'Special vibe': See how Middletown native upended The James hotel in Bradley Beach

Susan Bloom
·7 min read

BRADLEY BEACH - Growing up both industrious and creative, Middletown native George DiStefano gravitated to projects that allowed him to combine his business savvy with his love of design. And he found that perfect blend as the owner of The James, a boutique hotel in Bradley Beach that he took over in July 2021.

“My father raised my brothers and me to have a very strong work ethic and I always worked as a kid,” recalled DiStefano, 30, a Bradley Beach resident who held jobs in the restaurant and catering industry throughout his middle and high school years.

After spending his first year of college at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, DiStefano transferred to Monmouth University in West Long Branch for his remaining terms and graduated with a degree in finance — all while juggling near-full-time work for his father’s construction management company in Manhattan at the same time.

Jobs in investment banking and the launch of his own property management and maintenance company, Mid City Management, followed after graduation, but by 2021, DiStefano felt the lure of property development calling him.

Exterior of The James, a Third Avenue hotel in Bradley Beach that's over a century old and was restored by George DiStefano. The boutique hotel features 16 rooms in the main house and a three-bedroom standalone bungalow. Tuesday August 30, 2022.
Exterior of The James, a Third Avenue hotel in Bradley Beach that's over a century old and was restored by George DiStefano. The boutique hotel features 16 rooms in the main house and a three-bedroom standalone bungalow. Tuesday August 30, 2022.

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“I’d always had an interest in design and architecture and the way a beautifully curated room can make people feel, but I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of project I wanted to pursue,” he said.

Intrigued by the prospect of buying a hospitality venue or bed and breakfast inn, DiStefano began searching online for commercial properties and found the Sandcastle Inn in Bradley Beach — a B&B that he would ultimately buy, rename The James Hotel, and renovate from top to bottom.

“James Bradley was the original owner of the property and the founder of Bradley Beach, so that was the genesis of the name. It’s a beautiful three-story Victorian home built in 1904, just a block and a half from the beach, and we wanted to preserve its history,” he said of the property he found in May 2021 and purchased just weeks later.

Put up for sale after its former owners decided to move on, “it was an operating B&B and the owners were lovely and had maintained it beautifully, though it was a bit of a different style than ours,” DiStefano said of what was then a main house (where the previous owners had resided), a side house with nine guest rooms, and a standalone, three-bedroom bungalow.

Using money saved from his other full-time jobs, he bought the property in July 2021 — just in time to oversee the full docket of bookings that the previous owners had taken for the inn’s busy summer season.

“We had a full house on July 4th and the former owners graciously stayed on that weekend to help me transition,” DiStefano said. “After that, I continued to run things as they were for the remainder of the summer, then shut down in October to begin a massive reconstruction, which took on a life of its own.”

The breakfast room at The James, a Third Avenue hotel in Bradley Beach that's over a century old and was restored by George DiStefano. The boutique hotel features 16 rooms in the main house and a three-bedroom standalone bungalow. Tuesday August 30, 2022.
The breakfast room at The James, a Third Avenue hotel in Bradley Beach that's over a century old and was restored by George DiStefano. The boutique hotel features 16 rooms in the main house and a three-bedroom standalone bungalow. Tuesday August 30, 2022.

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'Utilized every inch of the space'

Undertaking the project with his best friend and interior designer Sebastian Zuchowicki, “we gutted the interior down to the studs, refinished existing floors or installed new ones, repainted, redid all of the bathrooms, replaced all of the doors and hardware, and expanded some rooms into suites,” DiStefano said.

By opening the quarters where the previous owners had lived, “we created seven new guest rooms that hadn’t been there before and utilized every inch of the space to make it feel expansive,” he continued. “We also brought in all new furniture — a mix of vintage, custom, and new pieces — and created a central theme while making every room different through a unique item of décor, such as a special lamp, color or piece of art to help each space convey its own feeling and visceral experience.”

In contrast to the impersonal hotel rooms that populate many of the nation’s hospitality venues, “I like the vibe different spaces can create and the opportunity for every room to make you feel something,” DiStefano explained. “I also love art and wanted The James’ pieces to feel like a personal collection in someone’s home.”

Following an eight-month renovation, The James reopened this April and has enjoyed a sold-out season, welcoming guests who largely hail from New York City, North Jersey and Philadelphia.

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“In peak season, our rooms start at $300 for a minimum two-night stay and include breakfast, and our back bungalow has its own private garden and rents for roughly $5,000 a week,” he said.

“We also have indoor and outdoor breakfast seating for 40 people, including our 1,000-square-foot wraparound covered porch, and we offer a great breakfast menu that includes everything from our version of the iconic pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich to desiccated coconut French toast made with sourdough bread from New York City’s Balthazar Bakery on the weekends and elevated continental breakfasts featuring homemade pastries, muffins, and crumb cakes during the week,” he said. “We try to use locally sourced and organic ingredients or materials wherever possible — even down to our specially crafted curtains and linens handmaid by a local seamstress.”

“Ultimately, there’s nothing else like us in this market,” DiStefano said. “We’re not a kitschy B&B or a generic hotel. Rather, we offer an intimate curated experience that guests won’t get anywhere else.”

Thanks to their guest service, positive word of mouth, and thoughtful attention to detail — which resulted in glowing writeups in everything from the New York Times Style Magazine to Surface and Forbes — “business has been great this summer and we have bookings through December,” DiStefano said. “A number of guests who stayed with us in the beginning of the summer booked a second or even a third visit at the end of the summer and many others reserved rooms with us for next year before they left.”

Porch seating at The James, a Third Avenue hotel in Bradley Beach that's over a century old and was restored by George DiStefano. The boutique hotel features 16 rooms in the main house and a three-bedroom standalone bungalow. Tuesday August 30, 2022.
Porch seating at The James, a Third Avenue hotel in Bradley Beach that's over a century old and was restored by George DiStefano. The boutique hotel features 16 rooms in the main house and a three-bedroom standalone bungalow. Tuesday August 30, 2022.

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'I love creating'

DiStefano credits the hotel’s success to many things.

Among them, “we have an amazing team of 15 employees, including our general manager, Mary Wiernasz, who has 30 years of hospitality experience,” he said. “In addition, Bradley Beach is a quintessential coastal town with a wonderful community feel and our property blends right into the neighborhood. It’s a great destination for people who want to kick back and enjoy a relaxing experience at the beach.”

Among the challenges of his role, DiStefano admits to obsessing about every detail, from the property’s vintage salt shakers to its seasonal landscaping. “We want people to see different things when they come and I’m always thinking about the next thing,” he said.

But he relishes the opportunity to flex his creative muscle and even craft his own furniture and décor.

“I love creating and changing up pieces — that brings me joy,” he said. “And I love that people ask us about our hardware, furniture and artwork all the time and leave feeling inspired to do something like that in their own home.”

While he’s thrilled for guests to seek out The James and enjoy its many nooks and crannies, DiStefano hopes it will help spur on other local investment. “Bradley Beach is a beautiful town and this hotel will hopefully inspire others to invest in or start a business here and partake in our tight-knit community. That sense of pride and belonging is how towns thrive.”

As a proud owner carrying on a historic legacy, “it’s so rewarding to see people appreciating all of the tiny details of our space,” said DiStefano, who hopes that The James will be the first of many boutique hotels he’s able to infuse with new life. “In the end, I love creating an experience for people — a special vibe that they feel from the second they step onto the property to the time they leave, and long after that.”

The James Hotel

Location: 204 Third Ave., Bradley Beach

Phone: 732-774-2875

Owner: George DiStefano

Opened: July 2021

Website: www.thejamesbradleybeach.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Bradley Beach NJ The James boutique hotel gets new 'special vibe'