In three Jersey Shore locales—Cape May, Long Branch and Asbury Park—a set of independent properties holds the keys to breaking the traditional meetings mold.
In 1988, Curtis Bashaw, then 28, was admitted to Wharton Business School. His other good news that day was the approval of a business loan, following six prior bank rejections, for his desired purchase of the fading Virginia Hotel in America’s original seaside resort, Cape May, N.J., where he had summered as a child.
Inspired by his passionate preservationist grandfather (a Cape May legend), Bashaw embarked on both paths, schooling during the week and restoring the 1879 landmark on weekends.
After unveiling his boutique update of the 24-room, adults-only Virginia in 1989, complete with versatile meeting rooms for groups of up to 30 and fine dining at The Ebbitt Room, his next Cape May restoration was Congress Hall, where he had worked as a teenager.
Built in 1816 and quickly reconstructed following a devastating fire in 1878, the 106-room property, locally known as the “Big House,” notably hosted five vacationing U.S. presidents, including Benjamin Harrison, who made the property his “summer White House.”
Bashaw raised $22 million to totally rejuvenate the majestic property, which he reopened in 2002. Group space, with buyouts an option, include the sumptuous 3,789-square-foot Grand Ballroom and conference space divisible into three rooms. Dining options include the Blue Pig Tavern, while the underground Boiler Room (the hotel’s original boiler room) is an unexpected nightclub space.
The hotel is aiming to complete a $2 million room renovation by Memorial Day 2016 as part of its bicentennial celebration, while the Virginia is also finishing a room redesign this summer.
Bashaw has since almost singlehandedly reinvented the Cape May scene, while extending his reach to Atlantic City, New York City and the Hamptons.
In Cape May, his additional projects include full-service beach tents at the Virginia (getting Wi-Fi and electrical outlets this summer) and Congress Hall, and just two miles from the hotel, 62-acre Beach Plum Farm, which supplies his restaurants with some 100 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers and will soon feature a barn with kitchen and outdoor event space. Collectively, he has created an extended campus of creative options for truly transformative meetings.
Benjamin Harrison also frequented Long Branch—along with six other U.S. presidents, all of whom are memorialized at Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park in this revitalized Jersey Shore destination about an hour’s drive south from Manhattan (in the off-season). Following a sustained decline after fire consumed its pier and amusement park in 1987, Long Branch has surged back, anchored by the growing multiuse Pier Village complex of residences, shops and clubs.
With its long golden beaches, the destination surges with summer crowds, but in the shoulder seasons especially, small groups have a ready oasis in the Bungalow Hotel. Set back two blocks from the beach, this stylish 24-room hotel, available for buyouts (at little or no extra charge) remains the Jersey Shore’s only luxury lifestyle boutique. The spacious, art-filled rooms invite creative thought, with the Kahuna and Pipeline suites big enough to hold small meetings.
Featuring a bar, pool table and outdoor seating with fireplace, the lobby serves as informal event space for up to 30 people. Larger groups can convene at sister property Avenue on the beach promenade just a short stroll away. Integrating a French-inspired restaurant, rooftop club/lounge with pool, and private beach club, this upscale Paris-meets-St. Tropez concept flexibly accommodates gatherings ranging from corporate meetings and social occasions to cocktail parties and beach barbecues.
With its famed mile-long Boardwalk getting a multimillion-dollar upgrade, including 400,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment concepts, Asbury Park was due to unveil a new 110-room boutique hotel last month, The Asbury.
Innovate event spaces include the 4,800-square-foot Asbury Hall & Lawn, a flexible indoor/outdoor area intentionally left as a “blank slate” to encourage groups to interact with local vendors and businesses to bring their vision to life. Other venues include rooftop bar and event space, and the Beergarden, featuring food and beer trucks.
