I don't remember when the Playboy Club in Vernon opened in 1972. At the time Hugh Hefner had hopes gambling would become legal in more places than just Atlantic City. The hotel had 600 guest rooms, a beautiful Olympic size swimming pool, a cabaret showroom that featured top entertainers of the day like Diana Ross and Frank Sinatra. Hefner himself had a penthouse on the top floor. All of this one hour from New York City. Sadly, the Playboy Club in Vernon as beautiful as it was could not draw enough visitors to make a profit. Eventually Playboy sold the resort to Americana Hotels. Then Americana sold it to investors who ran the resort as Legends. I remember going there in the early 80's. Even hosting several concerts in the cabaret show room. Since the mid 90's its all gone down hill.
Now it looks like there's new life for the grand old hotel. This time it's not just speculation. On Friday Vernon Mayor Anthony Rossi posted the name of a new buyer for the property on Facebook. Lockwood Hotel's plan is to have an internationally branded hotel at the Vernon Property with 300 luxury hotel rooms and 150 residential condominiums. The hotel will feature a "super spa" and top entertainment. The mayor promised even more details soon. If things go as planned this could be a huge economic boost for Sussex County.
Source: Bergen Record
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