Brochure circa 1974: Courtesy of Dan Donahue
 
Vero Beach-Oceanside, Florida -- 3240 Ocean Drive
 

Savor the Flavor of Florida at Tropical Vero Beach

Discriminating visitors seeking the complete vacation spot and who demand more than the usual amenities will find this brand-new 106-unit Motor Lodge is the gem-of-the-oceanfront. Off the beaten track and still virtually "undiscovered," Vero Beach is where the tropics begin. Luxuriate in our year-round swimming pool. Play golf or tennis nearby. Go fishing or boating on peaceful Indian River.

Beautifully furnished rooms in light tropical decor are extra-large and each has a deep, full-width balcony with a view (inviting for sun bathing too).

• double beds of super quality • Tub/Shower • Dressing Area •
• Color TV • Direct dial telephones •

 
 

Above: Deluxe-style dining room in the Howard Johnson's Restaurant at the Vero Beach-Oceanside complex

Below: Table mat similar in design to the ones seen on the tables in the image above. In 1973, Howard Johnson's used 17 million table mats a month! The Company well understood that the mats stimulated sales and were an important way to introduce new foods to diners.
 
Institutions/Volume Feeding: Sept 1974, page 95
 
 
Postcard circa 1974
 
Opened in 1973, the Vero Beach Motor Lodge Complex was a beachside resort hotel that offered the same convenience to motorists as a typical HoJo's. Exterior treatment for the Restaurant and Lobby was in the Mansard style, and the facade was rendered in an appealing Mediterranean/tropical design. Nonetheless the complex maintained a Howard Johnson's look with its bright Orange Porcelain Enamel Roof Tiles and Beacon-type Cupolas.
 
 
 
 
Photographs March 2003
 
Lasting only a scant seven years, in about 1980 the deluxe former HoJo's became the unbranded Oceanside Inn. Subsequently its address shifted to 3244 Ocean Drive and the site became first, the "Days Inn Driftwood"--then at the beginning of the 1990s it changed its name to the more upscale sounding "Days Hotel Vero Beach Resort."
 
 
 
 
 
 
By the early 2000s, the hotel had become unbranded once again. Called the Palm Court Resort Hotel, the former Howard Johnson's had been made into an attractive beachfront resort. Unfortunately Hurricane Frances in 2005 knocked the place out of commission. Entries on its website in 2005, after the hurricane, indicated that the site would be rebuilt, but in 2006 it was unclear about the actual fate of the former Vero Beach-Oceanside Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge and Restaurant.