The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel Reviews

There really aren't enough words to describe how amazing our experience was at The Berkeley for our COVID minimony and dinner reception on July 24, 2020. We were with another venue but then COVID19 happened. 22 days before our wedding date we had to start our wedding planning over and I called The Berkeley on a whim. Albie answered the phone and within minutes gave me multiple options to have our ceremony and mini reception. My (now) husband and I had been through it with our previous venue and other vendors and were quite honestly just used to feeling like a dollar sign but Albie, Cory and Chef Frank actually genuinely seemed to want to make our day special for us. They met with us multiple times in those 3 short weeks and were available for phone calls and emails whenever we needed. We were able to have the ceremony on the roof but it rained that day so we had it in one of their gorgeous rooms overlooking the beach, we had a dinner reception on their 2nd floor terrace and local friends were able to meet up for the after party at their outside garden bar. They really went above and beyond for us and we really are overcome with gratitude that these guys have a passion for their work. Everyone at the Berkeley was so accommodating, our friends and family can't stop raving about how great everything was(Chef Frank's short rib was the biggest hit!) and how amazing the service was across the board. The facility is gorgeous and having our dinner reception on the terrace was awesome overlooking the Asbury boardwalk but what made our wedding so special was the care these guys put into it. They literally saved our wedding day and we are forever grateful. If this is what the guys are capable of with all the COVID restrictions and 3 weeks notice AND a tight budget, I can only imagine the type of events they'll put together in the future.

We had the perfect NYE wedding at The Berkeley! From the very beginning, planner Berkeley was able to connect with us and make us feel completely comfortable choosing The Berkeley for our special day. She helped to bring our wedding dreams to life; guests loved the charm, history and cleanliness of the hotel. Our photographs are beautiful; simple and elegant with the backdrop of this hotel's charm.

The Berkeley Hotel is beautiful with decorative details in each banquet room. It was a pleasure working with Berkeley from the banquet department. She was professional, friendly, and very responsive. It is always a pleasure to see Leo the warmest hard working bellhop you will ever meet. All of the staff from front desk to friendly bartenders were a pleasure from beginning to end. Thank you for a wonderful experience.

My husband and I got married on November 10th at the Berkeley and we have no complaints. We arrived on Thursday night and the heat was too high, they sent maintenance right up and it was fixed. The room was spacious and beautiful for our wedding weekend. The views were amazing too! We got very lucky and worked with Berkely Neis! She helped us with everything and was very responsive to emails. She checked on me in the bridal ready room and wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. We had a little trouble booking a breakfast, but it all worked out because of Berkeleys commitment to us. The wedding itself was beautiful and magical. Each room is unique in its own way and the vendors we chose all knew each other and that made the day even smoother. My husband and I would recommend this venue to anyone! It was the best day that is unforgettable. Thank you to all of the staff and especially Berkeley Neis!!!!

We had our wedding October 20, 2017 on the roof! Berkeley and te staff at The Berkeley were amazing! From the rooftop ceremony to the after party/brunch/rooms we had an overall blast. Everyone was very accomidating and understanding with what we wanted and the venders we used. Would absolutely recommend to future brides/grooms!

INCREDIBLE. There aren't words to express our experience with having our reception at The Berkeley. I wish we could give 6 stars.

We had gotten engaged right across the street on the boardwalk and joked how funny it would be if we ended up getting married at The Berkeley not realizing it would actually be the venue of our dreams.

Venue: The location makes the reception like a mini vacation for all guests. With it being the in the beautiful and buzzing Asbury Park, there is plenty of places for guests to visit and explore on top of being right next to the beach. The Berkeley beautifully keeps their old charm with gorgeous touches like the chandeliers. By having three rooms for the event, we were able to comfortably fit 240 guests. The ceilings and windows in the ballroom are just spectacular and it was the perfect place for charm and character with elegance.

Service: Top notch. The staff at The Berkeley truly are in their positions because of the love for hosting events and weddings, not just for a job. They put in the extra time, effort, and flexibility to make our event absolutely perfect. From Amy and Berkeley in management to Lisa as the maitre die, we were in the best hands from beginning to end. They were over accommodating, calm and always ahead of the situation. They allowed for me to come in with all my crazy ideas and made them reality. Both professional and friendly, it felt like we were working with family throughout and we couldn't be more thankful.

Value: Amazing. Going in to planning our wedding, we really wanted to have stations for the event rather than sit down to keep the party going and allow people to eat the whole night, not at all, or on and off whenever they'd like and that was hard to find. Having the Berkeley venue semi-separate from the caterer allowed us the flexibility to keep to our budget with what we could have available. Over accommodating and affordable for the what we received and the location it was in.

Our Berkeley Oceanfront wedding was beautiful! We have to thank our sales coordinator Berkeley. She was so wonderful and we really just love her. She truly went above and beyond for us! And she worked with our caterer Falcos, who is just simply the best. Thank you Berkeley! You're incredible!

Perfect venue, my daughter was married there on may 27, 2017. The staff were very accommodating, especially Amy! From the rooftop ceremony through the reception, perfect!

When my fiancé and I started the venue process for our wedding, there was something about the Berkeley that stood out. It has that old, classic feel with a modern twist and is located across from the beach. We were in love just walking through the doors. Then we met with the team. Amy, Berkeley, and Sofia were AMAZING. They showed us the various rooms that could hold our event, they explained the catering options, and were able to suggest photographers. We left feeling certain this was the place for our big day! Fast forward a year later... The week leading up to our wedding, I had so many questions! The line of communication between myself, Amy and Sofia was so very clear.They were also able to assist my guests! Their response time was immediate and always positive. They were able to ease my worries. A day before the wedding I was able to drop ALL of my stuff off at the Berkeley and the girls along with Buona Sera Catering put it all together for us the day of the wedding! There are really are no words to describe how they were able to coordinate the day for us. The day of the wedding, Amy and Sofia were present. They weren't just there, they were genuinely there to help us in anyway we needed. The bridal ready room is to die for! It was spacious, with two bathrooms, a refrigerator, a Keurig, large mirrors, and natural sunlight. The day of, the girls from the Berkeley brought in fruit and champagne to make the day extra special. I cannot say enough good things about the venue and the sales staff there. If I had to do it all over again, I'd choose the Berkeley. They offer the whole package: a beautiful venue AND a staff that is experienced, passionate, and dedicated!

The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel was the first venue we looked at for our wedding and I fell in love with it from the moment I walked in. The lobby has an old school southern/modern charm about it that I knew guests would love. You walk up a large staircase to the mezzanine with checkered marble floors and huge windows. My photos here are incredible! You can have an rooftop ceremony, beach ceremony or indoor ceremony! The rooftop has an incredible view of the city of Asbury Park as well as the beach/ocean. This was my top pick but unfortunately it rained!! My Plan B room, the Oval room, was just as incredible! Huge doors that look out onto a balcony set the perfect backdrop for the ceremony! The reception rooms are equally as gorgeous with some of the most incredible chandeliers! Some are the originals! The bridal sweet has a large mirror with chairs and lighting that are perfect for getting hair/makeup done and look fabulous in pictures! The feel of this venue is elegant, classic and timeless!

The service and staff at the Berkeley are equally as amazing! We worked with Berkeley who was so friendly and helpful from day one. She showed us around the Berkeley and was able to answer all of our questions. During the entire wedding planning process she quickly responded to my 8 million e-mails and always had a pleasant as well as professional attitude! I don't know what I would have done without her!! The days leading up to the wedding and the day of the wedding went so smoothly due to the service of the hotel staff, Berkeley of course and my go to bellman, Theo Brown! The wedding itself was beautiful and perfectly laid out. We had the premium liquor with two bars during the reception!! We had zero complaints!

Absolutely a great place to have a wedding! The room itself is gorgeous with the chandeliers and then add decorations and it is amazing! Berkley, who was our coordinator helped us plan a fabulous night. The hotels accomedations were clean and comfortable, the rooftop was spectacular place for pictures as was the center staircase,. Berkley arranged for us to be able to get in and do some decorating ourselves the night befor that saved money and stress! Thanks to all, everyone from the valet, bartenders, and hotel staff you were fantastic!

When Phil and I were planning our October 2016 wedding in the summer of 2015, we knew we wanted to find some place classic and beautiful for our ceremony and reception. The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel was our first, only, and perfect choice. From the planning to the execution, everything went smoothly and easily for us and for our guests. Amy was a pleasure to work with and was available at any time to answer our questions. The photos are absolutely stunning and we keep hearing from our guests on how our wedding was just so glamourous and classic. We had our ceremony in the Oval room and for the reception we moved across the hall to the Continental Ballroom as we were a smaller group of 100. Thank you, Amy and the Berkeley, for a wonderful experience!

Experience was truly excellent. Amy was fantastic and available for any of our needs.

My husband and I couldn't have been happier with The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel and their staff! Although Asbury Park is slightly limited when it comes to wedding venues, we knew we wanted to get married there and the Berkeley had everything we needed. They make it easy to choose vendors, all of whom were wonderful and they were very organized and accommodating. Berkeley (the sales manager) and Katrina, our maitre d' from Falco's were truly amazing. Our wedding day was perfect and we didn't have to worry about anything because it was all taken care of. Since we weren't getting married in a church and didn't want our ceremony on the beach, we were able to work with the hotel in order to have our ceremony in the reception room before the cocktail hour, which saved us a lot of stress and money. Peter James (the florist) is so incredibly talented. Our flowers were beautiful and beyond our expectations. Falco's food was delicious and our cake from The Chocolate Carousel was also beautiful and delicious. Everything was well worth the money.

The most beautiful venue I ever could have hoped for. The oval room was amazing for my ceremony and the main ballroom is fabulous. I worked mainly with Berkeley Neis and she is wonderful. My emails were always answered so quickly and thoroughly. She was extremely helpful. THANK YOU TO BERKELY AND THE BERKELEY!!!

My husband and I planned our wedding in 4 months. We looked into a few venues- The Berkeley actually be the first venue! I couldn't get the venue out of my head. We loved everyone that came with the Berkeley. They were are a family here and we knew it would be easy planning with them. Amy was absolutely amazing throughout the process. I feel as though she became part of the family while planning. The day of she went above and beyond for me and I am SO thankful for her- she did more than she needed for me and made me feel extremely comfortable and at ease the day of. She is also so responsive and helpful with the 21 question you have a day. She really made me feel like I was not alone. If you are considering this venue BOOK IT! You can't go wrong. From Amy to Bueno Sera Catering they make for an awesome team and a SMOOOOOTH wedding day! You're in the best of hands here. Thank you- B&B Zeller

I wish we could do it all over again! Amy, hands down is top notch to work with. Always letting me know, she was there for me. If I had an issue no matter how small, she was responsive, attentive and wanting to solve it with a smile and her calm demeanor at hand. The rooms we used for our wedding are gorgeous! You will not find anything else like it up and down the Jersey Shore. The detailed crown moldings, large windows over looking the ocean, high ceilings, beautiful lighting and chandeliers... I could go on and on but its really something you need to see for yourself to truly appreciate the exquisite detail. If you are looking for a classic and elegant venue, you need to put The Berkeley on your list. And when you call, ask for Amy. You will thank me!

My family, husband and I fell in love with Amy the moment she introduced herself! She has such a wonderful personality and always has a smile on her face! Amy was such an unbelievable pleasure to work with while planning our wedding! We planned our wedding from Georgia and she ALWAYS made it a point to pencil us in for a walk through while we were visiting the area for the holidays. She was quick to respond to any questions or concerns and was up to make anything happen for our Harry Potter themed wedding!
The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel was our dream wedding venue! Asbury Park is where my husband and I fell in love and we knew we HAD to get married there! Our wedding package included the Oval Room, Versailles Room, and Crystal Ballroom. Our guests have not stopped talking about how breathtakingly beautiful the venue is!
On the day of our June 12th wedding, Amy was there bright and early to get us up on the roof for our first look! This option became available only a few days prior and it turned out absolutely perfect! Our night went amazing as well! Chris took over in the evening and kept the night running seamlessly! Overall, Amy and all of the staff at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel went above and beyond our expectations!

The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel was our FIRST and ONLY choice for our wedding reception and we had such a wonderful experience from beginning to end. The Berkeley is stunningly, beautiful with so much historical charm! They are no other venues in the area that can offer so much historic authenticity! Everyone was so taken back by the event space. Our overnight guests were very happy with their hotel stay as well. It was not only convenient for our guests to stay right at the reception location, but the rooms were spacious and clean and the beds were very comfortable. The Berkeley Wedding staff--- including Amy, Chris, & Francesca---were top-notch. They were friendly, easy-going, kind, enthusiastic, and very accommodating. Awesome hospitality! But putting all that aside, they were simply good-hearted people that wanted nothing but the best for us. They made the entire wedding planning process fun and memorable! Five Stars across the board :)

My April 10th wedding at the Berkeley was a dream come true. Amy Dimes (Events Manager) was a ray of sunshine from the moment we met; it was always "anything, just tell me what you want and how you want it". She was a joy to work with and the hotel staff were always cheery and pleasant when I dropped in for meetings or walk thrus.
Our wedding was originally Sunday Jan 24th but a blizzard came in the day prior. Amy called me from home that day to gently explain that we should consider changing our plans (understatement). She made it clear that the decision was ours and the Berkeley would accommodate either way. We had guests expected from out of town, so we made the difficult decision to postpone rather then have them travel in dangerous weather. The hotel was amazing; we didn't lose a penny and they gave us first choice of any available dates moving forward. They honored the room block rate for our guests who had managed to make it to NJ before the blizzard and got snowed in.
Our actually wedding was dreamy..... The Hotel and surrounding neighborhood is an INSANE venue and backdrop for photos!! The Ballroom we chose to accommodate our small crowd (50) was gorgeous: Pillars, a fireplace, magnificent chandeliers - charm charm charm! The Berekely worked seamlessly with my vendors (Couture Events of NJ; specifically PeterJames for flowers, Ephemera Photo for pics and Gitty Berger for Make-up) - i had ZERO stress hanging out in the bridal ready room (huge two room suite w 2 lavs, hair and make up stations, etc) getting slammed up, listening to music and sipping coffee and champagne.
I could go on and on, but heres a word: PERFECTION!

We had the time of our lives! The Berkeley was the perfect place for our December wedding! Stephanie & Chris were so attentive, professional and fun! We had our ceremony on-site and the flow of the rooms made it so easy for our guests.

There was always a constant smile & love for us, during the evening & the people working with The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel, even with 310+ people. What a great team, The Berkeley brought even more love to the night!! Could not have be more friendly & professional.
We highly recommend The Berkeley to host your event. You would be doing yourself a disservice by not hiring the best team in the tristate area!!

We had our weddings at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel on March 21, 2015. I can honestly say it was the best day of my life. Everything ran so smoothly. Jenna was so helpful and easy to get in touch with prior to the big day. She made planning our wedding less stressful. We had a lot of out of town guests that stayed in the hotel, all of whom found it very accommodating. The day of the wedding my girls and I got ready in the bridal ready suite. What a great feature of the hotel. A wall of mirrors, bright lights, studio chairs, couches, refrigerators, a place to hang all the dresses for photos. It was a great space to get ready in. As soon as we entered cocktail hour, Jenna and Chris made sure we had everything we needed and let us know Chris would be there for the rest of night. The oval and Versailles rooms were beautiful for cocktail hour and my guest really enjoyed going out on the balcony. The Crystal Ballroom looked stunning. Chris was constantly making sure everything was great for us. I believe Falcos is the exclusive caterier of the hotel now. We had options when we booked our wedding and we chose Falcos. The food and service were amazing. I worked with Alissa when planning the wedding and Lisa was our Maître D' on the big day. Alissa was very helpful in selecting the menu. Our Maître D' Lisa was absolutely fantastic, she made sure we always had a drink in our hand, ran the timing of the whole night with the dj, and was just a lovely person to work with. After the reception the hotel kept the hotel bar open for all the guests until 2am, which was awesome because most people were staying over. I could not have asked for a better wedding day. The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel team especially Jenna and Chris were great to work with and I would recommend them to everyone. Falcos did an amazing job with absolutely delicious food and amazing service. They work very well together and it was evident on our wedding day!

The Berkeley Ocean Front Hotel was incredible to work with and created a magical wedding experience. I cannot thank the staff enough for being so wonderful! The guests at my wedding are still talking about the impeccable service they provided. Leading up to the wedding was also stress free due to their attentiveness. Not to mention, the beauty of the place! The Berkeley made all of my wedding day dreams come true. Thank you!

We were so happy with our wedding day Jenna and the rest of the Berkeley staff were absolutely amazing. Top notch!

I was absolutely blown away by the professionalism, customer service, attentiveness, and everything was just perfect! We couldn't have been happier with everything!! Jenna, Chris and the rest of the staff were absolutely a pleasure to work with!

I had my wedding at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel this past December (2014) and it was the wedding day of my dreams. The entire staff, from banquet managers to hotel employees, were all extremely helpful and quick to act with any question, problem or concern we had. Additionally, everyone at the Berkeley was extremely professional and pleasant. Because of this, our wedding day went off without a hitch, and was absolutely beautiful. The hotel itself has such beauty and charm, but the staff also added to the event as it would not have been the same without them, specifically Jenna Ruiz, the catering sales manager. Jenna helped tremendously to make our day perfect. She responded to all of my emails (and there were a lot, ha!) so incredibly quickly and thoroughly, was very patient and understanding and resolved any potential problems that could have arisen. She made the entire wedding planning process run smoothly and I am very grateful to her for it. I highly recommend the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel - I cannot imagine having our special day anywhere else.

I booked my wedding a little over a year before our date. I worked with Jenna and she was fabulous. She made herself available to me via phone or email even on her days off. She made special arrangements for me that included getting early check ins and different alcohol because I have allergies. On the day of the wedding she kept checking on me and was with me the entire day until I walked down the aisle. After which Chris took over and was just as wonderful. The service at the Berkeley is unremarkable and the ballrooms are stunning. They have a bar on the main floor that stays open until 2am for even more partying. They even let you walk through your ceremony space the night before to practice with no charge.

There are not enough words to express how happy we were that we choose the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel for our wedding!!! We had our ceremony, reception and next day breakfast at the hotel. We gathered in the hotel lounge the night before the wedding and after the reception as well. The staff in lounge were fantastic!! We were a large group and they made us feel welcome and were so helpful!! The hotel was also our choice for lodging over the wedding weekend. We had approximately 100 people stay at the hotel for either one or two nights. I absolutely loved that the hotel could meet all those needs!! We never had to leave the hotel. Our guests loved that everything was held in one place. Everyone has raved about the hotel/accommodations/service. With many saying it was the best wedding they have ever been to...and a big reason for that is because of the people with had helping us make it a special weekend. From the moment we meet Jenna at the Berkeley, we knew we were in good hands. Jenna is an absolute pleasure to work with and always felt that our questions/requests were handled promptly and with ease. A lot of people commented that I was a stress free bride and I have Jenna to thank...I never had a worry about the service at the Berkeley. In addition to Jenna, Ryan, Chris, Melissa, Bridget all went above and beyond. And the gentlemen, that helped set up the seating/tables, etc. for our ceremony, reception were fabulous and did a great job making sure I had the wide aisle I requested so my four brothers could walk me down the aisle. That was one thing that truly helped to make my wedding day special. Honestly, the service was impeccable across the board and I can also honestly say I do not have any complaints. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend booking your event at the Berkeley....you will not be disappointed...you will be happy you did!!!

The Berkeley provided us with a gorgeous and affordable venue for our wedding. Jenna and Chris were amazing in helping us plan and making certain that we were comfortable and taken care of the day of. The bridal suite was fantastic and was an ideal place to get ready for the big day! also, our package included valet services and a bar package.

In addition, the Berkeley also provided accommodations for myself and our guests. the rooms on our block were reasonably priced and were comfortable for our stay.

We had our dream wedding at the Berkeley Hotel!! We worked with the catering manager Jenna, who was extremely helpful throughout the whole planning process! If there was anything we wanted to change or upgrade, she changed it immediately and made sure we were happy at all times! Anytime we needed to contact Jenna, she was always available! We truly had the most amazing day of our lives at the Berkeley Hotel! Thank you Jenna!!

Jenna & the Berkeley staff were wonderful! Along with Falco's catering, our wedding went off without a hitch and was a beautiful event. Jenna was easy to reach and always responded to even the silliest questions/requests. The venue is gorgeous with multiple rooms for events of different sizes. My husband and I would highly recommend any bride-to-be to check out the Berkeley for a flawless wedding!

The Berkeley Hotel did a wonderful job with our wedding. When we first looked at the venue and looked at some revues on line, we were hesitant. It’s easy to see now that the change in leadership of the hotel has made a positive impact and gotten the hotel headed in the right direction. First off, the Crystal Ballroom is by far the most beautiful ballroom around. During the nine month period from booking to the actual wedding day, the ornate plaster work was continually repaired and several other improvements were made to the lobby and front entrance. From our initial inquiry through the very end, Jenna was out point of contact. She immediately established a good relationship with us and made us feel welcomed. She was always quick to respond and worked with us to get exactly what we wanted. The strong relationship she has with Falco’s catering and Peter James Floral Couture also made for a seamless transition between everyone. She also jumped right in with the other vendors we were using and expertly orchestrated a complex load-in and set up schedule. It was clear that there was a strong level of communication going on behind the scenes. Also worth mentioning is the banquet houseman(whose name I do not recall) who was responsible for our set up that day. We had a rather unique set-up and I tend to be very hands on. He and I met first thing in the morning and he made it clear that he was there to make sure it was right and he was going to do whatever was necessary to make me happy. He even made sure that every single light bulb in the stunning chandeliers were working and summonsed someone to replace a few that were out. It’s rare (and refreshing) to see that level of service from a back-of-the-house line employee. All in all, I’d not hesitate to book my wedding again at the Berkeley. I wanted a beautiful venue for a good price with a team that would make my vision come to life. I got exactly that!

We had the best wedding EVER!!!

I was looking for a unique venue, near the beach, for my fall wedding. The Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel was everything and more - unique, beautifully restored, historic, spacious, grand. The Berkeley was the first venue I toured, and no where else compared!! We had the use of 3 rooms on our wedding day - a room for the ceremony, a room for the cocktail hour that overlooked the ocean, and the ballroom. The rooms were beautiful, but the ballroom was absolutely stunning with high ceilings and more than enough room for our family and friends to talk and dance. We had approximately 165 guests, but we could have fit a lot more. It's been almost 3 weeks since the wedding, and our family and friends are still raving about the venue. Even our local guests, who were familiar with the hotel, were awed at the beauty and historic architecture in the banquet rooms at The Berkeley. Jenna, the sales/catering manager at The Berkeley, was amazing during the entire process!!! She answered all my questions, big and small, and did not seem bothered in the least with all of my emails. Jenna was so kind and so calm and so able - even a high stress person like myself was able to give up some worrying because she was so capable in handling anything that I asked. And, if you're at all hesitant about having to use an outside caterer, do not worry! Falco's Catering, who is now exclusive with The Berkeley, was amazing! The Berkeley and Falco's worked seamlessly together, hand in hand during the entire process. I would highly recommend this venue - you're not going to find a more breathtaking, unique place, with such history, near the beach in this area!

We had the wedding of our dreams at the Berkeley. With over 200 guests to accommodate the Berkeley fit all of our requirements. It's by far the most beautiful venue, especially if you are looking for that vintage, art deco, ballroom feel. Theres nothing else like it around!

We had issues with our previous vendor that promised us a huge renovation for our big day and all the plans were cancelled. With about 7 months to go before our wedding I called Jenna at the Berkeley and she was able to accommodate us with everything. She was so easy going during the whole planning process, answered all of our crazy questions and helped every step of the way. She even helped make some special requests happen for some of our elderly guests that needed handicap rooms. Jenna is the best!!

The hotel staff did a great job catering to our guests. We made welcome bags and were so worried they wouldn't be given to the guests, before we left after dropping everything off for the wedding - the welcome bags were already lined up so neatly behind the front desk ready to be handed out. It's the little things like that, that make you feel at ease. And the valet and door attendants were great! Super friendly to everyone!

The reception was perfect. We have had nothing but positive feedback from so many of our guests. They have all told us it was the best wedding they have ever been to!

Hats off to Berkeley, Jenna and staff! The Berkeley is the best place on the Jersey Shore to have a wedding!

Our wedding at the Berkeley was FABULOUS! The charm and elegance of the hotel, coupled with its oceanfront location, made it a beautiful venue and the staff was extremely professional, flexible & customer focused. Great venue!

My wedding was at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel on October 11, 2014. The space itself is gorgeous (I had the large ballroom), but comes with a high price tag. Luckily I got to work with Jenna Ruiz, who was amazing and made planning run so smoothly! I don't know what I would have done without her help and guidance. From beginning to end Jenna did everything she could to make sure my day was everything I imagined it to be. As an professional event planner I would highly recommend clients to work with Jenna in the future.

We had our wedding at The Berkeley Oceanfront hotel this summer and it was everything I had hoped for and more. Working with Jenna and Alissa from Falco's catering made the entire planning process so much easier. The two of them work together so well you wouldn't even know you were working with two different vendors. They were both so helpful and quick to respond to any of our questions or needs the months leading up to the wedding.
The day of the wedding was absolutely perfect. Everything went so smoothly and looking back on it two months later I wouldn't have changed one thing. The Berkely hotel itself is gorgeous. Every room has so much character, pictures inside and out turned out beautiful. The bridal suite was the perfect room and space to get ready in. I had ten bridemaids and we had plenty of room. We had 250 guests at our wedding and the ballroom was the perfect size for us. The only thing that was crowded was the dance floor, but that's because all 250 guests were dancing. I had the wedding of my dreams and so much of that was because of the location and the staff. I would reccomend the Berkely to anyone!

Was literally the wedding of our dreams!!!!

We held our wedding at the Berkeley Hotel about a month ago and loved it! Through the entire process we worked with Jenna and she was amazing! She was knowledgable, professional and was very fast in responding to questions! She was very helpful and made the entire process go smooth! The Berkeley was a beautiful venue.. There's no other place like it in NJ.. I highly recommend the venue and Jenna to all NJ brides to be!

The Berkeley was the perfect venue for our wedding. Throughout the entire process, Jenna was such a huge help in answering all the questions we had throughout the planning process. The venue was absolutely beautiful and all our guests commented on how perfect everything looked. I could not have asked for a more perfect reception area. Our guests had no issues checking in and all seemed very happy with their rooms. I think they need a bit of help with some of their hotel staff and response times for certain requests but these were just minor issues and did not detract from us having a perfect wedding reception. I would definitely recommend this venue to anyone getting married

Wedding of our dreams! Coming from a large family we knew we needed a venue that would host over 200 people for our wedding and wanted to be overlooking the ocean for our central Jersey wedding. We looked and every venue that fit our requirements and were truly speechless when we first walked into the Berkeley! What a beautiful Art Deco designed building that kept the feeling of when it was built but was also recently renovated. At first we were apprehensive to book with the Berkeley as they had a storied past of management changes, but in the end we could not have been more at ease with the entire wedding!

Jenna was our main point of contact and by the end it felt like she was a good friend of ours we wanted to invite to our wedding! She and the team she worked with were always very responsive and helpful every step of the way, no matter how crazy the request may have seemed.

The hotel rooms and lobby have been updated in the past year and our guests were extremely happy with their accommodations. The staff did an excellent job of catering to our guests from the very start. The valet and door attendants were some of the nicest and always greeted with a smile. The front desk staff was available for any questions and helped pass our of gift bags for our guests.

Onto the main event, if you are even considering a wedding in this area you MUST see this event space! Wow wow wow! We used four different rooms during our wedding, two for cocktail, one main ballroom, and one for bar/photo booth. The building as you will see was built in the 1920's and the decor is from that time period. You will not find a more beautiful timeless venue than the Berkeley.

The wedding staff was wonderful and our guests were very pleased with their services.

We highly recommend the Berkeley for your wedding!

The Berkeley was INCREDIBLE. we had to switch our venue 4 weeks prior to our date. Jenna at the Berkeley was INCREDIBLE and literally made sure my day was perfect. Everything was fantastic and it was more beautiful then i ever imagined. Although some people might feel like it is too expensive, remember, you get what you pay for. Every penny was worth it.

The Berkeley provided a great reception and cocktail space. The rooms were beautiful and they were very responsive to all the creative extras I wanted to incorporate. We also had beautiful hotel rooms!

The Berkeley was the most beautiful venue we could have asked for. We had all 5 rooms on the 2nd floor for our wedding, and each was set up perfectly for our wedding. We could not have asked for a more amazing backdrop to our wedding! Stefani was extremely helpful throughout the process of not only planning but during the wedding itself. We booked probably a dozen rooms for our bridal party, etc. and she helped us to organize everything. The venue supplied us with not only our honeymoon suite (with a great view down Ocean Ave) but a "ready room" which we could check in early so the girls can get dressed. I can't say enough about the look of the hotel. We got numerous compliments on the decor, and the pictures were amazing. Absolutely worth every penny to rent the space.

The Berkeley was a beautiful venue and it was nice being able to move from gorgeous room to room to room without having to travel elsewhere. The architecture is stunning and offers a great backdrop for any wedding. We loved working with Amy, who was very responsive. The only minor glitch was an issue with the billing of a couple of our guests' rooms which we had paid for, which Amy was able to step in and resolve with the front desk. The location is great and we would recommend the Berkeley and Amy!

LOVED having my wedding at the Berkeley. They worked with us and made an effort to ensure a beautiful and well executed event. Special shout out to Berkeley Neis, our coordinator- her and the space itself were the stars of the show for me.

My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception here and we absolutely loved our experience. We are not from the area, so we were unsure of what to expect as we planned our perfect wedding. The management and staff were accommodating and flexible to our needs and our families. The hall where we were married was beautiful and the view of the ocean during our ceremony and reception made it unforgettable.

I would highly recommend the Berkeley Hotel! We did not have our wedding reception here, but did just about everything else . All of the members of the sales team were hugely helpful in coordinating our guest room block, pre-wedding cocktail party, wedding party photos, and post-wedding brunch. My bridesmaids and I got ready in a large suite with a view of all of Asbury Park. Everything was beautiful! Everyone at the front desk was pleasant, professional, and eager to accommodate any of our requests throughout the weekend. This hotel housed one of our two guest room blocks, but in retrospect, we wished we'd arranged for the Berkeley to do it all. They were the best!

The Berkeley Hotel was amazing for our wedding. It has been a dream of mine to have our wedding there for years! The ballroom and whole feel of the environment was exactly what we wanted for our black tie affair! The staff was amazing to us and were always available to help us without questions or concerns.

We had our wedding at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel on May 30, 2015. I cannot say enough about how great the Berkeley and their staff were! Our day went perfectly thanks to the help of the staff, especially Jenna. She was wonderful to work with! She answered all of our questions (even the ones we didn't know we should be asking), was always quick to respond, and handled any potential issues with ease. Our day turned out more perfect than we even thought and we thank Jenna and her staff for making that happen.

Beautiful venue, excellent location for photos (tons of natural light). Oceanview rooms.

Only advice to anyone booking an event - stay on top of your group for making hotel reservations overnight. It's a popular venue and may book up quickly depending on what events are happening. But couldn't have been more pleased with the aesthetics and hotel staff service. Recently renovated lobby was gorgeous.

My fiancé and I had wanted two things when we looked for a wedding venue. We wanted it by the beach and wanted it in a hotel for convenience of guests and after party. From the time we went to look at the venue to the end of our event, the staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and accommodating. We first met with Berkeley, who right away made us feel like family and provided us with all the info and options available for our wedding. She was so endearing and helpful throughout our entire planning process and made sure our night would turn out exactly the way we wanted it! Sofia helped us with our room block and although we felt the parking charge was a bit much to charge our guests, she was accommodating with the room rate and very helpful and attentive when it came to keeping track of our block. We ended up having 43 rooms booked with no complaints from our guests! The bridal suite was beautiful with ocean views and the hotel staff along with Falcos staff set it up for us to feel welcomed at the end of our long night! Then Berkeley also helped us set up a breakfast from the hotel's new restaurant which was a perfect end to our perfect weekend! The hotel staff, including maintenance, front desk, valet drivers, bell hops were all extremely helpful and made us feel at home! Although I never thought I wanted a big ballroom wedding, the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel is so unique with so much character and we truly had the best experience and the best wedding we could have asked for! Thank you every one there for the best day of our lives and a night we will never forget!

The Berkeley was everything we wanted in a venue- their cooperation with Falco's Catering ensured every detail was taken care of. The ballroom is beautiful and every guest had a blast. Thank you to everyone at the Berkeley!

Beautiful venue on the Jersey Shore. We had our wedding on the beach and walked across the street to the venue. Falco's catering helped make the night perfect!

Everything from staff to venue were great!

My daughters wedding was this past weekend. The staff (Amy, Chris and Francesca) was helpful polite and flexible while we decided where the ceremony should be (inside or out). They attended our every need and our event was fabulous. We also had the amazing team from Falcos catering to every need and serving their delicious food with smiles on their faces and keeping everything looking neat, lovely and refreshed.

First off, don't let the star ratings turn you away from this venue. It is gorgeous, and we couldn't have asked for a better reception room in the crystal ballroom. That being said, there are certain quirks when dealing with the hotel as a whole. The event managers are slow to respond, but were great on the days leading up to the wedding and the day of. The hotel reservations system gave our guests some problems when they tried to reserve their rooms, with some staff not being able to find the group reservation. In the end everything worked out, so it just caused some headaches initially. Also, when we talked to some of our guests, they had a negative experience with front desk staff. In the end we had a perfect wedding day, just some bumps along the way!

Overall they did a nice job for our wedding. I loved the space and the location.

From the moment we stepped foot inside of the Berkeley, my husband and I knew that was where we wanted to have our wedding. The ballrooms for the receptions are absolutely breathtaking. Each room has its own decorative feel and the hotel truly has a charm about it that is very difficult to find. It provided us with the eclectic venue we wanted and also gave our guests the convenience of having a room right upstairs.

The Berkeley has gone through some management changes recently- which all took place throughout the planning of our event. We worked with 3 different coordinators, and at times I became frustrated with the lack of communication about the changes. Each time we felt like we had a contact person, it seemed like I called and that person was no longer there.

That being said, each person was really excellent to work with. Our final coordinator, Jenna, was absolutely fabulous. It's not easy to start working with a couple 2 months before their wedding, and have to do things based of the promises and notes of other people. However, she handled everything extremely professionally and did everything in her power to accommodate our requests. Our day ran very smoothly and they were willing to work with us regarding the personalized decorations that we brought in ourselves.

The only real complaint we have was that the internet went out the day of our wedding about 45 minutes before the cocktail hour. Many of our guests had difficulty checking into their rooms because the didn't seem to have a "plan B" in place and therefore some of them missed the cocktail hour. This was especially inconvenient for my grandmother. She checked into her room early, but the heat was not working so it was only 60 degrees. They were more than apologetic and willing to change her room, but they were unable to do so quickly because of the internet issue.The hotel experience did not match up with the 5-Star experience with the reception.

I had my wedding ceremony and reception at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel this summer. I love Asbury Park and knew that I wanted my wedding to be a shore weekend. The wedding weekend was everything that I wanted it to be. A lot of my guests stayed over Friday and Saturday night and we were able to enjoy the pool, beach and boardwalk before our Saturday evening wedding. The hotel was very relaxed about letting us continue partying way after the reception ended on the balcony. Plus the space is amazingly beautiful. It's a historical hotel and a real AP landmark.

However, the planning was a little complicated. After signing my contract, I went through three wedding coordinators (who left the hotel for various reasons). I essentially had to start over with planning for each one. Plus you basically just rent the space, and the hotel provides the bar service. You have to hire your own caterer. They have three preferred caterers that will work with you to coordinate all the rentals like linens, plateware, flatware, and glasses. The hotel doesn't provide any of this. They also provide really beat up banquet chairs, so you have to get chair covers or rent expensive chiavari chairs.

So I guess my point is that it's an amazing space and location, but it's definitely not a prepackaged deal. The newest wedding coordinator is the best I had worked with, and really seems to care about improving the event services. So I can see things getting better in the future.

The day of the wedding, the people behind the counter didn't know what they were doing. They told me we had to pay for parking, when it was free that day. One of my vendors ending up paying a lot for parking, which wasn't right. They should've never paid. It also would've been nice to have some good to pick on and drinks to have while getting ready. They never gave us drinks till we asked Amy for them. Amy was a pleasure to work with.

The Berkeley was the perfect location for our wedding!

The Berkeley is gorgeous. The mezzanine level with the beautiful windows, and the ballrooms, etc are just exquisite. Jenna was really great to work with - she was responsive, professional, and just overall amazing. Even the day of the wedding, the hotel staff on duty for the wedding were all great. I also really appreciate the hotel working with kosher caterers -- it really was a pleasure, and the wedding and wedding planning with the Berkeley was phenomenal.

That being said (and the only reason I'm giving lower ratings), while the venue is great for the actual wedding, the hotel needs some work. Clearly, it's most convenient for our guests to stay at the hotel where the wedding was taking place. We were a little disappointed with the hotel. We had guests staying in rooms and the heat wasn't working in their rooms. The Wifi wasn't working after people paid $10 for it. There were guests being loud in other rooms near our guests rooms and the front desk didn't respond to the noise complaints. (They actually told *our* guests to call the cops - which I'm pretty sure the front desk should have done.) We actually had guests leave the Berkeley to stay at a nearby hotel. Hopefully these issues will get cleared up because the Berkeley really is an amaaazing wedding venue.

We worked with Amy at the Berkely. We were a little worried initially as they had not ever had a large or even medium sized indian wedding hosted there before. However, with the help of Amy, and our planner, we managed to work out some amazing details. We could not be happier with how our events (three major events with 300+ guests each) turned out. Working with Amy in person was flawless. They provide the rooms, the guest rooms, and valet service, you bring the catering, staff, decor, music and all rentals (flatware, server ware, dishes, etc). The Berkeley is a great venue for unique photo ideas- each ballroom has a different 'look' and feel, you can head out to the beach and take photos, as well as the boardwalk! Our guests and photographer had an amazing time!

We had our wedding at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel. The positives: it was beautiful! The ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception rooms are stunning! The staff was friendly and helpful. The negatives: the front desk had to be reminded twice to hand out welcome bags. Guests that came in early (the night before) were charged parking when we repeatedly reminded them beforehand to put any parking charges on to our bill. If I didn't call and double check on our reservations beforehand I wouldn't have had a hotel room the night before my wedding. The reservations were for the wrong dates. The one set of bathrooms we were told my guests could use were too far from the reception room. The other set of bathrooms that were closer were for another party. We were told we would get signature drinks for our guests before the wedding but our guests didn't know they could take them so the entire table of drinks was untouched.

We had our daughter’s wedding at the Berkeley Hotel. The ballroom is stunning and the rooftop view at sunset is spectacular. Events staff was very accommodating about our room block changes and guests were given ocean view rooms. Staff accommodated our reduction in guests due to Covid despite a contracted minimum. We thought it was all downhill after that.

Shortly before the wedding, the hotel staff called the caterer and told them (not me) that they were no longer having cocktail hours on the roof. I had to assert my contractual rights, causing needless anxiety to get what we paid for.

We paid for four bartenders because we explained that we do not like lines at bars. They assigned two bartenders and never discussed it with us. I had to send my husband to find out what happened to the other bartenders. The two that they had did not know how to make the couple’s signature drinks that were discussed in advance. Eventually they assigned a third bartender.

We paid $2000 for valet parking for the guests not staying at the hotel. We needed 20 cars but had to pay for the full 50 car lot. The Berkeley staff told several of our guests that the lot was full and they had to park on the street.

One of our guests in the room block was given an occupied room and walked in on people in the room. We had to work directly with event staff on every room block change because our guests had difficulty reaching reservations staff. At least we were happy that staff gave our guests their welcome bags.

The father of the bride got stuck in an elevator and had to pull himself up 3 feet to get out of the elevator and he damaged his wedding tuxedo.

We told the staff that we intended to have our after party at the Johnny and June bar. We discussed in detail how we would pay for the event. At the end of the wedding as we reminded the guests of the location that was put on their invitations, staff told us that they closed the bar.

That was just a highlight reel.

UPDATE 10/23
The day of the wedding went off without a hitch! I know this is in big part due to the day of coordinator Nicole (LOVE HER!!) who is in-house with the venue, which we didn't know we had literally until the morning of the wedding, and my wedding coordinator and her team of people. The F+B manager Chris really came through and Chef Pete was a beast in the kitchen. Even two weeks later, EVERY SINGLE GUEST is still raving about the food.

EVERYTHING leads up to the big day and that stress was so unnecessary. It pains me SO MUCH to keep below my original review because if is were not for the few months of B.S this would have been 5 star review.

All in all, I have NO REGRETS having our wedding here. The venue is truly amazing and I would 1000% recommend as a place to consider for your wedding. My only note to brides is to hire a wedding coordinator to manage the venue. They desperately need the help.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Everyone always says the day of the wedding is going to be great and not to worry about the stress before hand, but to me if the planning is a nightmare, it’s definitely going to take away from my excitement around the big day.

We went to see about 12 venues in December 2020 + narrowed it down to two venues. Our first choice was a venue located in North Jersey. The second runner-up was the Berkeley.

Believe me when I say I did my research and read all of the horrible reviews. That being said, I had attended an event there 2 years ago and it was phenomenal.

When I met with my two venue contacts in December, they eased my worries and assured me all of those reviews were under the old management team and that everyone was just brought in to completely revamp everything. This also included bringing catering in-house. The new business manager was leading the business side of things for the hotel and the day of the wedding.

We went over several different menu options with them and they were super flexible and really willing to work with us in terms of what we were looking for. The communication was really good and the location of the venue could not be beat.

Cut to my fiancé and I making the final decision. I was really leaning towards my first choice, while my fiancé brought up all of the wonderful things about getting married at Berkeley. The location was very nostalgic for both of us so we signed with them.

Since signing the contract the communication has been appalling. It started in June when working with the business dev person on the room blocks. Anytime a guest would call to book a room, the front desk customer service was awful and nobody knew anything. Not only that, but twice the rooms had not been blocked, when it was told to us that they were. Do you know how embarrassing that is to have to have our guest calls us and tell us that the reception is rude and that they have no room block reservation under our wedding party?

Then, we were reaching out to them in regards to signature cocktails, a few promises they made, our final food menu and final walkthrough because I needed finalize everything.

Weeks would go by and we didn’t hear anything. I even text and no response for days, if ever! It would literally be at least one, if not two, follow-ups on our end just to hear back from them.

I wrote them a very strongly worded email expressing my disappointment with communication and I still don’t hear anything back. Meanwhile, I’m trying to coordinate with all of my vendors on walk-through times and getting certifications and who I need to send things to and I’m still not hearing anything back from the venue.

Finally, I get an email from a woman who was brought on the week prior to assist the team because they are very understaffed. Her communication has been excellent but there has apparently been a lot of miscommunication between Business Manager and F+B manager because when I finally did receive our did receive our final menu, it is not at all what was agreed-upon. I am literally 2 weeks out and I still haven’t ordered my menus because they can’t figure out what it is they agreed to give us even though we have it in writing.

I’m writing this now because I just don’t care at this point if someone from the venue sees it. I will 100% provide an update after our wedding, but it will be a miracle if this thing goes off without a hitch.

no air conditioning during a July wedding!!!!

My (now) husband and I were looking for a ceremony/reception combo venue that was on the water with an attached hotel. We were ecstatic to find the Berkeley, and fell in love with it's beautiful rooms and history.

The first couple months they were fantastic to work with. Our contact Jenna was always reachable to answer our questions with a smile. Unfortunately, Jenna left to pursue other opportunities and it was all downhill from there.

We were assigned a new contact Ryan who, while very sweet and attempted to be accommodating, was unable to give us any answers. When she left, she sent an email letting me know but was told not to tell any of her clients. She was concerned, so she gave us our new contact Stephanie and asked that we reach out following her departure.

We attempted to reach Stephanie for weeks before making contact. When we did catch her, she was abrupt, dismissive, and constantly interrupted or spoke to us in a condescending way that made it sound as if we were doing the Berkeley a favor.

We were given a date to update room block, however, we were unable to reach Stephanie for the week leading up to it. Once we reached her, we were told that our date had passed and there was nothing she could do, although there were rooms available at $400 a night. My husband had to track down the management company's CEO to have the situation resolved.

Chris (catering manager) was incredibly helpful throughout and even made unique accommodations to host our rehearsal dinner on-site.

The day of the wedding, the event was perfect and the rooms were stunning but that I believe was more to do with Falcos Catering. We loved the venue and are glad we chose it, but it was a bumpy ride.

My wife and I looked at a handful of venues in the area but chose The Berkeley because of its art deco aesthetic, location near the boardwalk and catering manager, Jena. She was responsive, kind and easy to deal with. Unfortunately, she resigned after we signed our contract. Her replacement, Ryan, tried charging us $1,000.00 for something Jena said was included. Ryan said it was her manager’s decision and many couples were complaining. She finally agreed to waive the charge against her manager’s wishes. Then she resigned. Her replacement? Her manager, Stephanie. We were worried so many details still needed to be finalized and we were on our third catering manager. At our first (and last) meeting with Stephanie, she explained “how hotels make money”. Seriously. She also demanded written proof that Ryan had waived the fee, which we had. She begrudgingly gave us the room for free. She is extremely condescending, with an unfriendly face to boot. My wife and I are educated professionals and she spoke to us like we were idiots. My wife was so angry, she stopped talking about halfway through the appointment. The only time she contacted us after that was to ask for more money.

Thankfully, Heather and Lisa of Falco’s are AMAZING! They picked up all of the slack left by Stephanie. They answered every single question we had in person, by phone and email. Lisa coordinated our ceremony and reception perfectly, even entertaining our rambunctious ring bearers. She truly went above and beyond. Falco’s has worked at The Berkeley through all of the management changes and they know how to host an event there.

Stephanie didn’t even bother telling us this happened. Falco’s did. http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2015/12/landmark_jersey_shore_hotel_employee_stole_7k_from.html

That all being said, The Berkeley is a beautiful, historic space. I wish they had different management, but if you use Falco’s, you can expect a day as perfect as ours.

Back in early January, I spoke for the first time to Cory about information for a hotel block as well as pricing for a wedding ceremony. I was assured I would receive the info by the end of the week (it was a Tuesday). Two weeks later, no response. I should've taken that more seriously. Three weeks later, I got Cory on the phone who then seemed great! He was kind, attentive, took all my details and offered me a rate for our ceremony, which I told him I would take gladly- I just wanted to see the space again before paying our deposit.
At the appointment that we drove an hour and a half to, he was held up by another client for half an hour (totally get it, things happen) but we were met by another person who wasn't on the sales team. Super lovely guy, but we were ready to put a deposit down, not take another tour. Finally a different sales member met with us- to tell us they didn't know if our date was available! What?? We had already confirmed our date, time, guests... Cory had already offered to book us over the phone. When we expressed our confusion, the man got short and exasperated with us. I am NOT confrontational and nervous around people, so we ended up taking his "you'll know by the end of the day," and left. Surprise, we did not hear by the end of the day.
The next day, I called the sales department and a woman was very kind heard us out and assured us Cory would reply. I apologized over and over, saying that I was so sorry to be a bother and that I was mortified if I did something incorrectly. She assured me that it was not us, the team was just very busy with lots of new changes to the business. Surprise, a week and a half went by and no reply from him. My fiancé tried to leave him a voicemail back in mid February expressing our confusion and hoping for clarification- he never a reply.
Finally- nearly 2 1/2 weeks after our appointment- we were contacted saying that they could not book just the ceremony more than 6 months out, and to contact them later on.
For a month and a half, we were led around by this team and were so disappointed. I thought everything was going great but never got an explanation. My fiancé and I look young, I get it, and we weren't going to be spending 20K like other clients, but we felt very unimportant and brushed aside. I know that they are undergoing big changes and adding new members to their team- but definitely give them another 6 months to get it together.

I chose the Berkeley because its beautiful and it was a hotel. what could be better? WRONG. The Berkeley's treatment of me and my wedding was nothing short of DISRESPECTFUL. We went through a transition of not one, not two, not three, but FOUR staff changes and not once were we notified. Each time we had to start over and let them know what was previously discussed and somehow the last person's note never met it to the next. We finally ended up with Stephanie as our event coordinator and Sam the GM. After many headaches, I was hopeful that things would get better. WRONG AGAIN. Upon booking the venue, the Berkeley advised us not to block too many rooms, even though i was having a 250+ wedding, so that that we wouldn't be responsible financially. "Block 25 rooms" they said "we'll let you know when you're booking up and then extend the block". Stephanie was supposed to be giving us weekly updates on the room block which she did; "everything is looking good". Less than 6 months to the wedding, my husband's brother called to book a room and the concierge told him the entire hotel was SOLD OUT. HOW?! Oh, because there was a music festival that weekend so why bother telling the Fama/Reyes wedding about this when they could now sell the rooms to other random guests at $250 as opposed to $109. We were FURIUS that No one bothered to reach out. When we found out, they refused to credit us back the rooms. THEY DID NOT CARE. Needless to say we were PISSED. I started looking at other venues, however, i LOVED Falco's catering and they had been so helpful and so wonderful the entire process. Heather, out event manager was an angel and put our minds at ease. we ended up having to have a separate block with a shuttle at the Sheraton which we had to pay for. If it wasn't for Falco's Catering, our event would've been a disaster, they night went seamlessly because of them. But everything leading up to the event dealing with The Berkeley's staff was a nightmare.

Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel might be the most difficult place I have ever dealt with. We are local to the area and wanted our guest to enjoy everything that Asbury Park has to offer. Since we were hosting our wedding at two local venues, the Berkeley was the most logical place to stay (and pretty much the only option). We went to visit the hotel and talked to the manager who refused to offer us room blocks since we were not having our wedding at their venue. That is perfectly reasonable until we found out after the fact that they offered room blocks to a couple who got married the same day as us at another venue in Asbury that was not the Berkeley. In addition, they told us that we were not allowed to offer welcome bags to our guests and that they would not hand out anything to our guests upon check-in. On the day of the wedding when guests checked into the hotel there were at least four different types of welcome bags behind the desk all for different occasions. This was extremely disappointing – if a business is going to make rules they should be consistent across guests. The fact that they were offering welcome bags when we were told no made us look bad to our wedding guest who we recommended to stay there. Not to mention many of our guests said that they had their own issues with the hotel- billed incorrect amounts, booked for the wrong dates, had them in different rooms than they booked. Glad we decided to have our actual wedding and reception elsewhere.

First, I want to caveat this by saying the ballrooms are really pretty, and that Rick and Buona Sera Catering are phenomenal. If you can find another venue they're at, they're great. This review is specific to the hotel and their staff.

I have worked in event planning for 10 years and have never encountered as rude, unprofessional, and downright shady staff as exists at the Berkeley. Overall, every single charge is a moving target and their only goal is to maximize the amount of money they're making off of you.

If you are booking with them, get EVERYTHING in writing and ask as many questions as you can before you sign any contract. Once your contract is signed, their answer to everything will be "tough, we're a seasonal high traffic business."

Hotel Blocks: Their attrition rate is 100%. Meaning, if you don't book every room in your block, you as the couple are responsible for the cost for any rooms unbooked. They let you release 10% a month out, but if you have any cancellations then they'll charge you for that entire canceled stay. Along with taxes, they threw a "banquet fee" onto each room without any warning.

Parking: Parking is a nightmare. They charge $35-$65 (which they seemingly decide at random) per day for hotel guests to park. We paid $1500 just for 25 cars max to be able to park during the wedding. Because of that, all of our hotel guests who were already paying $331 a night to stay were told there weren't enough spaces and "only VIP guests can park."

Bar: As part of the premium open bar, they'll only give you two reds and two whites, which includes a sparkling. The champagne for the toast was undrinkable, so swap for Prosecco. The bartenders put out a tip cup.
After spending tens of thousands to host a wedding there, my father was told he could not park. The day after the wedding, we went to the front desk to book a pool cabana after being told it was $100. A few days later, the hotel "realized it was a mistake" and added another $100 to the folio and produced a fraudulent pool waiver claiming the costs were agreed to.

The hotel manager Robby (sp) was condescending and rude both in person and on the phone. When one of our handicapped guests was turned away from parking because he arrived before the Valet lot opened, he asked to speak to a manager and he hid in the back office and wouldn't come out.

This place is all lies. Everything they promised us, food, service, etc. was all lies. The caterer is a joke. They lie lie lie. Don’t get married here. They did not have the same food presentation they offered in the tasting 6 months prior. They did not have help to serve the food.

Had a number of issues with this venue. Extremely, uncooperative and unprofessional. They are not willing to help you AT ALL, you rent the walls and that's it!!! I was uninformed about a number of things. 1. check in time for the hotel (my ceremony was at 2:30, check-in was not until 3). I should have been told this at the time of booking so I could rearrange and yet they still wouldn't assure early check in for my guests. 2. If you don't take the valet service your guests are expected to park at METERS! Wasn't informed of this, found out it was going to cost an additional $1200 for valet a week before my wedding. And found this out from the caterer. 3. Couldn't tell me what time I could get into the bridal ready suite. How do you plan without a set time? Found out during my cocktail hour that there was an attached room with dress hooks, mirrors, refrigerator, etc. I had my dress hanging from the fire sprinkler! No one came to even check on us until I called from my cell to the front desk to ask them too. Also found out from the caterer that the chairs in the ceremony were going to be red with gold a week before my wedding. I had slip covers for the reception, but I guess they didn't think it was important to tell me I needed to have a plan for the ceremony as well. When guests called to make a reservation they were told they had no idea what they were talking about. One guest was told that they have very nice bathrooms they could use to change it before the wedding if they couldn't get early check in!!!! I went through a number of mngrs handling my wedding, they obviously have a problem holding onto their staff. I was also uninformed that the rate for the hotel (the wedding rate) was only good up until 3 weeks before the wedding, if I was told I could have put it on my invitation, so some guests pay higher prices. I could go on forever with issues. My wedding turned out wonderful, but no thanks to the Berkeley. Lovely Building and that's all!

My fiancé and I booked the Berkeley in 2013. Soon after, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Every dollar we were saving for our wedding, we put into getting second and third opinions, treatments options and such. We struggled with the possibility of having to cancel the wedding but instead decided to try to contact all of our vendors to see if they’d postpone to September 2014. They did. We didn’t want cancer to steal happiness.
The BIG Day: A bit before 6pm, (cocktail hour), the fire alarm went off. Everyone had to evacuate the building – first into the pouring rain and then management allowed us to stand in the lobby. Firefighters arrived and cocktail hour was only 45 min. Then, the air conditioning stopped working. It was hot and unbearably humid forcing some guests to get sick, many to leave without even having dinner and most weren’t able to even dance! Cem Erenler, the manager, got on the mic, said they were fixing the prob, opened the windows. Prob was never fixed.
I emailed Steven Goldman at the corporate office, Amsterdam Hospitality (NYC). Mr. Goldman responded: “I have reviewed the situation with the Hotel Team Members that were present and while yes, we did have some minor AC issues in the building at the time of your event (my apologies for that happening), we don’t feel that they justify a refund of your event.” No mention of cocktail hour being cut short. The fact is, our entire party was witness to the fact that there was no air conditioning. When we said that we would provide statements by guests, we got this reply: “After further discussion, I am prepared to offer you a refund of $1000. Please let me know if you would like a check…or a refund to the credit card on file.”
We didn’t take the $1k as we felt it was an insult. We pleaded, called (no calls were returned)and explained how much this had meant to us, given my diagnosis and how unfair that the day had turned out as it did because they didn't have backup generators.

Unfortunately on May 4, 2015 my wedding dress went missing from the hotel. I remember leaving it on the couch before I left the room to go to breakfast. My husband checked out of the room and we went to breakfast. After that, we headed home. When we unpacked the car and realized it wasn't in the car I immediately called the hotel. They swear their housekeeper never even saw it in the room. I was told there was no cameras on the floor and then oddly enough, they did have cameras! I asked them to watch them and said they did but never really answered my question. Well, what did you in fact see on the cameras? Because I know my husband and I didn't have them in our hands. At the very least, if I was never going to see the dress again, I would have liked just a comp for our room. Their response: "that's like asking us to be responsible for a dress you left in the room." Are they right? Maybe. It was dumb for me to leave it by accident but how in gods name does a wedding dress just disappear? It doesn't. Someone stole it and the only person with access to the room was a housekeeper. I'll give them 1 star for going through the garbage and looking through the laundry. The manager told me the laundry people found a really dirty piece of laundry (assuming that was my dress bc it was dirty) but the dirty laundry they put in a separate area to be externally washed. When they looked in that area, they didn't see anything. Well, at the very least why couldn't they tell me what the very piece of dirty laundry was? The whole thing is sketchy!
Another terrible thing, the bartenders were so rude. And we all took freezing cold showers due to no hot water! I contacted Amsterdam Hospitality Group about the issue. They just sent a sorry but there's nothing we could do letter. HA! I promise to never stay at this hotel again!