Twenty-five years ago, Frank Cretella, co-founder of Landmark Hospitality, restored The Stone Pony, the Asbury Park nightclub where the careers of Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi began.
While helping to breathe new life into the then-closed stage, his attention was drawn to the dilapidated hotel next door, the Albion.
“I stole the sign the night before the building was demolished – that’s how much I was drawn to it,” laughed Cretella. “I said to myself, ‘One day I’m going to reopen a place and call it Albion.'”
That’s exactly what Landmark Hospitality, a company specialising in the conversion of heritage buildings, did in August.
Now open in the former Grand Summit Hotel at 570 Springfield Ave. in Summit, Albion features a free co-working space, wedding venue, whiskey lounge and Italian restaurant.
By next summer, the Albion will feature 100 renovated guest rooms and suites, a spa, a second performance venue modeled after a private home, a rooftop restaurant and bar, a listening room with a pop-up sushi restaurant, and recording suites.
This music focus was no accident for Cretella, who loves music as much as history, design and development. For Cretella, it also fit the name “The Albion”, the old name of Great Britain.
“I love rock’n’roll and British rock, and the concept of The Albion was about art and music,” he said. “It feels good to me. I’m paying homage to the music.”
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Felina Italian restaurant has live music four nights a week, and the rooftop restaurant and bar focus on jazz and blues. There is also live music in the whiskey lounge, which has a piano.
Felina serves “Jersey Italian” cuisine, Cretella said. “That’s what people want and crave. It’s been a huge success in Ridgewood,” he said of the restaurant, which has another location in the Bergen County city.
The 160-seat restaurant features a 60-foot-long open kitchen as well as a fireplace surrounded by terrazzo and mosaic marble. There’s also a 45-seat bar centered around a wine room, which offers five signature Negronis on tap. The menu includes dishes like white clam pizza, house-made mozzarella, eggplant parmigiana, lasagna, chicken scarpariello and lobster fra diavolo.
Next up will be the guest rooms, which will feature hand-crafted ceilings and wall paneling and a bar in each room. Prices will be around $300 per night for a guest room and $1,000 for a suite.
No two of the three rooms will be the same, and guests will stay in accommodations with exposed brick, textured colored walls and skylights in the showers. The rooms will also be larger than those at the Grand Summit Hotel; the number of rooms has been reduced by a third.
These spaces will be an addition to the Albion’s 200-person capacity venue, which features original stained glass windows, a two-story fireplace and geometric custom brass chandeliers with repurposed crystals from the hotel’s former ballroom. It’s a change from the Grand Summit Hotel, which hasn’t hosted weddings since 2020.
By next summer, the Albion will have another venue called Blackburn House, an 836-square-foot venue in the style of a mid-century modern mansion with a library and music room and 30-foot vaulted ceilings. Named in homage to the original name of the Grand Summit Hotel, Blackburn House comes after remodeling 43 rooms in the adjacent addition.
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But according to Cretella, the Albion is not all about local visitors.
“It’s meant to be a place where locals connect with tourists,” he said. “It’s a community hotel. There are more activities for the general population than anyone else. We want the atmosphere to be Summit, and we embrace the city’s other restaurants and businesses.”
The cornerstone of this is the Albion’s 280 square meter free coworking space “The Living Room”, which also has a free coffee bar.
Summits Albion will be the precursor to Landmark Hospitality’s future hotels of the same name. One is planned in Jersey City and another could open as part of a new entertainment complex in Asbury Park. The hotels will join Landmark Hospitality’s 18 boutique hotels, venues and restaurants, some of which have been converted from former historic buildings.
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The Grand Summit Hotel was built in 1868 as a modest guesthouse called the Blackburn Hotel. But with its Victorian architecture and proximity to the Summit train station, it became a destination for travelers escaping New York City. In 1929, it was expanded and renamed the Grand Summit Hotel.
“The Grand Summit Hotel has undergone several name changes throughout its history, each reflecting a different chapter of its story,” said Cretella. “While the name holds a special place in the hearts of many locals, Landmark saw an opportunity to usher the brand into a new era by reimagining it as The Albion Summit. This isn’t just about a name change; it’s about reviving the spirit of the place.”
Go: 570 Springfield Ave., Summit; thealbionhotels.com, 908-273-3000.
Contact: [email protected]
Jenna Intersimone has been a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey contributor since 2014, though she’s been a lifelong Jersey resident and considers herself an expert on everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State’s vibrant downtowns. For unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at. @JIntersimone.
