Situated within New Jersey’s Asbury Park, Asbury Ocean Club, Surfside Resort and Residences is a 17-story oceanfront structure comprising 130 condominiums and a 54-room luxury boutique hotel.
Asbury Ocean Club is the crown jewel of real-estate leader iStar, a passionate investor in Asbury Park whose roots in town stretch back more than a decade. Led by innovative Chief Executive Officer Jay Sugarman, iStar acquired 35 acres in the City and has spent more than $300 million on its efforts.
A remarkable roster of global design talent came together to create Asbury Ocean Club. Anda Andrei, president of Anda Andrei Design, who has worked on some of the world’s best-known boutique and lifestyle hotels is iStar’s Creative Lead and Design Director for the revitalisation of Asbury Park.
Her collaborators include Handel Architects (The Dream Downtown Hotel in Manhattan, Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi); Bonetti Kozerski Architecture (Public Hotel New York, PACE Gallery); and garden designer Madison Cox (Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, Garden of Life at the Aga Khan Center in London).
Steven Kamali of Hospitality House, an international Food and Beverage Advisory firm has been engaged to help develop a food hall, market and a fine-dining concept.
“It’s impossible to find a place that’s so close to New York City, on the ocean, with incredible, architecturally significant buildings, amazing history and soul, and a major music scene,” said Andrei. “With Asbury Ocean Club, we’re striking a beautiful balance that’s true to oceanfront living – luxurious without being pretentious, relaxed yet chic – the elegance of timeless materials in a modern and contemporary setting. It’s different from anything in the region, the building feels like it belongs on this beach.”
Asbury Ocean Club has been designed to both reflect its environment and enhance it. The experience starts in the dramatic, double-height lobby, anchored by a reception desk set against polished custom concrete and slatted oak walls.
The residences offer a select collection of one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and three-bedrooms with oceanfront east-facing terraces that wrap either north or south and provide views of an endless coastline. Two penthouses boast even more expansive kitchen and living areas, including rooftop terraces with outdoor kitchens that also include living and dining space.
“We took on a beach house vernacular that’s open, light, and airy, and we kept materials simple-concrete and glass with wood accents,” said Gary Handel, principal of Handel Architects. “Balconies extend out to accentuate the horizontal quality of the views. We then added a gentle curvature to the building to reflect the shoreline.”
The residences will sit on top of a 54-room boutique hotel, which means the Asbury Ocean Club will stay active, lively, and energised year-round. The hotel will be operated by David Bowd of Salt Hotels (Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, Mercer in New York, and the Chiltern Firehouse in London) who is also a partner in and operator of The Asbury.
Guests of the hotel will share indoor-outdoor spaces on the fourth floor with residents, including an expansive terrace with a 65′ x 30′ pool overlooking the ocean, a full-service pool bar and grill, a garden pavilion with reflecting pool and an outdoor lounge with fireplace-setting the scene for a dynamic mix of locals and visitors. The ground floor of Asbury Ocean Club will house an upscale, curated retail center.
