We booked a room at the Ocean Front motel after reading other Trip Advisor reviews. We didn't need anything fancy, we were just concerned with cleanliness. Most reviews said the motel was clean, just dated and in need of renovations. The room did seem clean enough, however, many of the needed repairs made the room seem unclean. Our bathtub had a huge yellow stain in it. This makes the tub appear unclean. The faucet in the tub was disconnected from the wall, leaving a 2 inch gap. Tile in the bathroom was broken and repaired messily. The sink was missing a stopper. The maid did come in daily to vacuum, give towels, etc.
Apart from the rooms, the common area/deck was not kept neat and clean. The single trash can was often overflowing with trash. There was an ashtray that wasn't emptied daily. There was rolled up indoor/outdoor carpeting just sitting on the deck. The way the common areas were kept made me think that age was not just a factor. They can have an older motel and keep it nice, but there was not pride in cleanliness.
Parking is a disaster. You are expected to cram in to spots so tightly that the car needs to be pulled out before passengers can get in. When making evening plans, we usually considered whether we should move the car because when we returned we would be unsure whether there would be a big enough space for our SUV. Who wants to worry about parking as part of their vacation?
And, an odd feature was the ice. Ice was provided in a large Coleman cooler, like you'd have in your backyard for a picnic. Not an ice machine. Odd.
I would like to point out that the microwave and the refrigerator are very nice and the fridge is larger than expected. Also, the proximity of the hotel to the beach access is perfect.
I would not recommend this motel to families or to people who care about quality. It will be worth it to spend the extra money to stay someplace else. I was thinking this would be perfect for college kids who just need a place to crash and shower. College kids typically don't care about quality, they just want a cheap place.

Our family has been coming to OCNJ for over 20 years. We have stayed at our fair share of hotelsand motels but have become quite fond of Ocean Front because of the location and great service. John, the Manager, is fantastic. He is always willing to go out of his way to make your stay relaxing and carefree. His staff is very friendly and helpful.

Unfortunately, location and service can only go so far. The property is in dire need of many updates and renovations. The parking situation is a nightmare. If you would like to keep your vehicle bump and scuff free, this motel is your worst nightmare. Any vehicle larger than a mid size car will have extreme difficulty parking let alone allowing your passengers to enter/exit the car.

In addition the awful parking lot are the horribly maintained decks and dreadful wifi connection. The decks have more than enough chairs and tables, however; the chairs are cushion less andhavent been cleaned since they were purchased back in 1995. The tables are stained and disgusting. We scrub them each time we sit down for a meal. The deck's foundation leaves a large margin of concern. We are just waiting for the collapse.

Wifi is a pretty deal to the business-person taking a week away from the office. If you plan to check email or read any documents from your room, forget it! The wifi is rarely ever available from the outside decks. You will never get the wifi signal in your room. Guaranteed.

The rooms are kept as clean and tidy as they can be given the lack of updating. The mattresses are horrendous. I don't have back problems and rarely ever experience back pain. After one night of sleeping on these mattresses and I am surviving only with a regimented schedule of tylenol and motrin.

If you're looking for a great location and great staff then Ocean Front is your best bet. If you want to get what you pay for and not worry about bad parking, no wifi, disgusting decks, and rarely-updated rooms, then your better off looking elsewhere. I'll say this; there is someone sitting back somewhere truly cleaning up on the advantage of the location and staff at Ocean Front because they sure as heck aren't reinvesting in their property.

We would go back to this motel. The manager and workers were courteous and helpful. Everything was very clean, including the rooms. We were impressed with their attention to detail in keeping things clean. We loved the room we got (I'm not telling because I want it to be available when we go again) and we loved being right beside the boardwalk, but in a not-so-busy area, away from the main drag. We enjoyed being on 'deck' level where we could sit and relax right outside our door.
Unfortunately, there is no elevator to get to the second floor and it was difficult getting suitcases up the narrow stairway, so if that would be a problem to you, I wouldn't recommend staying there. Also, a smoker sat right outside our door for the first few days, and we found that rather distressing since we have allergies.
But, all in all, we enjoyed our stay very much.

Stayed here last week. The location of the hotel is nearly perfect if you want to have easy access to boardwalk and beach. I was traveling with my 2 small kids and was easily able to go right on the beach (the hotel will give you 2 beach badges for a deposit) and at night stroll the whole boardwalk with my kids all the way up and down, conveniently ending at our hotel. Rooms were clean, neat but spartan. Not too small for us as we really didnt spend a lot of time in there....basically sleeping and cleaning up. Staff was courteous. I forgot a special stuffed animal when we left and they agreed to mail it back after i called. Saved my kid some heartbreak :)
I cant say i was either surprised or disappointed because you're booking a room in a top family vacation town in high season....so yes it was pricey but if you research properly youll know what to expect. It was obvious from their website and tripadvisor what this place looked like. A nice courtesy they gave us was we arrived very early and they got us accomodated early which got us more beach time. That was very much appreciated with 2 little kids!!!