American Hotel

I was very particular on what I wanted for my sister's bridal shower. She is getting married in Newport, RI in a mansion and I wanted to have the same feel for her shower. I feel like I looked all over and either I could rent a room and bring in all my own stuff, or the room itself just wasn't what I wanted. THIS WAS PERFECT! Jim helped us coordinate everything down to room setup and it was perfect. He made things so easy! One staff member that was also amazing was Brittany. She helped us with setting up and breaking down, which I feel like was outside of her responsibilities. My family like to consider themselves food critics, and THEY COULD NOT STOP talking about how amazing the food was. My sister also LOVED everything. I would DEF recmomend for any showers or weddings! I can only imagine how amazing they would be with a wedding!

My husband and I got married in March 2019. When we first started researching wedding venues, we were looking for three big elements: a large dance floor, great food and an adequate number of bathroom stalls! We ended up looking at about eight venues before booking in March 2018. From the moment you walk into a venue, you do get a feeling of how a wedding would play out; and when we walked into The American Hotel, we knew we had found the perfect place. We first met with Joy and she showed us around the various ballrooms and the hotel rooms upstairs. The following Sunday, we went to the brunch buffet to try the food before booking – but when we sat down in the Majestic Ballroom, with its’ gold interior and beautiful crystal chandeliers, we knew this place was totally us! We ended up using all of the three rooms for our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception; and reserved all of the available hotel rooms for our family and friends. After booking, Joy and Jim were basically my wedding gurus. I always ask a lot of questions and I think I broke a new record when it came to wedding planning. Thankfully, Jim and Joy really knew how to handle an anxious bride-to-be - they are true professionals and excel in the wedding industry! I can honestly say that if anything did go wrong at our wedding – we had absolutely no clue. Everything was beautiful and exactly the way it was discussed in the many emails and meetings. And, all of the supporting staff members that helped during our wedding did a great job! We really cannot thank Jim and Joy enough for all that they did in making our wedding unforgettable!

I don’t even know where to begin on how awesome the American Hotel was for our wedding on March 30th, 2019. From start to finish Joy and Jim were there every step of the way as far as all the planning, tastings, all the little details and my million emails and questions. Wedding planning can be so stressful but joy and Jim are both so on top of everything that we felt so taken care of there. We were able to book out the rooms in the hotel for our guests and having everything in one place (ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, hotel room) was a huge plus and made the whole day even more stress free. And a huge plus for me was that they only hold one wedding at a time so your truly feel taken care of. Also this made it so that the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception were all in separate rooms and didn’t need to be turned over for different parts of the day. We also were lucky to have beautiful weather and were able to open up the patio for our cocktail hour and thru out the wedding. Jim and joy were there the whole day of the wedding from start to end and we’re so on top of everything as far as where me and my now husband had to be and he guided us thru out the day, (pics, cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc.) we literally didn’t have to worry about anything the day of. We were able to do our first look on their beautiful balcony, which turned out for amazing pictures. I am so thankful we stumbled upon this beautiful venue for our special day. 💙

Joy, Jim and all of the staff at American Hotel, Thank you so much! Mike and I are beyond satisfied and happy with your service and commitment to making our wedding fabulous! Everyone raved about the rooms, the food and the service. The Knot does not give us enough space to rave about you guys! You were the best decision we made when planning our wedding. We will be back to spend the night, have dinner and maybe celebrate other milestones in our lives!

We are so happy that we chose The American Hotel for our wedding! From the staff to the outstanding food, we had an amazing experience. Our guests raved about the food and beautiful venue. You must see this venue in person to truly understand how great it is!

Dear New Jersey brides, if you are looking for a venue that's stunning yet affordable, do not overlook The American Hotel. My now husband and I were hesitant about having our reception in a hotel until we stumbled upon this one. Joy and Jim are an absolute pleasure to work with, they will walk you through the process seamlessly and make sure your day is everything you dream it will be. The reception room looks stunning in pictures, the food was mouth watering, we even had sushi in cocktail hour which was a huge hit, the cake is included in the package from Chocolate Carousel (which was also to die for) , the bar attached to the hotel made for a great after party and we all got to stay at the hotel which takes out the need for extra transportation. There are also so many great spots close by to take pictures. I cannot say enough good things about this place. Do yourself a favor and call Joy, make an appointment and go check it out. She and Jim hosted the greatest day of my life and I will be forever grateul for the two of them.

Joy and Jim were a great team every step of the way! From the intial tour of the venue down to the day after the wedding, the whole experience was smooth, happy and easy! They took all of the stress out of wedding planning and really, truly made us feel like they not only were the best at their job, but that they were doing all of this just for us! All we had to do is give them our vendors’ info, and drop off our centerpieces and wedding items and then Jim took my vision and turned it into the most beautiful room I’d ever seen. Every expectation was exceeded! Wish we could have a reception like that every weekend now! Thank you thank you thank you!

We did not have our reception here, but we did stay here on our wedding night with ALL of our friends. We had almost the entire hotel booked, and it was a blast. The service was wonderful, they put all of the welcome bags I made in each hotel room before our guests arrived. The rooms were great and everyone had nice things to say about their stay. The bar was open after our reception and we had a great time continuing the celebration here. After the bar was closing, since it was summer and a beautiful night - we spent the rest of the evening on their beautiful outside patio. This was a great choice for our guests!

From the day of planning until the day of our wedding Joy and Jim were fantastic and were always pleasant. Any question they answered. Any addition, they were fine with. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Our guests have not stopped raving about the food and the wedding (Our wedding was April 21, 2018. I am so glad that we decided to go with the American Hotel and I would not change one thing about it. Everything was perfect! Thank you Joy and Jim for making our wedding day fantastic!

If you are considering using this venue, please read this review. Yes, the American Hotel is in a good location, and the establishment is very pretty; the main ballroom is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, the hotel concierge representatives are extremely rude to their guests. My fiancé and I were so embarrassed to learn that our guests were treated so badly (especially when not provoked). In addition, during our tasting, the maître d' was so condescending and rude especially to both of our mothers. When asked to confirm whether a dish contained shellfish, the maître d' said it was rice. He spoke with such condescension as if it was ludicrous to ask such a question. Well, it was crab (that is what Oscar means). Can we forgive a mistake? Sure, we all make them. However, poor behavior is never warranted. This ingredient mix-up could be disastrous for some guests. It is not something to take lightly. Not once did anyone from the American Hotel try to resolve the issue and ensure us that this would not happen on the day of our reception. With this, we had no choice but to cancel our reception here and lose our deposit. It is unfortunate, but we could not have our guests treated so callously.

From the minute we saw this place it just had a charm about it that we knew we wanted for our wedding day. Joy and Jim couldn't have been more amazing throughout the planning and wedding. They were quick to respond and answer questions and were accommodating to our schedules. The food was out of this world and people are still talking about the food and venue! Our wedding was such a hit because of the place and people working there!

We took a look at several venues before choosing The American and we're so glad we did. Both Joy and Jim (he's hilarious!) were stellar in both the planning stages of our wedding and the execution. Our guests were stunned by the how beautiful the venue was but mostly by the exceptional food! Wow, the spread was incredible, delicious, and there was A LOT of it! Guests are still raving about it a month later! Every part of our wedding went off without a hitch except for one detail but the staff went above and beyond to make it right. It was also great to have the hotel rooms within this venue so that guests wouldn't have to drive after the reception if they didn't want to. Rooms are great. We loved the bridal suite. Highly recommended! Thank you Joy, Jim, and the rest of the staff which gave us an outstanding wedding experience! Gia and Mike xo

This was our second wedding venue; the first one fell through. Joy was amazing and put us at complete ease about everything and the day ran so smooth. The food was amazing, the hotel is absolutely beautiful, and it was better than we could have imagined!

As a newly married couple (as of two days ago), writing a review normally would not be a priority. HOWEVER, the American Hotel is the exception. We are still beaming from our experience at the American Hotel and cannot wait to host more events there in the future. It all begins with Joy and Jim. The two of them effortlessly lead us through the wedding planning process. Joy was prompt and clear with her communication and was the perfect mix of savvy and compassionate. I remember being rude during our first meeting; a terrified groom to-be, fear, frustration, and anxiety definitely affected me. However, Joy recognized this and did all she could to assuage my fears and give me and my bride the wedding that we wanted. She found solutions for us at every turn and embraced every challenge we presented her with. She really knows what she's doing and was happy to do so --- every time. Jim, the maître d', was unflappable. As luck would have it, it rained on the day of our wedding. Having had our ceremony at a local church, we had a five hour gap between service and reception. Our initial plan was to take pictures outside, but the weather was not cooperating. Instead, what did we do? We showed up at the American Hotel early by a few hours. Looking for a spot to take pictures, Jim and the staff had no issue with us using the main ballroom for our portraits, even though it infringed upon their setup time. Jim and the staff were only concerned with our happiness and how they could help us have our dream wedding. They were so attentive and accessible. No request was too small. No request was ignored. We could not be more grateful. The food at the cocktail hour and reception kept our guests raving. The cocktail servers made sure to circulate to all corners of the room and the turnaround time from kitchen to guests' stomachs was impeccable. So many of our guests had no idea how they'd have room in their stomachs for their entrées. SPOILER ALERT... they made room for it. We could not be happier to have held our wedding at this charming Freehold venue. It's charming and graceful motif, expert and attentive hospitality, and overall flexibility and desire to please make this a perfect 5.0/5.0. We cannot thank and praise the whole staff, Joy, and Jim any higher. Thank you American Hotel for putting the cherry on top of the happiest day of our lives. Jason and Mariola 10.22.2016

We could not be more happy with our decision to have our wedding at the American Hotel! Joy and Jim were fantastic to work with!! Joy helped select and narrow down every detail about the wedding. Come the big day, everything ran smoothly thanks to Jim, our matre d, and he quickly dealt with any unexpected issues so we didn’t have to worry about anything! They both provided personal attention to our event every step along the way, from planning and opinions on food options to every detail throughout the day. In addition to having our reception in the gorgeous Lennox and Majestic ballrooms, we held the ceremony in Royale ballroom, which provided an intimate yet comfortable space for our 115 guests. We loved the simplicity of having all the events in the same location, and each part of the night easily flowed from one room to the next. On top of everything else good to say, the food is delicious (make sure you get the guacamole cones)! If you are considering the American Hotel for your wedding (or any other event), look no further!!

Jim and Joy made my dream wedding become reality! I could not have imagined getting married anywhere else. My husband is in the military so most of the wedding planning was left up to me. They were so accommodating and put me at ease from day one. The atmosphere was absolutely breathtaking and Jim had us laughing all night. Our guests kept commenting on how beautiful it was and how delicious the food was!!! I am beyond thankful!

We will not have our wedding at the American Hotel, but we went there to get quotation. On our first time there, we did not had an appointment and Joy was very nice and walked us through the venue, explained their menu and gave us prices. I really like the venue because we are having a winter wedding, and the fire places and the ambiance of the venue is perfect for a winter wedding. I called and emailed Joy several time, she was ok. Not super nice, but not rude as well (very different from other venues where they are extremely nice to brides and grooms). We decide to go to the venue one more time before deciding on closing with them. We got there late, but Joy was ok and showed us the venue, she was a little off but I guess everybody have their bad days. She forgot she gave us a "special" price, but after reminding her, she was ok with it. We left the venue almost sure we would close with them. The price was really good, and the venue seemed nice. When I called Joy during the week to ask some final questions, she was very rude to us, and said that they would not be able to handle our CHRISTIAN WEDDING unless we added some type of BAR SERVICE. We told her since day 1 we would not serve alcohol at our wedding and it was NEVER a problem. She was extremely rude, and angry about it. Surely we did not close with them, and will never recommend this venue. All the other venues we visit were totally fine with the fact we will not serve alcohol at our wedding, but AMERICAN HOTEL has a problem with it. Terrible customer service.

The American Hotel was great! We had our rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception here and it was a perfect wedding weekend. The staff was friendly and accommodating and the food was great. Jim and Joy went above and beyond and made our dream wedding come to life!

When my husband and I got engaged, I was originally insistent on a beach wedding and reception. It was just by chance that we went into the American Hotel. Upon speaking with Jim and taking a look around, we knew instantly we were going to have our wedding there. We really loved the charm and personality of the hotel. Jim was mostly who we dealt with and was really great! He walked us through our wedding every step of the way. The entire staff there was amazing, their attention to detail really was impecable! Jim helped make our wedding day so beautiful! The only thing I could have wished for was that our wedding day last a little longer. Dave and Cathy

Joy and Jim were wonderful to work with from start to finish! Our wedding was fantastic, not only were the rooms beautiful, but we are still hearing how delicious the food was almost a month later! Highly recommend for a well priced wedding!

I don't think there is enough space to say all the amazing things about my experience with the American Hotel! We wanted our wedding at a hotel so people could stay over after but didn't love the typical hotel ballroom feel. The American Hotel was the perfect answer. The venue was absolutely everything we dreamed of - not only was it beautiful and charming, but it had absolutely delicious food (which we got to try at an event they host for everyone who has events coming - a very nice touch). It also had Joy and Jim, who were the two most amazing people to work with. They left no stone unturned and were so on top of things leading up to the wedding. No matter how many questions I had or how many times I wanted to come in and chat with them about something, they were always thrilled to see me and happy to help. Every time I was there I felt like royalty! Joy was always so practical and offered us so much amazing advice throughout our planning. Leading up to the wedding, they coordinated everything with our vendors, and really made the planning process so much easier for us. On the day of the wedding, Joy and Jim worked their magic and made everything a dream come true. During the cocktail hour, they had drinks of our choice and hors d'oeurves waiting for us up in the bridal suite. As soon as we came downstairs, Jim was standing there with a drink for me. We decided to give mini wine bottles as our favors (at Joy's suggestion!) and left it up to her to display them. She surprised us with the most beautiful display and it really took our breath away. The room looked absolutely stunning - somehow it exceeded every expectation I had. We were engaged for two years and after planning for so long, it was amazing to me that everything was even better than I had imagined. Jim and Joy are both such a pleasure to work with - they will do anything to make sure your day is perfect. People kept telling me not to be upset if something went wrong (because something always goes wrong). I knew nothing would go wrong with Jim and Joy working for me on my day - and I knew that if anything did go wrong, they would have fixed it before I even knew about it. I was 100% right. I cannot stop raving about them and how perfect our wedding was. The American Hotel was the absolute perfect venue for our wedding - it had everything we ever wanted. Joy and Jim - you made that day the most amazing day of our lives!

We loved the American Hotel the moment we saw it. It has 3 gorgeous ball rooms, and since my husband and I wanted a one-stop wedding weekend, we did our ceremony there as well. We can not say enough good things about the American Hotel. To start, everyone who works there is so kind and accommodating. Whenever we came to the hotel for any reason, whether it was to see what the hotel rooms looked like, take measurements in a ballroom, or when we came for our tasting (which the American does with all the people having events there in the upcoming year so you can see how they execute a large event), everyone was so helpful. Jim and Joy in particular were wonderful. They were patient with my constant emails throughout the planning year. On the day of our rehearsal, Jim walked us through the ceremony with efficiency. On the day of the wedding, he and Joy made sure our every need was met. Joy helped to calm me down before I went down the aisle, and Jim was very relaxed when I was frantic. After our ceremony when we escaped to our bridal suite for a breather and some pictures, there was a bottle of champagne and some cocktail hour nibbles. All of our guests raved about cocktail hour. We had the mashed potato bar, italian station, martini tower, and plenty of passed hor d'oeuvres, all of which were a huge hit. Jim was a miracle worker. We even had a substitute DJ come in place of the one we hired at the last minute, and Jim not only fixed the problems but helped keep us laughing through the stressful moments. He even brought me a shot when I was on the verge of a meltdown. He had everything we needed, even mints in his pockets. He made sure we ate and brought us plenty of food. We also had a popcorn bar, which was displayed more beautifully than I could have dreamed of. I don't think we could have gotten through the day without him. I also want to mention that the staff member who took care of us during the reception, Nicole, made sure our food came out first, that we always had a drink if we needed one, and even boxed up the table side pastries we didn't get a chance to eat so we could take it home. I'm so sad it's over and I wish we could do it all again. I highly recommend the American Hotel. The hotel accommodations themselves were also fantastic. The two conjoined bridal suites were a dream and made getting ready in the morning very comfortable. All of our guests who stayed at the hotel loved the facilities and especially the TVs in the bathroom. All in all it was a phenomenal experience, and I'm looking for any excuse to have another event there!!!

After looking at several venues in NJ I chose the American Hotel. I loved the look and feel of the hotel and had heard wonderful things about the food. I liked how all of the guests could stay in one place after the reception. There were several different price ranged packages and Joy and Jim helped customize our day exactly how we wanted. I had several food requests as my husband is Indian and we wanted to incorporate Indian food. Joy and Jim were so helpful and patient and all of our needs and requests were made. They made the stress of wedding planning much less stressful and were always there to answer questions. The food was amazing and the venue was perfect!

When I got engaged I was hesitant to look at hotels because I wanted a bit of a non-traditional wedding with an old world feel. I was definitely not your cookie-cutter bride. When I went to look at the hotel it blew me away. The old-world charm of the banquet room with the high ceilings, beautiful crown molding, and breathtaking chandeliers was exactly what I was looking for. Joy and Jim were an absolute dream to work with. My expectations were high and not only were they met, but they were tremendously exceeded. The food was amazing (people still rave to me about it) and the service was wonderful. When the wedding day was upon us, Jim made sure every detail was in place and that my event went smoothly. He even gave me a pep-talk right before the ceremony and would check on me throughout the night to make sure I was eating (a fantastic gluten and dairy-free dish he had specially prepared for me because of my allergies) and made sure my husband and I were enjoying ourselves. People normally tell you not to stress because SOMETHING will go wrong on your wedding day. Well I can honestly say thanks to Joy and Jim nothing went wrong! I had the perfect wedding and completely recommend.

The entire staff at American Hotel made it a dream event. Professional and courteous they attended to every detail. The maitre'd Jim was perfection on my day

I chose the American Hotel for my wedding based on its reputation for good service and great food. I was not disappointed. The staff at the American Hotel was wonderful and the food served during the cocktail hour and reception was amazing. Many of my guests came up to me throughout the night to tell me how delicious everything was! Our guests also booked all the rooms in the hotel which were very comfortable and clean. Overall, the American Hotel did a great job and I highly recommend them.

Our wedding at the American Hotel was amazing! everyone said it was the best wedding they had ever been to and that was all thanks to John, the general manager of the american hotel. he stayed the whole night and made sure everyone had exactly what they needed. John remebered everything we wanted for our wedding all down to the smallest details and made sure our day was exactly what we wanted.

The American Hotel was a wonderful experience. The food was out of this world and the staff was very accommodating. However, I got married in July on the hottest day of the year, 108 degree weather. The ballroom, where my reception was held was extremely hot. A lot of my guests had to sit in the lobby to cool off, and a few left a little early. We are still not sure if the place was air conditioned properly or if it was just difficult to cool off a room with 170 dancing guests. Overall, it was an amazing time and a beautiful place.

When I got engaged I was so hesitant to look at wedding venues in NJ. I did not want a typical catering hall, and I was looking for a room that would really 'wow' me. The American Hotel met both of those credentials right off the bat. The ballroom is gorgeous....the chandeliers are so dramatic and pretty, and the fireplaces and silver paint give it a slightly edgy and updated, less traditional look. I loved that there are rooms for the guests to stay in and they are SO NICELY done, also modern, clean and stunning decor. When the wedding day came I had high expectations and was still BLOWN AWAY by every detail. The food was delicious, and Chef Brian was extremely nice and helpful in customizing the menu so it was different from any other wedding we'd been to. The manager John McCarthy paid such attention to detail, treated my guests and family like royalty and made sure everything went smoothly as planned. The hotel was clean and beautiful and every person on staff was so nice and accomodating. I am so happy we chose American Hotel for our special day, and we will return for dinner on a regular basis. Thank you all SO MUCH!!!