant waterfront — a boutique property unlike anything else on the lastEast Coast. The effect is a beach hideaway in the sky; ingenious design means every room at the hotel has a view of water or dunes from its own terrace.”
It is waterfront redeveloper iStar’s latest project; calling once again on globally recognized visionaries like architect Gary Handel, designer Anda Andrei, hotelier David Bowd, and Bonetti / Kozerski Architecture to create a curated signature experience; the team behind The Asbury, a hotel and entertainment venue that opened in 2016 the long-vacant Salvation Army building on Fifth Avenue. CEO Jay Sugarman has said he deliberately hand-selected partners like Andrei, Handel, Bonetti / Kozerski and Bowd to manifest his vision.
“Asbury Ocean Club is not just a building; it’s the resurrection of Asbury Park,” Sugarman has said. “It is a symbol of the return of this town to its rightful glory and an opportunity for us to create the ultimate beach lifestyle for those who want the very best.”
iStar, which acquired 35 acres along the waterfront in 2006, has outlined a 10-year multi-billion-dollar redevelopment plan for the 1.25 mile stretch along the waterfront. To date, they have spent over $300 million developing The Asbury, Monroe condominiums, and the newly reopened Asbury Lanes – the legendary bowling alley-turned music venue christened last summer by Bruce Springsteen.
The Asbury Ocean Club transforms a twice failed development site into a landmark symbol of the new era it represents for the iconic Jersey coastline, officials said.
“There’s a kind of magic to being at the beach, in any season or weather, and that’s what’s captured in every detail of the Asbury Ocean Club Hotel,” Andrei said. “The hotel conveys a feeling you usually have to travel very far to experience – the peace and relaxation of a one-of-a-kind oasis. With that in mind, our design is focused on connecting every guest with gentle dunes and tranquil reflecting pools.”
Checking in to the Asbury Ocean Club Hotel means entering a carefree retreat from everyday life, where whim will be anticipated, Bowd has said.
“When you arrive, you’ll have a moment of relief, of escape from the noise — ‘I’m here, I’ve arrived, and everything from that moment on will be taken care of,” Bowd said. “Check-in will not feel like a transaction, but a welcome. This is truly a luxury, five-star experience in a modern way. Service is attentive, but a little less formal. It’s more suited to the personality of Asbury Park.”
The hotel lobby overlooks an oceanfront pool deck that features a 65 x 30-foot pool, deep sofas, sunken beds and floor pillows surrounded by trees and plants that act as the walls. There will be a full-service bar and grill, and a roaming granita cart offering fresh juice, smoothies, and tiki cocktails.
The glass-enclosed Drawing Room sits at the center of the property, functioning as a living room and open kitchen that doubles as a bar, music room, and all-day retreat. A large fireplace, finished with olive green handmade tiles, serves as the heart of the room and the divider between the living room area and an open kitchen. There’s also a solid oak communal table, a champagne cocktail cart that offers that perfect pairing for caviar, their raw-bar and Mediterranean menu.
Throughout, Andrei and the Bonetti / Kozerski Architecture chose furniture and accessories from across the globe – shelves bearing hundreds of colored glassware and hand-painted fabrics, a limited-edition leather chair by Charles Kalpakian, vintage Ultra Fragola by Ettore Sottsass, Jasper Morrison chairs, Paola Navone wicker loveseats, and custom Apparatus Studio pendant lights.
Each hotel suite is designed in the ilk of a private beach loft, featuring 11-foot wood encased ceilings that amplify sunlight. The rooms boast a daybed or banquette, balconies, and glass enclosed showers, all meant to invite the outdoors in.
There are four one-bedroom suites, fully equipped with kitchens, two full baths, a dining area, and open living room. There are seven studio lofts, larger than the standard, and executive rooms that include sofa beds. Many of the lofts have corner seating banquettes that serve as a working and dining surface.
The room rates run up to $1,187.50 per night.
Products and amenities were carefully curated, Bowd said. They include body wash and conditioner by Manhattan-based MiN; soaps from NYC-based Palermo Body; and Australian-born organic skincare products from Grown Alchemist.
“We chose all of these partners because we love their products,” Bowd said. “Every other hotel offers one brand. Our guests mix products at home, so we’re having fun with that.”
The amenities also include a wellness coach, state-of-the-art Technogym designed by Jay Wright of The Wright Fit, a pampering spa with aromatherapy options, and daily yoga, meditation, tai chi, and Pilates classes. A tablet in each room will allow guests to have everything at the touch of a finger including streaming classes from sources like Peloton or setting up guided shoreline runs. Partnerships with local gym and spa operators ensure that “whatever else you want, we’ll find,” Bowd said.
And let’s not forget the ultimate customer service offering – pairing each guest with a Beach Bellperson there to fulfill everything from setting up guests’ towels, chairs, and umbrellas on the beach to delivering lunch and/or bottles of water.
The Mediterranean-inspired menu will also be served at poolside, in guestrooms for 24-hour full room service and at The Gallery – a casual indoor dining space that boasts an oversized Italian table carved from a single piece of wood.
In keeping with their mission to support local ventures, The Asbury Ocean Club Hotel will feature a bespoke gin from Asbury Park Distilling Co., a signature coffee blend from nearby Maiden Coffee, and a summer shandy from Asbury Park Brewery.
And while the ground floor commercial ventures are not set to open until 2020, a fine-dining restaurant will neighbor 22,000 square feet of retail – set to feature a mix of local, and national brands.
Asbury Ocean Club Hotel is located at 1101 Ocean Ave in Asbury Park. For more information, call 732-705-1100 or visit the website.
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