This Ocean City, N.J., hotel is offering 30-day rentals this summer

You can check in for a monthslong stay at an iconic Ocean City boardwalk hotel this summer.

The Port-O-Call has unveiled a new 30-day-stay program as “an alternative to pricey Shore home rentals,” hotel executives said in a statement.

The packages start around $16,000 for a standard city-facing room with two double beds, spokesperson Corie Moskow said, and go up to more than $23,000 for a corner king room that faces the coastline. The program allows guests to stay in the same 240- to 370-square-foot room for a month.

“The package is designed for singles, couples, and smaller families who want a streamlined option for a month of summer vacation,” hotel executives said, noting that guests can book the monthslong stays between June 15 and Sept. 1, the heart of Shore season.

The 30-day stay doesn’t come at a steep discount: The price-per-night is roughly in line with the rates guests pay for shorter stays at the height of the summer, according to Port-O-Call’s online booking platform.

The long-term package, however, includes perks like a $200 gift certificate for the hotel’s restaurant, Adelene; a $100 gift certificate for a massage from the Blue Garden Wellness studio on-site; and a $50 gift certificate for ride tickets at Playland’s Castaway Cove, now the boardwalk’s only amusement park after the closure of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier last fall.

And it’s less expensive than some Shore-home rentals, which can cost $30,000 a month, even more if the property is on or near the beach. Last July, a four-bedroom house fronting the Ocean City boardwalk was listed for a discounted price of $10,000 a week.

The Port-O-Call, with its signature pink exterior, rises above the Ocean City boardwalk, overlooking the sand and the ocean. And of course with a hotel stay, bedding and towels are included, as are housekeeping services, amenities not traditionally included in a Shore-home rental.

Port-O-Call’s package announcement comes after the hotel completed a three-year renovation, which involved updating its 98 rooms with the help of Philly-based design firm APOP, and as the price of a Jersey Shore vacation continues to rise.

Some longtime Shore goers have told The Inquirer they’ve abandoned their beloved childhood vacation spots for Florida, the Outer Banks, or far-flung international destinations, all of which they can do for a similar — or even less expensive — price.

“I don’t know how people are doing it,” Delaware County nurse practitioner Kristin Bernstein told The Inquirer in 2023. “I don’t know how they’re affording the Shore.”