We’d often thought on previous trips to New York we’d take homage at the ever popular and buzzing Ace Hotel, but persuasive friends with extra sleeping space kept us from doing so, until now.
Last month we had the great pleasure of making ourselves at home on the 8th floor, following a ride in their sexy iron elevator with a stylishly dressed young bell man wearing Levi’s, a custom grosgrain trimmed pea coat, and converse.
In the room we were greeted by two custom beds tucked with Pendleton blankets, one queen (to lay outfits) and one king (to sleep), a large desk for two with vintage woven arm chairs, a closet made from bent plumbing pipes with hangers branded with you look good in that, a lovely bathroom with copper waterfall shower, a working vintage Polaroid camera (as part of their collaboration with the impossible project), and a SMEG fridge fully stocked with everything one could want to drink (complete with proper glasses for all) topped with a wooden crate of snacks and amenities. Needless to say, we felt instantly at home in this glorious place.
Scrap all the glamourous sleekness most hotels hide behind, the decor of the Roman & Williams designed Ace hotel is not only well thought out, but perfectly luxurious in a utilitarian sort of way. The lobby was dimly lit with round wrought iron fixtures around huge marble pillars which create an always busy seating area adjacent to the grand check in desk backed by an assortment of apparel, vinyls, and ACE-related goods below a huge EXCELSIOR sign.
Formally The Breslin Hotel, the ACE is more than a bunch of fantastic rooms, but an entire block delicious food, drink, and fashion. With Stumptown Coffee Roasters, The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, and No.8A in the lobby, and Opening Ceremony, No. 7 Sub Shop, and The John Dory Oyster Bar just around the corner, it’s a wonder we even made it south of 29th and Broadway at all during our stay!
We ate a delicious welcoming meal at The Breslin as soon as we arrived and drank Stumptown coffee every morning with Momofuku Milkbar’s cake truffles among other freshly stocked pastries. After dinners at cool spots like ACME, Untitled, The Wren, Momofuku Ssäm Bar and Momofuku Noodle Bar, we hit up the lobby bar for a cocktail before curling up in the custom Wings + Horns robes, available for purchase for $15o US only.
Both our room and the hotel was an easy transition for us urban dwellers, with many unexpected details and experiences. It’s also one of Manhattan’s appropriately priced hotel choices considering the neighbourhood, and we felt more like we were in Brooklyn than in Midtown. Ace Hotel will continue to be our hotel of choice in Manhattan for the interesting culture surrounding it, it’s ever changing atmosphere, and of course the attention to detail. Take look inside the hotel and our room below.
