The largest resort hotel in Cape May County is officially open just in time for summer as two hotels along a Wildwood beach have been combined and restored into one facility.
Madison Resorts recently held grand opening festivities for their Madison Resorts Wildwood Crest endeavor. Situated at 7201 Ocean Avenue, the project brings together the historic doo-wop stylings of the former Oceanview Motel with the Royal Hawaiian property next door for one giant resort that features 200 guest rooms.
The facility holds a unique place in the Wildwoods in that the combined properties sport three restaurants, two pools, cabana and poolside seating for over 100 guest, two hot tubs, two fitness centers, five conference rooms, and two rooftop event spaces plus pet-friendly accommodations.
Madison Resorts invested more than $52 million into their Jersey Shore hotel project which included major top to bottom renovations at both former hotels. Founder Dan Alicea hopes the project is a game changer for Wildwood Crest, one of the Jersey Shore’s top destinations.
“We’re thrilled to bring our Madison Resorts family to the Wildwood Crest community,” said Alicea. “We made a promise to preserve the architecture of the past with our renovation of this property, and 2024 marks 60 years since this property was built. There’s no way that we would stand for anything but a full restoration of this iconic structure.”
Philadelphia-based DAS Architects put together the initial design for the property updates. The firm is known for projects such as Reed’s in Stone Harbor, The Boarding House in Cape May, and The Hyatt Centric in Philadelphia among others.
The lobby fully embraces the doo-wop history of the Wildwood with vintage touches like a Crosley record player and a refurbished mid-century TV set playing classic beach movies. Almost all of the guest rooms in both buildings sport a partial or full ocean view and come equipped with micro appliances including refrigerators, coffee makers, and flatscreen TVs.
Other perks at the resort include three restaurants, a pair of pools, and dueling rooftop event spaces on top of each tower. Poolside cabanas with food and beverage service are available, and daily poolside live music will start in July.
“On behalf of the Borough of Wildwood Crest, I look forward to the opening of Madison Resort Wildwood Crest,” said Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera. “We have watched the progression of a once dilapidated motel evolve into a first-class resort in the hub of our community right before our eyes. Its transformation maintains some of the original architectural features with a modern-day feel. I wish them much success.”
Madison Resort Wildwood Crest will be kicking off with the Barefoot Country Music Festival on June 20th later this summer. The festivities will offer complimentary country music entertainment to all guests along with surprise guest artists.
