The Flanders Hotel – Ocean City, N.J.

The Flanders Hotel & Ocean City N.J. Photography

“The Jewel of the Southern Jersey Shore.”

The Flanders Hotel, New Jersey

This Impeccable Hotel will be sure to impress you. The owner is a knowledgeable, extremely courteous, thoughtful leader of the establishment who takes great pride in this business.

The staff supplied one of the better experiences in our travel history. The Hotel was decorated for the Holidays at the time of our visit. We fell in love the second we went to the second floor. The pristine, upscale atmosphere made us want to stop and stay in the large gathering area of the level. We did for a little while before heading off the deck to check out the overlook of the boardwalk and the hotel pool.

We suggest staying at this Hotel even in its offseason. If you are coming to photograph the Fishing Pier, you can do this any time the weather permits. We won’t be on the Jersey Shore when it is zero degrees, and the wind whips around at 30 m.p.h. But a nice 40-something-degree day will do. The town is quiet in the winter months. There were no crowds or traffic or lines to deal with. If you saw the images above in the slideshow, you will agree; tolerating the cold was well worth it.

The Hotel was built in 1923, costing 1.5 million dollars. It was the largest construction project in the town at that point. Upon completion of a ceremony in the elegant grand ballrooms was enjoyed by many guests. Fine dining, dancing, and speeches were the focus of the night. If we could travel in time someday, this would be one of our stops, an actual historical moment.

Read the full story behind “Fire in the Sky” and “Purple Fire in the Sky,” the image pictured in the header, which has won an award by Pamela Goodyer. You can purchase this Fine Art Collectors Piece.

It is among her “Artists Favorites” Limited Edtion Collection, making the piece much more valuable to Fine Art Collectors.

The Flanders Hotel, Ocean City, New Jersey

The Flanders Hotel was built in 1923 by the Ocean Front Hotel Corporation.

The architect Vivian Smith designed the building in the Spanish Mission Revival style. The building was constructed using steel girders and concrete.

The Flanders Hotel was originally managed by J. Howard Slocum until 1932, when Elwood F. Kirkman took over ownership of the hotel. James M. Dwyer purchased the building in 1996. The hotel was converted into luxury condominiums for daily rentals operating as a “Condotel” in 1997. Mr. Dwyer suffered several financial setbacks, including tax liens and personal bankruptcy. As a result of the bankruptcy, Mr. Dwyer was removed from his involvement with the hotel. In December 2005, a new board of trustees was installed, and Peter Voudouris was named President of the Board of Trustees and assumed the responsibilities as General Manager. He presently holds the title of Director of Hotel & Banquet Operations.

In 2009 the Flanders Hotel by a unanimous vote was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Presently the Flanders Hotel is a thriving destination for guests all year round. The accommodations range from Luxury Suites to Spectacular Penthouses. The Flanders is the only full-service hotel in Ocean City that includes elegant ballrooms & meeting rooms, a full-service restaurant, Specialty & Clothing Shoppes, Salon & Spa, Fitness Center, Business Center, and a heated outdoor pool.

flanders ocean grove Flanders Hotel, Ocean City New Jersey

The Flanders Hotel Fire

The Flanders Hotel was tragically surrounded by fire on the boardwalk in 1927. The Hotel had approximately 500 guest rooms destroyed by the fire but they quickly recovered from the fire. They moved the hotel away from the beach but also build an extension to keep its beachfront status. By 1929 the hotel had three saltwater pools which became the most popular attraction in Ocean City.

Although the hotel was well known for its high styled rooms, sophistication and pure elegance that gleamed above others at the Jersey Shore the stock market crash of 1929 and the economy was devastating to the Flanders Hotel. The hotel was sold to Elwood Kirkman and it retained its high style, large staff, and elegance hosting guests such as Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.

The Flanders Hotel, Ocean City, N.J.

In the 1950s, The Hotel Flanders continued to stay in the public eye hosting the 1950 Miss New Jersey Pagent in the pool area. Although the large pools closed in 1978 to save on expenses, the owner was overwhelmed financially. There were many issues, and the hotel was deteriorating. There was a court-ordered election for the President of the board. The newly elected President was Peter Voudouris, whom we met this week at the hotel. Mr. Voudouris secured a two million dollar construction loan, and the much-needed renovations began.

Historical Flanders Hotel

In 2009 the hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places list. The same year, Peter and Arleen Voudouris purchased the barbershop and the interior stores. You can get your hair done by Michael Lombardi, one of the original barbers at the exact location a long time ago. We won’t tell you how long so we can keep Michaels’s age a secret. He is also a piece of history in this fantastic, sophisticated architectural delight. Be sure to see Michael on your stay and treat yourself to a haircut from one of the masters of the industry.

Flanders Hotel, Ocean City New Jersey, outside night view with purple glow from the ferris wheel

The Flanders Hotel Offers:

The Flanders Hotel, restaurant, ballrooms, spa, salon, and coffee shop are currently thriving under the management of Peter and Arlene Voudouris. The Banquet and Conference Center is gleaming with the utmost elegance with an atmosphere that transforms you in time. The ballroom is a perfect location for your wedding venue, regardless of the time of year. The sophisticated hall is reminiscent of the early 1900s. The award-winning chef is an excellent addition to the staff of this historic, well-run piece of history of the New Jersey Shore. The Flanders is the only full-service hotel in Ocean City that includes elegant ballrooms & meeting rooms, a full-service restaurant, Specialty & Clothing Shoppes, Salon & Spa, Fitness Center, Business Center, and a heated outdoor pool.

You will receive top of the line service from your server Christine at Emily’s Ocean Room Restaurant inside the Flanders Hotel. Breakfast and Lunch are served year-round with delectable meals at reasonable prices.

Photography Information:

Bring all of your gear to this location, and be sure not to forget your tripod, neutral density filters, and shutter release if you have one.

This is a long-exposure photographer’s dream location. You will want to do a long exposure of the dock, preferably at sunrise and sunset, so the crazy colors most likely show up. The colors make the images, but some great daytime clouds can also make them dynamic. If it is warm enough and the wind is not whipping, you could do a time-lapse video on a good cloud day.

Hotel Room

We recommend booking the upper-level room at the Flanders Hotel with that great balcony overlooking the city and doing a time-lapse movie. We did a short one but were a little paranoid about our new friend Mark falling over. Our tripod was super sturdy, but in our mind, our 5D Mark IV in the wind was stressing us a bit, so we did not fall asleep doing the time-lapse.

The best way to shoot the Ventnor city pier, just a few blocks from The Flanders Hotel, is in manual mode on a tripod at 5 to 30-second exposure at sunrise and sunset. A good neutral-density filter will allow you to shoot longer when the sun is present. A good ten-stop filter will also enable you to get milky water photos during the daylight hours.

See our How to section for details on long exposure waterfall information to blur the waters. There is more information on neutral density filters and night photography for you to read.