I remember when I just moved to New York. People were asking about Ace hotel and I had no clue what it was. I was living on 36th st (not far from the Ace hotel) with a hole on the roof and when it rained we had to put a pot underneath our home. However, it was one day when my friends from Korea visited and stayed at the Ace hotel, my life changed.

Ace Hotel Is One of the First Boutique Hotels in New York (& Hipster Hotel)

It was a hotel with open space and huge tables where you can work or study. There is no pressure or dirty looks even when you sit down there for hours. It was a hipster heaven in there. If you are looking for a hipster fashion guide, head to the Ace hotel in New York. Beards, skinny jeans, black chic fashion style and lots of confidence walking around were the general feeling of the lobby.

When my friends visited from Korea, we ended up having four bottles of champaign all night (and when the bill came I froze and disappeared). It was a cool experience and I became one of the regulars with my laptop sitting there. And I have transformed into hipster. 

But since I moved to Brooklyn, I forgot what it was like to spend time at the Ace hotel. With Williamsburg hotels booming and Downtown Brooklyn filling with one of the hippest hotels, is Ace hotel still relevant or old fashioned? So we decided to check it out ourselves. But first you can check out how Brooklyn became the hipster heaven with all the new hotels here, here and here. And if you ever plan on staying in New York, you should def check out one of the Brooklyn hotels. 

LOCATION

Ace hotel is located in one of my favorite neighborhood, midtown/Nomad. It is near Korea town where I eat drink and pass out. So for me it is actually really convenient. Also, if you are person who will be traveling uptown and downtown, the location is good. But for Soho/ West Village type of people will not appreciate it. FYI. if you are looking for a room in Soho, here is my top 5 hotels here. Unfortunately, Ace hotel is located in not-so-hip & cool area and it is a thumbs down for people wanting to immerse with creative people. 

LOBBY & AMMENITIES

Let’s talk about the lobby. I think Ace hotel is one of the first hotels to utilize the lobby. The lobby is full of fashionable people and cool people with laptops. It is a space where you can actually chill, relax and have fun. It is generally dark but good enough to see the menu lol. If it wasn’t for the lobby, I do not know if the Ace hotel would have still been a place where hipsters would gather. 

Ace Hotel Lobby Is Actually Set Up be Used Rather than for Sittin Down During Check Out

There is also a small gym and a sauna if you are a work out type of guy. But one of the best thing about Ace hotel in New York is Opening Ceremony. Opening Ceremony is one of my favorite boutique shops in New York, and it is easy to walk down stairs and buy some nice clothe (even though it has less choice than the Soho Opening Ceremony). 

Ace Hotel’s Amenities from Gym, Opening Ceremony and Restaurants Give You the Real Purpose of Boutique Hotel

 

PRICE

The hotel is located in midtown and you would think it would be pricey. But actually, it is not as expensive compared to the hotels around there. It ranges from $100 to $400 and it is substantially cheaper than the Nomad hotel. The only problem is the comfort-ness of the room quality. So, let’s start talk about what are the goods, bads and weirds with the rooms. 

ROOM 

We booked the small room at the beginning, but with the huge luggage we were worried it would be too cramped to stay in the “small” room for a week. So we asked for an upgrade, and they kindly upgraded to the medium room with just $50 extra per day. 

The Rooms Can Accommodate From Low Budget Travelers (Bunk Beds) to No-Budget Travelers (Loft)

Medium rooms have the beds from Full to King and some rooms have views according to the website. They gave us one of the room that overlooks the Empire State Building. It gives you enough light and the Empire State Building after few drinks look amazing. But the bed we got probably was a full size bed that felt like a futon bed. It was not the worst, but definitely not the best sleep you will get (Single person would be perfect for this size). 

The room is actually spacious to even invite some friends over for few drinks. There is a separate section for your wardrobe and a classic refrigerator that goes with Ace hotel theme. It is very mid century style vibe. 

The bathroom is also quite spacious and I believe you are getting more out of it than what you pay. 

Overall, I think Ace hotel still got that hipster vibe, but because of the location and lack of small boutique restaurants in the neighborhood, it will struggle to keep the legacy of hipsterness and coolness.