At this new $50 million luxury resort, Wildwood Crest meets Miami

Wildwood Crest visitors may spot some unexpected new scenery this summer: palm trees.

Madison Resorts, which next week will officially open two new hotel towers in the Jersey Shore town, brought in over 50 of the Florida-famous trees to New Jersey to create “a slice of Miami in the heart of Wildwood Crest,” said Dan Alicea, president of the hotel company.

The $50 million luxury resort will include two towers: the Ocean, a four-story main building with 104 rooms at the site of the former Oceanview Motel, and the Royal, a five-story tower with 88 rooms at the site of the former Royal Hawaiian Motel.

Madison Resorts purchased the Oceanview Motel for $10 million in September 2022 and acquired the Royal Hawaiian in December for $13.4 million. The total cost of renovations and acquisition of both properties came out to over $52 million including additional construction costs needed to tear down and rebuild the lobby of the former Oceanview property.

“It was structurally unsound,” said Alicea. Now, “everything in that property is brand new.”

The grand opening of the resort, located at 7201 Ocean Ave., is scheduled for May 16.

Madison Resort Wildwood Crest will include 192 guest rooms, three restaurants, two pools, hot tubs, fitness centers, rooftop event spaces, and conference rooms. The resort will employ around 150 workers at the peak of the summer season, Alicea said. (One restaurant is expected to open in the early summer, with others to follow later in the year.)

The resort’s aesthetic details — including a record player in the lobby and 1960s-style microwaves and light fixtures — pay homage to the “retro vibe” of the Oceanview Motel’s doo-wop style, said Alicea.

Alicea believes the resort will appeal to families and couples, he said. Room rates start at $149 per night at the Royal tower during the offseason and will average around $300 a night during peak summer dates. For the Ocean tower, rates start at $179 per night and are expected to average around $350 in the high season.

There will be a daily poolside DJ starting in late June; a Taylor Swift tribute event is scheduled for July 4; and an August luau will feature a pig roast.

“The right types of programs throughout the resort gives you that vibe of the all-inclusive resorts that maybe you see in the Bahamas or the islands,” said Alicea, who said the company drew inspiration from cruise ships.

The resort can accommodate events of up to 200 people. The first wedding is booked for June 1.

Madison Resorts also manages Montreal Beach Resort and Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille in Cape May. The company is planning to open another resort on the Jersey Shore and hopes to expand in the Hudson Valley in New York.