The glass-enclosed Drawing Room divides the dune garden and the pool terrace
Three years after developer iStar, operator Salt Hotels, and designer Anda Andrei opened the Asbury Hotel—the first to debut in Asbury Park, New Jersey in 50 years—the same group unveiled the Asbury Ocean Club, its luxe new neighbor in July. The hotel and residences are the latest addition to the multibillion-dollar rehabilitation project by iStar, which owns 35 acres of land in the shore town, including 70 percent of the waterfront.
“Asbury once had an element of glory, luxury, and elegance,” says Anda Andrei, creative director of her New York namesake firm. “If we want to recreate the town and bring it into our century, it’s not only about cool hotels, beer gardens, and tattoo parlors, it’s about all the dimensions the town had, and that meant a resort.” The result is an all-encompassing 5-Star boutique property, part of a 17-story complex designed by Handel Architects that takes up an entire beachfront block.
The dune garden at Asbury Ocean Club references the nearby Jersey Shore
The building’s 130 residences occupy the upper levels, while the hotel is located entirely on the fourth floor. Andrei made it a priority to merge the indoors and outdoors: An expansive terrace with a pool overlooks the ocean, a dune garden pavilion features a reflecting pool and an outdoor lounge, and floor-to-ceiling windows are found at every turn, including in the 54 light-filled guestrooms, complete with private terraces with views of the city or beach.
Because typical resorts are spread out and mixed with nature, Andrei tried to mimic that feel with the Asbury Ocean Club. “It was almost like lifting a resort in the air,” she says. The climate also proved to be an obstacle, especially in the winter months when cold weather and snow are all but inevitable. “We wanted [it] to feel like it’s the coziest place you can be,” she says. That meant eschewing the traditional tropical palette for earth and jewel tones, rich velvet fabrics, and fireplaces. “The materials are elegant but never intimidating. I call it barefoot luxury,” she says.
The Drawing Room employs floral motifs, rich jewel tones, and a central counter covered in glossy tiles
This delicate balance is no more apparent than in the glass house separating the dune garden from the public pool, where the intimate Drawing Room juxtaposes floral motifs with deep green and pastel hues, while glossy gold-green tiles cover a central counter. Here, patrons can sip their drinks and socialize as musicians play the baby grand piano, a nod to Asbury Park’s R&B- and rock-infused history.
“I hope these seeds keep growing and the town becomes what it should be: an amazing beach resort that is urban and convenient.” That, she says, doesn’t yet exist on the East Coast.
The hotel’s barefoot luxury aesthetic is evident on the pool terrace
Weathered woods and earth tones dress the light-filled guestrooms
This article originally appeared in HD’s May 2020 issue.
