hotelHotel Impossible · Season 3, Episode 12 · Aired October 28, 2013
Tradewinds Motor Lodge
Lavallette, New Jersey
Yes. This one is still open.
On the show
Season 3, Episode 12 · October 28, 2013 · lodge
Multi-property special (4 businesses in one episode): Seaside Heights, NJ post-Hurricane Sandy motel row, alongside Thunderbird Motel (already on its own row from S3E11).
What happened after
45-room family-owned motel with recently renovated rooms; official site directly implied via search, current June-July 2026 guest reviews (4.5/5 TripAdvisor, 128 reviews).
What happened on the show
The fourth property in the Operation Sandy special, the Tradewinds was a 45-room family-owned motor lodge caught in the same 2012 Superstorm Sandy recovery that framed the whole special, marketing itself by its proximity to the Seaside Heights and Point Pleasant Beach boardwalks. A mid-size family motel on the storm-hit Jersey Shore had both more rooms to fill and more at stake than the smaller properties, and the recovery hinged on turning a damaged operation back into a draw for returning summer crowds. Melchiorri picked apart the property and its hospitality, pushing the family to modernize and to sell the boardwalk access that gave the lodge its appeal. His counsel aimed to give a 45-room operation the standards and confidence to rebuild its trade on a shore slowly filling back up with visitors.
After the cameras left
The Tradewinds came through in strong shape and is still family-run. As of our 2026 verification the 45-room motel is open with recently renovated rooms and current mid-2026 guest reviews averaging four and a half stars across well over a hundred entries. Worth noting: the lodge actually sits in Lavallette, New Jersey, at 2000 Grand Central Avenue, marketing itself near the Seaside Heights boardwalk, which is why the storm special grouped it with the Seaside properties. A decade past Sandy, it is thriving. Confirmed operating as of 2026.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.
What is there now
Street imagery via Google Maps. Location approximate.