TV Restaurants

Is Thunderbird Motel Still Open? Update (Seaside Heights, NJ)

Open verified

As of September 2026, Thunderbird Motel is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

Primary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Yelp's listing, updated July 2026 with 32 reviews at the Kearney Avenue address, corroborates Google Places' operational status for the Thunderbird Motel.

  • Season / episode Season 3, Episode 11
  • Original air date
  • Address 132 Kearney Ave, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751

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What happened after Hotel Impossible?

Thunderbird Motel is a small motel at 132 Kearney Ave in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, near the borough's boardwalk. It was featured on Hotel Impossible in the episode 'Operation Sandy, Part 1' (S3E11), which aired 2013-10-21, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy's damage to the Jersey Shore; the specific repairs or operational issues Anthony Melchiorri addressed are not documented in the sources reviewed for this record.

Google Places lists the Thunderbird Motel as operational at the Kearney Avenue address. Yelp's listing, updated July 2026, shows 32 reviews at the same address and phone number. Trip.com's current booking page for the property lists room rates starting near $131 a night, and Exit82.com, the Seaside Heights tourism site, also carries an active business listing for the motel.

Booking and travel sites describe the property as a seasonal motel, with one listing noting it is closed between September 1 and April 30 each year; this is a seasonal operating pattern rather than a business closure. Tripadvisor ranks the Thunderbird Motel first of two specialty lodgings it tracks in Seaside Heights, based on 13 traveler reviews and a 3-of-5 rating.

No source reviewed indicated a change in the motel's name, ownership, or address since the 2013 episode aired.

Featured on Hotel Impossible

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 11
Original air date
Episode title
Operation Sandy, Part 1
What was featured
Thunderbird Motel's storm-recovery problems on Hotel Impossible's 'Operation Sandy' episode
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Thunderbird Motel

Frequently asked questions

Is Thunderbird Motel still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Thunderbird Motel is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

What happened to Thunderbird Motel after Hotel Impossible?

Thunderbird Motel is a small motel at 132 Kearney Ave in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, near the borough's boardwalk. As of September 2026, Thunderbird Motel is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed July 2026.

Where is Thunderbird Motel located?

132 Kearney Ave, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Hotel Impossible featured Thunderbird Motel?

Season 3, Episode 11 of Hotel Impossible, first aired October 21, 2013. The episode is titled “Operation Sandy, Part 1”.

What do reviews say since Hotel Impossible?

It was featured on Hotel Impossible in the episode 'Operation Sandy, Part 1' (S3E11), which aired 2013-10-21, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy's damage to the Jersey Shore; the specific repairs or operational issues Anthony Melchiorri addressed are not documented in the sources reviewed for this record. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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All New Jersey locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
132 Kearney Ave, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
Venue type
hotel
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/thunderbird-motel-seaside-heights
  • us.trip.com — https://us.trip.com/hotels/seaside-heights-hotel-detail-45697239/thunderbird-motel/
  • Tripadvisor — https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46809-d17763826-Reviews-Thunderbird_Motel-Seaside_Heights_New_Jersey.html

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