The Empress Hotel (New Jersey)
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| The Empress Hotel | |
| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | 101 Asbury Avenue,[1] Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA 07712 |
| Opening date | 1950s |
| Owner | Shep Pettibone |
| No. of restaurants | 1 |
| No. of rooms | 101 |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Website | Official Website |
The Empress Hotel, located in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is a popular gay resort.[citation needed]
The Hotel opened as a luxury resort for vacationing families in the 1950s. It was a successful resort, attracting the likes of Judy Garland.[citation needed]
In 1980, the Empress was featured on the picture sleeve of Bruce Springsteen's hit single "Hungry Heart", which depicts a photo of Springsteen standing near a phone booth on the Asbury Park boardwalk, with the hotel visible in the background.
By the summer of 1976, Asbury Park was in a state of decline, albeit the Empress Hotel remained a popular establishment. During a New York Times interview, the hotel's manager boasted: "all of our 101 rooms are taken!"[2] Unfortunately, by 1988 the hotel was struggling for business, and closed shortly after.
It was abandoned for nearly a decade when, in 1998, Shep Pettibone bought the abandoned building and opened the Paradise Nightclub inside.[3]
The nightclub lured crowds of gay travelers away from Fire Island and instead to the beaches of Asbury Park.[citation needed] The hotel portion reopened in August 2004,[4] and is very popular among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender travelers in New Jersey.[citation needed]
In 2008, a dining establishment, the Ketchup Grill opened inside. A clothing store, Esphera, catering to gay beach-goers, was added to the ground level in 2008 and is open during the summer months.[citation needed]
The hotel features a restaurant, gift-shop, lounge, nightclub, and outdoor pool.
[edit] References
- ^ "Empress Hotel by Grayboxx". grayboxx, Inc.. http://www.grayboxx.com/c/b/1902517.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-09.
- ^ JOE SHARKEY. "The Past Is Dead in Asbury Park, but the Future Is Arriving." New York Times
- ^ Gay Asbury Park
- ^ Gay Asbury Park
[edit] External links
