Ace Hotel

Ace Hotel is a lifestyle-oriented hotel brand founded in Seattle in 1999 by Alex Calderwood, Wade Weigel, and Doug Herrick. The founders had previously worked together on Rudy’s, a Seattle barbershop concept, and brought an interest in design, hospitality, music, and urban culture to the hotel business. Their first property was created by converting a former halfway house in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood into an affordable hotel intended to appeal to creative workers and travelers seeking a less formal alternative to conventional chain lodging. The brand’s distinctive approach has been to treat each hotel as a response to its building and city rather than as a completely standardized product. Ace properties have occupied former motels, historic hotels, theaters, office or civic buildings, and other structures with existing architectural character. Interiors commonly combine practical rooms with communal lounges, restaurants, cafés, bars, music programming, art, and flexible spaces used by both guests and local residents. This model made the hotel public realm central to the brand: an Ace property is positioned not only as a place to sleep but also as a meeting point for local culture, independent creativity, dining, and nightlife. After the Seattle opening, Ace expanded to Portland in 2006 and then to Palm Springs and New York City in 2009. The New York property involved the redevelopment of the former Hotel Breslin, while the Palm Springs property adapted a former Howard Johnson’s motel and incorporated a converted diner. The group subsequently opened hotels in London, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Chicago, Kyoto, Brooklyn, Toronto, Sydney, and Athens. The expansion gave the brand an international presence while retaining a preference for location-specific architecture and design. Creative direction has been an important part of Ace’s identity. Kelly Sawdon served as a partner and chief brand officer from 2007 to 2020 and oversaw global creative direction, partnerships, and Atelier Ace, the brand’s in-house creative studio. The founders’ wider creative network also included Neverstop, an experiential marketing company, and ARO.Space, an audiovisual arts platform associated with Pearl Jam co-founder Stone Gossard and Kung Faux creator Mic Neumann. Artists including Kaws and Shepard Fairey were brought into projects connected with the group’s spaces. Ace’s portfolio has changed over time. The London Shoreditch property did not reopen after closing during the COVID-19 pandemic, while properties in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Portland later left the brand or closed. At the same time, Ace continued to develop internationally, opening in Kyoto in 2020, Brooklyn in 2021, Toronto and Sydney in 2022, and Athens in 2024. A Fukuoka property has been reported as being under development for a planned 2027 opening. In September 2025, Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide announced the acquisition of Ace Group International, described as comprising an eight-property portfolio and the Atelier Ace design studio, for $90 million. The transaction places the brand within a Japanese hotel group while preserving Ace’s identity as a design and culture-led hospitality concept. Public information does not establish a single uniform operating model for every property, so individual hotels may involve different ownership, management, or real-estate arrangements.

Ace Hotel began in Seattle in 1999, when Alex Calderwood, Wade Weigel, and Doug Herrick converted a former halfway house into an affordable hotel aimed at creative travelers and local cultural communities. Calderwood and Weigel had previously developed Rudy’s, a modernized traditional barbershop concept, and the founders approached hospitality as a design and cultural project rather than merely a room-rental business. The first property established several characteristics later associated with Ace: the reuse of buildings with an existing story, informal and practical accommodation, distinctive graphic and interior design, and public areas that could attract local residents. Restaurants, bars, cafés, music, art, and social programming became part of the hotel experience. The brand’s properties were not intended to look identical; instead, their designs were generally developed in response to the local city, building history, and surrounding creative scene. Ace’s second hotel opened in Portland in 2006. Further openings in Palm Springs and New York City in 2009 demonstrated how the concept could be adapted to different building types. The Palm Springs hotel transformed a former Howard Johnson’s motel and included a diner converted from a former Denny’s. The New York hotel occupied the former Hotel Breslin, a 1904 Midtown building redesigned with Roman and Williams. The brand’s international expansion began with London Shoreditch in 2013. Additional United States locations followed in Los Angeles in 2014, Pittsburgh in 2015, New Orleans in 2016, and Chicago in 2017. The Los Angeles hotel occupied the historic United Artists Building and incorporated its restored theater. The Pittsburgh hotel used a former YMCA building, while the New Orleans hotel occupied a 1928 Art Deco property in the Warehouse District. Ace opened in Kyoto in 2020 in a registered Taishō-era building originally designed for the Kyoto Central Telephone Company. The project was redesigned by Kengo Kuma. In the same year, the London Shoreditch property was permanently removed from the Ace portfolio after its pandemic-related closure. Brooklyn became the brand’s second New York location in 2021, followed by Toronto and Sydney in 2022 and Athens in 2024. A Fukuoka hotel has been reported as under development for a planned 2027 opening. Creative leadership and partnerships have supported the brand’s identity. Kelly Sawdon was a partner and chief brand officer from 2007 to 2020, leading global creative direction, strategic partnerships, and Atelier Ace. The founders also established Neverstop and ARO.Space, extending their work into experiential marketing and audiovisual arts. Ace-related spaces have featured work by artists such as Kaws and Shepard Fairey. The group’s portfolio has also contracted. Chicago closed in 2021, Pittsburgh subsequently became The Maverick by Kasa, and the Los Angeles and New Orleans properties closed in 2024. The Portland property left the Ace system in 2024 and became Clyde Hotel by Kasa. In September 2025, Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide acquired Ace Group International, described as including eight properties and Atelier Ace, for $90 million. Ace therefore entered a new ownership phase while retaining its design-led, culturally oriented hospitality positioning.

• 2025

  Acquisition by Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide acquires Ace Group International and Atelier Ace for $90 million.

• 2024

  Athens property opens

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Ace Hotel & Swim Club Athens debuts in Greece.

• 2022

  Toronto and Sydney hotels debut

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The brand expands into Canada and Australia.

• 2021

  Brooklyn hotel opens

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Ace adds a second New York City location in Brooklyn.

• 2020

  Kyoto hotel opens

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Ace opens a Kengo Kuma-designed property in a historic Kyoto building.

• 2013

  First international Ace-branded hotel opens in London

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Ace opens in Shoreditch, marking its first branded property outside the United States.

• 2009

  Palm Springs and New York expansion

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Properties open in Palm Springs and New York City, broadening the brand’s U.S. footprint.

• 2006

  Second property opens in Portland

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Ace opens a hotel in the former Clyde Hotel in downtown Portland.

• 1999

  Ace Hotel is founded in Seattle

  [1]Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Alex Calderwood, Wade Weigel, and Doug Herrick open the first Ace Hotel in a converted Seattle halfway house.

Design-led, culturally engaged, locally adapted lifestyle hospitality with accessible accommodation and community-oriented public spaces.

• hotel accommodation · 1999

  Ace Hotel accommodation

  The core offering is lodging in individually designed properties. Rooms are generally paired with strong communal areas and are shaped by the architecture and culture of their city. The brand has historically emphasized practical, relatively accessible accommodation rather than conventional luxury standardization.

• hospitality and food and beverage · 1999

  Ace Hotel restaurants, bars, and cafés

  Food-and-beverage venues are central to many Ace properties. Diners, restaurants, bars, cafés, and poolside venues are designed to serve hotel guests and local customers, helping each property function as part of its neighborhood’s social and cultural life.

• cultural hospitality · 1999

  Ace Hotel public and cultural spaces

  Ace hotels commonly provide lounges, work areas, event spaces, music programming, art installations, and design collaborations. These spaces extend the brand beyond accommodation and support its positioning as a meeting place for creative communities.

• creative studio

  Atelier Ace

  Atelier Ace is the group’s in-house creative studio, associated with brand identity, design, storytelling, partnerships, and the development of cultural experiences around the hotel portfolio.

• 2025

  Sale of Ace Group International to Seibu Prince Hotels WorldwideM&A

  Background

  Ace Group International was described as having an eight-property portfolio and the Atelier Ace creative studio.

  Action taken

  Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide acquired the group for $90 million.

  Aftermath

  Ace became part of Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide while continuing as a distinct lifestyle hospitality brand.

  Acquisition price. $90 million (September 2025)

  Source

• 2020

  Permanent closure of Ace Hotel London ShoreditchStrategy

  Background

  The London property closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Action taken

  Ace announced that the Shoreditch hotel would not reopen.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended the brand’s first Ace-branded operation outside the United States.

  Source

1. 1Ace Hotelen.wikipedia.org