Dewey hotels receive rebrand under D.C. firm

Beach House Dewey and Atlantic Oceanside Dewey will now be marketed under one concept: Block Party Hotels. The concept comes from its ownership The Bernstein Companies. | PHOTO COURTESY OF TBC HOTELS

DEWEY BEACH — Two mainstay hotels at Dewey Beach have merged under one marketing umbrella, and its new ownership is planning on bringing a breakfast restaurant in to cater to guests at both establishments.

Beach House Dewey and Atlantic Oceanside Dewey are merging under the name Block Party Hotels, with the goal of keeping both identities unique to their history at the Delaware beach. The two hotels are next door to each other, and combined have 102 rooms.

“The idea is that when you come to Block Party, you can choose your own adventure,” said  Emily McAuley, The Bernstein Companies (TBC) Hotels Director of Digital Strategy and Communications. “If you’re looking for a family-oriented place or somewhere dog-friendly, that’s what the Atlantic Ocean side has been for the past 30 years and it will continue to be. But if you’re interested in walking down to the Bottle and Cork and The Starboard and having fun, that’s Beach House Dewey. And moving forward, we have plans to give each one its own vibe.”

TBC, a major Washington, D.C.-area developer of hotels and multi-family projects, bought the then-Sand Palace hotel in 2006 for $4.4 million, later rebanding it.

In 2022, District Lodging Capital and TBC bought Atlantic Oceanside for $7 million. Both companies are bound by family: TBC chief operating officer Marc Duber and District Lodging Capital co-founder David Duber are father and son.

A major part of the rebrand would be transforming the lobby at the Atlantic Oceanside to bring in the Coffee Mill, a cafe in Rehoboth Beach, ideally by March 1. The lobby at the Beach House Dewey will be expanded to serve as a united welcome space and check-in area for guests of both hotels.

The Coffee Mill has been a local favorite for at least 30 years, including one of the Duber family, who has been visiting the Delaware beaches for years.

“One of our owners had just gotten to know the people there. It’s a true relationship that allowed us to establish this opportunity for both,” McAuley said.

While no other major renovations are on the books for either Beach House Dewey and Atlantic Oceanside Dewey in the near future, the hope is to put some touches on both properties that reinforce each venue’s unique identity.

For example, Atlantic Oceanside may have a pet washing station and painted concrete turtles for the pool decor, while Beach House Dewey could have redecorating to give it a “funky” feel, McAuley said.

Other improvements include a new outdoor workout zone, pool upgrades and new bikes and mokes for rent this year.

TBC has been in the hotel acquisition and management business for roughly 40 years, and its portfolio includes a variety of independent and chain hotels like Mariott and Hilton. That includes Canopy by Hilton in Washington D.C., a Hampton Inn in Bloomington, Ind., Unlocked Hotel by Marriott in Raleigh, N.C. and the Avery Georgetown in D.C.

The firm owns one other Delaware asset: the Hampton Inn and Suites in Christiana, bought for more than $16.9 million in 2021.