Last summer, a stroll down the 200 block of Fifth Avenue in Asbury Park, N.J., took you past a towering eyesore — a former retirement home that fell into disrepair after its closure a decade ago.
A visit to the same spot this year shows a world of difference: Where boarded windows once were, you can now look in on live-music shows, and where overgrowth stood, lines of clubgoers wait their turn to get into a rooftop bar.
The Asbury Hotel opened its well-adorned doors Memorial Day weekend — and it is quickly becoming a staple of the LGBT scene at the beach town.
The hotel, the first to open in the town in more than 50 years, is home to 110 guest rooms, ranging from kings and suites to bunk rooms — perfect for its varied visitors.
The rooms are appropriately simple — most guests will spend little time there — yet offer amenities guests will appreciate, like custom-made mattresses and expansive bathrooms and closet space. While the guest rooms offer a stylish modernity, they also pay tribute to Asbury Park’s rich history, decorated with real photos of the town from decades ago, a theme carried throughout the property.
Though the beach and boardwalk are less than two blocks away, there’s so much going on at The Asbury that it’s easy to spend a whole weekend there without venturing outside the property.
A massive pool is ringed with lounge chairs, plush couches and cabanas, as well as a bar offering a diverse range of beers and cocktails (try The Redemption; it’ll change your life). You can also grab a drink or a midday snack from the adjacent Beergarden, where you can find a selection of craft beers poured directly from taps attached to a vintage VW, and nosh on food-truck fair at picnic tables. It’s a quirky space that lends itself well to the laidback feel that permeates The Asbury.
SALVATION AT THE ASBURY
If you want to escape the sun, you can kick back at Soundbooth. The lobby venue features a full bar, with seating surrounding a wall of vintage records and cassette tapes (where you can easily lose an hour perusing the titles), a pool table and a ring of couches where you can find guests playing board games. In the midst of it all is stadium-type seating, which at night is overtaken by open-mic shows, band performances and more.
The event schedule also rotates at rooftop oasis Salvation. Renowned DJs keep crowds dancing, but the open-air space doesn’t feel like the typical thumping, bumping club that some might find headache-inducing. Guests can be found lounging on couches situated around Salvation, where you can have both conversations and amazing views of the town.
Another rooftop venue exists in Baronet.
It’s hard not to relax when you walk into Baronet. The space is carpeted in artificial turf, where you can catch rays during the day on lounge chairs and catch a flick on bean bags on movie night. Films are screened on a 20-foot wall, above which hangs the original sign for Asbury’s defunct Baronet movie theater — again harkening back to days of Asbury past. Baronet is also home to morning yoga and evening tea-dance events; it’s a versatile, sun-soaked space (from which you can get excellent selfies with the ocean behind you!).
You don’t have to be a hotel guest to access most of The Asbury’s spaces, which is quickly making the property a must-stop on many Asbury visitors’ itinerary. On our visit, the line to get into Salvation was impressive — and reflective of the diversity that abounds in Asbury Park.
PANDORA BOXX (LEFT) AND JORDIN SPARKS AT THE ASBURY DURING JERSEY PRIDE LAST MONTH
During our stay, we saw everyone from elderly straight couples to young LGBT folks and families with kids (and dogs! The hotel is very pet-friendly).
LGBT-friendliness is a given at The Asbury, conceived of by openly gay partner/operator David Bowd. We visited on Pride weekend, during which all staffers wore Pride-themed shirts and rainbow bracelets and many marched in the Pride parade. The venue frequently hosts LGBT performers and DJs, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a poolside Speedo-clad sunbather any given afternoon who isn’t a friend of Dorothy.
The LGBT community has largely been credited with leading the revitalization of Asbury Park that has taken place in recent years, an idea that The Asbury has taken hold of. The venue rightfully recognizes Asbury Park’s storied past, while paving the way for its future with a property whose offerings are almost as diverse as its clientele. Though it’s only been open for a few weeks, The Asbury already seems at home.
For more information about The Asbury, visit www.theasburyhotel.com.