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by | Mar 16, 2018 | Hosta

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The Empress Hotel is a popular gay resort located in Asbury Park, New Jersey.[1]

The Hotel opened as a luxury resort for vacationing families in the 1960s.[2] It was a successful resort, attracting the likes of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli.[3]

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. Bruce Springsteen was an early employee of the Empress, where he worked a busboy during the summer of 1962.

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!"[4] Unfortunately, by 1988 the hotel was struggling for business, and closed shortly after.

A strip club, Extreme Fahrenheit, opened in the building in 1993. It became notorious for drugs and prostitution, and was eventually closed because of lewd conduct.[5]

In 1998, Shep Pettibone bought the abandoned building and opened the Paradise Nightclub inside.[6]

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,[7] and is very popular among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender travelers in New Jersey.[8]

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 also features a gift shop, lounge, nightclub and outdoor pool.

See also

References

  1. ^ "EMPRESS HOTEL". gay-destinations.com. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Lisa Lamb (2015). Asbury Park Revisited. Arcadia Publishing. p. 105. ISBN 978-1-4671-3363-0.
  3. ^ "New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender monthly webzine; New York Q News". www.newyorkqnews.com.
  4. ^ JOE SHARKEY. "The Past Is Dead in Asbury Park, but the Future Is Arriving." New York Times
  5. ^ "Coalition for a Better Waterfront - Jersey City Approves Windfall Gain for Developer who Swindled S&L; out of $ 16 Million". August 17, 2001. Archived from the original on August 17, 2001.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. ^ "Gay Asbury Park". June 25, 2004. Archived from the original on June 25, 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Gay Asbury Park". February 13, 2005. Archived from the original on February 13, 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ Taylor, Elise (August 28, 2019). "The Jonas Brothers Played Their VMA Set at the Coolest Town on the Jersey Shore". Vogue. Retrieved January 27, 2020.

External links

40°13′06″N 74°00′06″W / 40.21838°N 74.00180°W / 40.21838; -74.00180

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