Is Thunderbird Motel Still Open? Hotel Impossible Update
Hotel Impossible, Season 3 Seaside Heights, New Jersey
Current status
As of October 2026, Thunderbird Motel is open — confirmed via Yelp, July 2026.
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. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 3, Episode 11
- Aired
- Address 132 Kearney Ave, Seaside Heights, NJ 08751
- Website No current website found
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
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.
The episode
Also in Season 3
Season 3: 9 of 11 still open
- Closed
-
Ep 6Holbrooke Hotel
Open -
Ep 7Lankford Hotel
Open -
Ep 8Beachfront Inn
Open -
Ep 9Sevilla Inn
Open -
Ep 10Ritz Inn
Open - Open
-
Ep 13Victorian Inn
Open
Nearest places
-
Man v. Food
Open -
Mystery Diners
Closed -
Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back
Closed -
Mystery Diners
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Food Paradise
Open
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the hotel — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- 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
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record hi-033 · checked by Cal Marchetti.