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The Ace Hotel New York is a consistently hip option for both out-of-town visitors and native New Yorkers who want a trendy base within an equally buzzy neighborhood.
On-site offerings are as much of a draw as the hotel itself. Well-respected outlets such as The Breslin, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Black Seed Bagel, and Opening Ceremony all attached, and as such, I didn't feel the need to leave the property at all during my one-night stay.
I spent a night in a "Small" room, which starts at $179 in low season and climbs to the mid-$300s in peak summer. Despite the name, my room was surprisingly spacious and comfortable with a minimalist modern vibe.
The Ace Hotel is celebrating a milestone. It opened its first hotel in 1999 in a former boarding house in Seattle, and 20 years later, the brand is thriving across the United States and overseas. In the years since putting down roots in the Pacific Northwest, Ace has expanded into (in order of opening) Portland, Palm Springs, New York, London, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and Chicago. In 2020, it will open its 10th and farthest-flung iteration in Kyoto, Japan. There's also Sister City, which is a new offshoot from the same creative team behind Ace (you'll find our review of it here).
I visited Ace Hotel New York, which is housed in a century-old building that's been a hotel since 1904, and the Ace in particular since 2009. It's a go-to base for those seeking a minimal but refined property, with a healthy dose of hip intrigue. Dawdle in the lobby and you'll find the majority filling its couches aren't even hotel guests, but New Yorkers who come to co-work, mingle, and hang out.
There's certainly a lot on offer: the famed Breslin Restaurant is Ace's popular on-site nose-to-tail restaurant, which takes its name from the hotel the building previously housed. There's also a curated collection of partner establishments including Opening Ceremony, Black Seed Bagels, and Stumptown Coffee. The combined experience was uniquely New York, while perfectly in line with Pacific Northwestern tendencies.
I stayed in a "Small" room which was comped for review purposes. And while the name sounds like a typically over-priced New York micro-hotel, the room was not only decently-sized but with an incredibly-reasonable starting price of $179 in low season. Prices do jump in busier summer months, hovering in the high $200s to low $300s, but remain reasonable compared to other New York hotels.
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Consider Ace Hotel when you want to feel like one of the cool kids spread out on the lobby's leather sofas, except unlike many, you'll get to actually go upstairs and spend the night.
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I arrived at the Ace on a dreadfully rainy Sunday, and the inviting foyer was glowing orange and bathed in warmth. It quickly transformed my outlook from dismally damp to warm and welcoming.
The expansive, dimly-lit lobby was buzzing with activity; folks were snacking, drinking, chatting, and working on laptops on tufted leather couches and at long communal banquet tables. This was no standard hotel lobby.
In fact, many were not even guests, but rather, New Yorkers who descended on Ace's public space to utilize it as their office for the day. This is always a tell-tale sign that a hotel that deems itself hip can actually follow through on that promise.
My partner, who was with me, looked around and said, "If The Black Keys were a hotel, they'd be this hotel."
Indeed she was right. The arty, rock vibes blended seamlessly with preserved architectural elements that paid homage to the building's history.
Set off to the side, almost so as not to disrupt the flow of the denizens of the lobby, was the check-in desk. We arrived at 3 p.m., the designated check-in time, and were able to check in right away and head up to the room.
When I learned I was in a "Small" room I was initially nervous. I recently stayed at the Arlo SoHo and, while I enjoyed it, it was one of the smallest hotel rooms I'd ever experienced. Still feeling claustrophobic, I braced myself for what I anticipated would feel like a broom closet.
But as I opened the door, my apprehension was replaced with a sigh of relief, and I was genuinely thrilled with the size of the room. I was so taken aback, I even called down to the front desk to make sure this was really my room.
There was plenty of space to walk around, open suitcases, and even do some stretching or pushups if that's part of your morning routine.
Though, I do suspect that even within the category, rooms vary in size. Online, it says some Small rooms contain a Smeg refrigerator — mine did, and was stocked with an impressively extensive minibar — and some Small rooms contain a bathtub. Mine had one of those as well. For Smalls without those amenities, I imagine it's based on the layout.
I read online that some rooms also come with a record player and a curated selection of vinyl to spin during your stay, as well as an acoustic guitar to strum along. My room didn't have either, and I was a bit disappointed. I don't play guitar, but I love vinyl and would have been curious to see the selection of albums. If you're truly a music-lover, it may be worth upgrading to a Medium Queen or larger, to take advantage of those details.
Overall the room itself was fairly minimal in aesthetic. Aside from one wall which was wallpapered with QRS player piano rolls from the 1950s — another brilliant nod to the musically-inclined Ace aesthetic — there was no artwork at all, which was surprising given how detailed the rest of the hotel was.
The furniture was modern, with black lighting fixtures placed sparingly, and a small pine desk built into the wall. The platform bed was the main focal point, but my favorite detail was the plaid wool Pendleton blanket set at the foot of it, as a subtle wink to Ace's PNW roots.
Everything was exceptionally clean, and the bed was perfectly comfortable, though the hotel is starting to show its age in certain ways. A clothing bar with hangers jutted out from the wall in place of a closet, and mine was sagging a bit from years of supporting the weight of heavy clothes.
The bathroom showed the most wear, with a rusty shower drain and chipped paint where the metal towel basket had scratched the windowsill. These were small cosmetic issues though, that shouldn't detract from the quality of a stay, which, overall, was exceptional.
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Since it was pouring rain when I arrived and showed no signs of stopping, I avoided going outside at all costs. Fortunately, the Ace made that incredibly easy. In addition to their in-house bar in the lobby — aptly named The Lobby — which serves up killer cocktails, several other eateries and shops are accessible from inside the hotel.
Opening Ceremony is a fashion streetwear darling, adjacent to the lobby, and hotel guests receive a 10% discount. It's a bit too easy to catch the "treat yourself" mentality, which goes a long way at such an upscale store. Save room in your suitcase.
The Ace's partner restaurant, The Breslin, offers nose-to-tail British-inspired cuisine from the mind of famed chef April Bloomfield. If you're a foodie, you may know her from her stint on the PBS series "The Mind of a Chef." We had dinner at The Breslin and were incredibly impressed. The menu was meat-heavy, though my partner is a vegetarian, and said the burrata was among the best she's ever had. For dessert, you absolutely must have the Banoffee pie.
The Breslin also has breakfast and lunch, and if you're staying at the hotel and charge your meal to your room, you'll get 10% off. For something grab-and-go, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Black Seed Bagels are also on-site, and very good.
The newest establishment, Milk Bar, is foodie-famous for its cereal milk soft serve and compost cookies. It's set to open next month and will become Milk Bar's flagship and largest store yet.
The Ace Hotel is three blocks away from the Empire State Building. Some rooms even have a prime view. If you've never been to the top, I highly recommend it. Though some may avoid it as an overpriced tourist trap, it's one of my favorite landmarks in the city, and try to go once every few years. It's open until 2 am, and I love going as late as I can to both avoid crowds and to see the city lit up.
You're also a quick walk from Madison Square Garden, so the Ace is a great place to stay after you see a concert or a sporting event.
For a more low-key afternoon, head down to Madison Square Park to relax outside with a view of the Flatiron Building and grab a burger at Shake Shack, or check out Eataly.
Because the Ace has been around for so long, there's plenty of customer feedback. Ace has over 2,000 reviews on Trip Advisor and has earned a solid four stars ranking it #189 of the 506 hotels in New York. Customers consistently rave about the cool, buzzy vibe of the hotel and the constant liveliness of the lobby bar. Ace fares similarly on Booking.com with a rating of 8.3 out of 10.
Some common complaints on both sites include plumbing issues — tubs that backed up when folks showered, air conditioning issues, musty smells, and inconsistent cooling or heating. I didn't experience any of these issues, but all are mentioned in fairly commonly and seem to be indicators of the hotel beginning to age.
Ace, unfortunately, does appear on the Bedbug Registry — a crowdsourced site where anyone can post their experience with bedbugs in New York. Thankfully, the most recent report was from a stay back in 2015, so any problems should be cleared up. Indeed, I thoroughly checked my mattress and had no problems and saw no signs of pests.
Who stays here: Trendy travelers looking for a hot spot to chill beyond the walls of their hotel room.
We like: Small bits of cheeky humor woven into the hotel's messaging to give it personality. For example, the no-smoking sign in the room read, "Smoke outside, meet a stranger. Smoke inside, pay a stranger $250."
We love (don't miss this feature!): The Breslin. My partner and I had an amazing dinner. It's a bit pricey, but worth it to treat yourself one night. Don't miss the Banoffee pie for dessert.
We think you should know: As a hotel guest, you get 10% off at The Lobby Bar and The Breslin during breakfast and lunch if you charge the purchases to your room. You'll also get 10% off at the Opening Ceremony attached to the hotel.
We'd do this differently next time: Bring workout gear. The Ace has a well-stocked gym with exercise machines, free weights, and even a small private yoga studio separate from the noise of other gym-goers.
At 10 years old, the Ace is starting to show some small signs of wear and tear, but the vibe is as hip as ever.
With native New Yorkers and hotel guests alike flocking to the lobby to work and socialize, there's always a buzz of energy moving through the hotel. If the Seattle rock and roll aesthetic speaks to you, and you'd like to spin a curated selection of vinyl in your room, you'll love the experience at the Ace Hotel.
Additionally, with a coffee shop, bagels, cool lobby bar, an incredible restaurant, and one of the most popular streetwear stores all accessible from within the hotel itself, I didn't need to step outside the entire time I was at the Ace. You'll likely feel the same, even if it's not raining.
