The Asbury Hotel
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The Asbury Hotel · Asbury Park, United States
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Expert Review: The Asbury Hotel
The Asbury Hotel in Asbury Park, United States, a Michelin Key Selected property, is generally praised for its vibrant atmosphere, excellent location, and unique design. It successfully blends the area's Victorian history with its rock-and-roll legacy and a modern, beachy vibe.
Here's a comprehensive review:
1. Overall Rating & Sentiment
The Asbury Hotel consistently receives "Very Good" to "Excellent" ratings from guests. On Booking.com, it scores 8.1 out of 10 based on over 500 reviews, with high marks for location (9.3) and staff (9.0). Expedia shows an "Excellent" rating of 8.8 out of 10 from over 1,000 reviews. While it has its charms, some guests have expressed dissatisfaction with service, cleanliness, and value for money.
2. Key Highlights
Guests frequently highlight the hotel's:
- Location: Superb, being just a block from the Asbury Park Boardwalk and beach, and within walking distance of popular attractions like the Paramount Theater and Convention Hall.
- Design & Vibe: The hotel is celebrated for its unique, funky, and lively atmosphere, blending a mid-century modernist-inspired graphic sensibility with homages to the Jersey Shore's 20th-century heyday. The lobby is a vibrant social hub with ping-pong, pinball, board games, and live music.
- Amenities: The heated outdoor pool with lounge chairs and cabanas, seasonal rooftop bar (Salvation) with ocean views, and the rooftop garden/cinema (The Baronet) are major draws. The Asbury Lanes bowling alley and diner on-site also contribute to the unique experience. Free WiFi is available throughout the property.
- Activities: The hotel offers a "tidy roster of activities" including sunrise yoga, live music, game nights, and open mic nights.
3. Room Quality
Rooms at The Asbury Hotel are described as cool, modern, and comfortable, featuring a pared-down aesthetic with bold patterned rugs and black-and-white photos of musical greats. They are air-conditioned and come with flat-screen TVs. Some units have a seating area. Bathrooms are private and equipped with showers, free toiletries, and hair dryers.
Available room types range from Standard Queen and King rooms to larger Quad and Octo rooms with bunk beds, suitable for families or groups. Suites may include a Nespresso machine, iPod dock, and fridge. However, some guests have noted that rooms can feel "dorm-like" or on the smaller side. Daily housekeeping is provided.
4. Dining Experience
The Asbury Hotel offers several dining and drink options:
- The Counter: A cafe in the lobby serving coffee, pastries, light lunches, made-to-order paninis, wraps, and French toast, featuring local Jersey Shore goods. It also has a 24/7 grab-and-go fridge.
- The Diner at Asbury Lanes: An old-school diner with retro booth and counter seating, offering classic dishes, boozy shakes, and lighter plates for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Soundbooth: A casual lobby bar and music venue.
- Salvation: A seasonal rooftop bar and lounge with sea views, serving drinks and small bites.
- Food Truck (Seasonal): A poolside cafe serving brunch, lunch, and light fare.
- In-Room Dining: Available for breakfast, offering the comfort of morning favorites delivered to the room.
Guests can choose from various breakfast options, including a credit towards The Counter, In-Room Dining, or The Asbury Lanes Diner with a Bed & Breakfast package.
5. Service & Staff
The staff at The Asbury Hotel generally receives positive feedback for being friendly, accommodating, and helpful. Guests have praised staff for making excellent dining recommendations and being quick to respond to needs. However, some reviews indicate dissatisfaction with service, with claims of staff being overwhelmed or overworked.
6. Location & Accessibility
The hotel boasts an excellent location at 210 5th Avenue, a block from the Asbury Park Boardwalk and beach. It's within a short walk of popular attractions like the Paramount Theater, Asbury Park Convention Hall, and Silverball Museum.
For transport, Asbury Park Train Station is a five-minute drive away, offering connections to New York City. John F. Kennedy International Airport is about 31 miles away, and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) is a 55-minute drive. Valet parking is available for a fee, and metered and residential street parking are also options. The hotel is pet-friendly, though fees apply.
7. Value & Pricing
Room rates average between $251 and $300, which is competitive for the Asbury Park market. Prices can vary widely, with some deals found from $161 to over $700 depending on the room type and booking. While some guests feel it offers good value, others have expressed dissatisfaction with the value for the price, citing issues like room size and lack of housekeeping. There is typically an "amenities fee" which may cover Wi-Fi and pool towels, and sometimes includes vouchers for breakfast items.
8. Common Complaints
Recurring criticisms and complaints include:
- Room Size: Some guests find the rooms to be on the smaller side or describe them as "dorm-like" and sparse.
- Service and Cleanliness: While overall staff sentiment is positive, some reviews mention dissatisfaction with general service and cleanliness, including a perceived lack of housekeeping. Employee reviews also suggest a lack of leadership and overworked staff.
- Noise: The rooftop bar can be noisy, with guests reporting hearing bass late into the night.
- Check-in Time: Some guests have experienced late check-in times.
- Value for Money: A portion of guests feel that the hotel does not always meet expectations in terms of service and value for the price.
Sources
Points to Consider
- •Recurring criticisms and complaints include:
Google Reviews
2,064 reviews
Recent Guest Reviews
Paul O'Bando
Great Staff, But The Asbury is Losing Its Soul I had an "okay" stay, but as a long-time fan of this property, I’m seeing some concerning shifts. The Highlights: The stay was anchored by the excellent service at the concierge desk and the lobby bar. The staff were professional and welcoming, and the room itself was great—clean, comfortable, and well-designed. The Critique: However, for a "premiu...
Response from the owner
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We truly appreciate your long-standing support and are glad to hear that you enjoyed the service from our concierge team and lobby bar, a...
Sonia Viglianti
We used the Hall at the Asbury Hotel for my husband’s 60th birthday party. My primary contact, Ali, was great at walking me through this whole process. This was probably the biggest event I ever planned and I had less than two months to pull it off. But we felt that we were in very capable hands from day one! Kim, the banquet manager was there ALL DAY for everything we needed! I couldn’t believe s...
Response from the owner
Thank you, Sonia and Scott, for such a wonderful review! We’re beyond thrilled that your husband’s 60th birthday celebration at The Asbury Hotel was a success. It was a pleasure being part of such a s...
C
I've been coming to the Asbury for 8 years to stay with friends 1-2 weekends each year. It's become a tradition. We're loyal to the hotel and we LOVE it! Standouts are the phenomenally friendly, kind, and cheerful staff (everyone), the pool, cocktails, craft/local beer, and the loungy lobby. Although I noticed that new carpets and other small touches have been added since spring, the hotel still n...
Response from the owner
Thank you so much for being such a loyal guest over the past eight years—what an incredible tradition, and we’re truly honored to be part of it! Your kind words about our team, the cocktails, local br...
M Guy
If you want a noisy hotel with dorm room quality and sized rooms, have at it. Our rooms AC panel didn’t work, room warm so we opened the windows. Bar noise from rooftop kept us up for hours. Hallway had a wind noise (7th floor), beds are super hard. Oh and they have a $35/day resort fee. For what? Complained and got upgraded and moved for night two. Was much better but there was a heavy (mu...
Response from the owner
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your stay did not meet expectations. We understand how important comfort and rest are, and we regret that noise and...
Ven Tijerina
This is a good hotel option in this area with very good facilities. All new rooms are ok but very small. The front desk and all employees were very nice and friendly. The place is visited daily by lot of Millennials and Z Gen people so there are plenty of relaxing areas to take a coffee while you are online. My only complaint would be that in 3 days no body took care of the room cleaning. Other th...
Response from the owner
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed our facilities, appreciated the friendliness of our team, and found our common areas comfortabl...
t c
Rooms are very small. the king bed took up all the space and made it annoying for 2 ppl to get dressed for the evening event without constantly walking into each other. Staff lost the wedding gift bag allocated for my room. And despite what the 2 nitwits at the front desk tell you, the free overnight parking lot is NOT "across from Porta behind the Stone Pony". That lot is a private lot for Po...
Response from the owner
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that several aspects of your stay did not meet expectations.<br><br>As a boutique hotel, our rooms are intentionally designed to maximize comfo...
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