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iStar, Asbury Park’s waterfront redeveloper, celebrated the grand opening of its Asbury Ocean Club hotel Monday morning; forever transforming a site that signified twice-failed development over a near 30 year period in the now resurgent city. 

Mayor John Moor, introduced by iStar’s Senior Vice President of Land and Development Brian Cheripka, said, “How historic this is…thank you, congratulations, best of luck, and we continue to look forward to working together with you.”

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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. 

“We are so thrilled with this opening today,” said US Congressman Frank Pallone Jr [D-6]. “I have watched over the last 30 years as this site has had various proposals, various construction, and it was always an indication of the problems we were having with redevelopment. When iStar came in and said they were going to develop this site and do this beautiful hotel, condominium and retail [space], a lot of people didn’t believe it. But it has happened and it’s because of the vision of Jay Sugarman and Brian [Cheripka].”

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An intimate invite-only group of City, County, and State officials joined in the grand opening event. They included City employees, Doug Eagles – Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club, Jon Leidersdorff – founder of Lakehouse Music Academy and Christian Fuscarino – Garden State Equality’s Executive Director.

“It’s a great honor to be here today, standing in front of a building that many people said would not be built, in a city that many said would never come back, we’ve worked hard over the past decade to demonstrate our commitment to the city,” iStar CEO Jay Sugarman. “Our other projects, The Asbury [hotel] and Asbury Lanes, are helping the rewrite the story of Asbury Park. We are proud to have created over 300 jobs to date and to be contributing to one of the most striking economic success stories in this state.”

Sugarman said when they accepted the role of master waterfront redeveloper the city required more than $12 million in state transitional aid; none is required today. Along with their residential projects [like the Monroe and Vive], iStar’s developments represent over 20 percent of the annual tax base. 

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“By working together with the governing body, our projects have not only made a financial impact on the community but helps create a level of certainty and stability that is convincing others to join us in our belief that the best days of Asbury Park lie ahead,” Sugarman said. “Our selective sponsorships across the city [including Danny Clinch’s Transparent Gallery and the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County] comes from our belief that Asbury Park should be a center of music, art, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit; a place that we can encourage people to visit, stay, live and work. The completion of Asbury Ocean Club will help rapidly accelerate the evolution of the waterfront into a focal point of arts, culture and entertainment for both locals and visitors alike. We know this building will add a unique new level of design and gracious hospitality to the waterfront – simply put there is no other place like it.”

Asbury Ocean Club employees 113 people, many of whom are Salt School graduates – a workforce development tutorial created by hotelier David Bowd, a partner in The Asbury and Asbury Ocean Club hotel. The majority of those employees are from the immediate area, Bowd has said.

Asbury Ocean Club marks Salt Hotels fifth venture, the remaining three located in Provincetown, Mass, and Shelter Island, NY.  Bowd says he will source and purchase locally in order to ensure that the Asbury Park born and bred businesses will also benefit from the hotel’s success. 

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“With Asbury Ocean Club, we offer the first of its kind – luxury, boutique, first-class hotel on the Jersey Shore for guests seeking an exceptional experience,” Bowd said. “I personally worked in many luxury properties all over the world and the level of detail here is extraordinary; from the moment you arrive, you will feel a sense of calm and serenity. We will take care of absolutely everything for you; every whim is anticipated and all of your expectations are exceeded. Its a dreamlike beach escape in the sky – magical ocean views, handpicked custom furnishings and sunlight streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows.”

The Asbury Ocean Club hotel is entirely transactionless, Bowd said; meaning no need to sign a bill. This falls in line with their sustainability initiatives, which includes limited use on single-use plastics.

There’s but one question for guests upon arrival – What would you like to drink.  

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“It’s very much the feeling of a residence,” Bowd said. “It’s that first thing you ask when someone comes to your house and that’s really the experience that we start off and take right throughout the hotel.” 

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’s an outdoor fireplace, ADA accessible lift attached to the pool, and each chair will have a button for effortless service. There will be a full-service bar and grill, and a roaming granita cart offering fresh juice, smoothies, and tiki cocktails. Continental breakfasts are served daily.

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“We have someone that will clean your sunglasses for you, we have mist sprayers going around the pool deck, and we have cold eyemasks if you just want to chill out,” Bowd said.

Inside, 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.

Soon to come will be three waterfront meeting rooms and there are four adjacent hotel penthouse rooms, three with gates leading directly to the pool area. On the fourth floor, each hotel room features hurricane-impact glass, globally sourced accents, natural fiber linen, curated soaps and lotions, a small library and tablets for booking things like the spa or yoga classes.

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One fun amenity is the in-room button that will get ice delivered within five minutes of ordering. And then there is what Bowd calls ‘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.

Asbury Ocean Club saw the reunion of globally recognized visionaries like architect Gary Handel, designer Anda Andrei, Bowd, and Bonetti / Kozerski Architecture. 

Bowd said among his proudest testaments thus far is when a regular Asbury hotel guest booked 12 weekends, site unseen at the Ocean Club.

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iStar Ocean Club also consists of 130 residential homes, six of which are duplex penthouses. One example is their south and north facing 1,838 square foot, three bed, three bath model featuring quartz countertops and backsplash, with a 665 square foot wrap around balcony, selling for  $1.88 million.

In the end, Bowd’s commitment to the city has resulted in him acquiring a part-time residence in Asbury Park, and Sugarman says he will follow suit shortly.

“The spirit and the energy in Asbury Park never ceases to amaze me,” he said.

The Asbury Ocean Club room rates run up to $1,187.50 per night.

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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