Thursday, August 22, 2013

Ace Hotel--Flatiron/Midtown

I have seen this place before and never paid much attention to it..just another renovated Midtown place, probably a budget-type hotel..

Then I noticed there was no clear name to the place, except "Ace" in frosted letters on the doors.

I wonder what is going on here..

Let me check the internet--I picked up the phrase "hipster haunt" in scanning the reviews, which were all postive except for one sour apple..


Ace Hotel New York

4.0 star rating
375 reviews Rating Details
Category: Hotels  [Edit]
20 W 29th St
(between Broadway & 5th Ave)
New York, NY 10001
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 679-2222


Nearest Transit Station:
28 St. (N, R)
28 St. (4, 6, 6X)
34 St. - Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R)
Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 9 am
Price Range:
$$
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
Free
Dogs Allowed:
Yes

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "there is free Stumptown coffee in the morning." In 51 reviews
  • "Other than the over the top hipster vibe, the hotel was great." In 77 reviews
  • "The Ace will likely be my home away from home when I'm in NYC." In 65 reviews
Show more review highlights
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375 reviews in English

  • Review from

    New York, NY
    7/28/2013 1 check-in here
    BAR REVIEW:

    The Ace Hotel bar was a good find in the 'North of Madison Square Park' wasteland.  Nightlife options are severely limited in this neighborhood, but the Ace hotel bar shines like a beacon to this otherwise boring and overpriced area.  Their space is quite large with an abundance of seating.  There was also no line and no entry fee for a Saturday night.  Drinks were pricey, as expected, but I was happy with the quality of my Manhattan (and my gf tells me I'm very very picky).  This is a great place to get a night started and I'd definitely go back if I happen to find myself in the area.
  • Review from

    Missouri City, TX
    7/15/2013
    For the record, I'm 42. I'm a business traveler. I'm married.

    So the ultra-hip lobby is kind of lost on me. I'm sure if I was 20 years younger and about 60 pounds lighter I'd give the place 4 or 5 stars just for the lobby bar. But I'm not, so I didn't bother, lest I make someone think a creepy old married guy was going to try talk to her when all I wanted was a drink. I'm sure it's a great bar for 20-somethings, but the message was clear: I'm too damn old to try to find a seat. Fair enough. I can drink somewhere else.

    That being said, the Ace is a solid hotel pick. The rooms, while spartan in a hipster kind of way, are functional and comfortable, and you can get a fairly cheap (for NYC) room here and not be afraid for your life. It's a few blocks from Penn Station, a few blocks from Herald Square, and a block from another subway station at 28th Street. Load up your Metrocard and go, because anywhere you need to be in Manhattan is a few stops away. The location really is ideal. The front desk staff was superb.

    I had breakfast one morning at the Breslin, and for about $30 I got an overly salty fritatta and a glass of orange juice. There are better breakfast options within walking distance. The John Dory Oyster Bar had great seafood; the artisan cocktails at $13 a pop were worth the money, and nobody eyed me up and down and gave me a "you shouldn't drink here" vibe like I got from the lobby bar.

    You will want a room on the upper floors, especially on the weekends. The music from the bar could be clearly heard from about the third floor on down. I was up on 10 and had a nice city view and got great sleep.

    Also, if you're a No Reservations fan, the moment you get off the elevator you'll recognize the hotel as where they shot the Samantha Brown on a bender scene in the final season's holiday episode.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    7/4/2013 2 check-ins here
    I'm reviewing the bar & lounge, not the hotel itself.

    Been twice.  Once for coffee at Stumptown, at the behest of a Portland native who missed it, and once for mid-day drinking.

    The coffee was swell.  The mid-day drinking was better--the bar has a dim, cool atmosphere that makes you think it's midnight when it's only 3pm.  Drinks are $14, which is both ridiculous and par for the course, because Manhattan.

    The bar itself is small but the lounge is expansive, with many sofas and tables and chairs.  It was surprisingly lively mid-day on a Wednesday, and I imagine it gets really crowded on Fridays and weekday evenings w/ an after-work crowd.
  • Review from

    • 29 friends
    • 62 reviews
    Los Angeles, CA
    8/14/2013
    I didn't think anything could top the hipster hell that is Silverlake, but the Ace does.

    I actually checked in at 7am (having caught a red eye and reserved the room from the night before). The guy at the desk couldn't be more disinterested.

    If you value your sanity, do not stay in room #303.

    I was trying to catch some shut-eye before my noon meeting, and it took me five minutes just to turn off all the lights, which, btw, have every kind of on/off switch imaginable.

    I hopped into the low but firm bed to get some much needed rest. It was then I realized I was right next to the staff cleaning room.

    For the next three hours, I lay there in misery as I heard the door slam open and shut every 2 minutes.

    "Derrick, we need another queen duvet cover," one woman ordered. That's how crystal clear the conversations were through the wall.

    To top it off, there was construction taking place in the alley my (non-openable) window overlooked and the fire alarm went off while I was trying to sleep ... twice.

    I actually like the whimsical touches like soap on a rope and the very cool shower curtain caddy, but in terms of basics -- mainly sleep -- the Ace was sorely lacking.

    Really shitty wifi in the room, too.

    Eventually, I made my way down to the lobby, which was now filled with uber-attractive hipster types swiping furiously on their tablets. As I exited the hotel, a group of guys came skateboarding up for some staff meeting. I kid you not.

    When I left, I told them about the noise, and the not-so-sympathetic front desk attendant was like, "we'll make sure you get another room next time." I'm not so sure there will be a next time.
    Comment from Sean W. of Ace Hotel New York 8/16/2013   
    Hi Lawrence Y.: Thank you for your feedback.   We were so… More »
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 20 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    8/5/2013 1 check-in here
    Nice, not as much "personality" as the Portland location but a very good place to stay in Manhattan. Lobby is a scene - 20-30 y/o hipster heaven. The Breslin restaurant is the place to have dinner if you are a committed masochist with hours to waste. The most spectacularly awful service imaginable!
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    6/26/2013 2 check-ins here
    A Hipster Happy Hour, any weeknight you so ever choose.

    Me likey mucho.
  • Review from

    • 156 friends
    • 429 reviews
    Los Angeles, CA
    8/4/2013 8 photos 5 check-ins here
    The Ace is a great place to stay at a reasonable rate- it has personality, a fun lobby/bar, Stumptown Coffee, and plenty of cool places to check out nearby. The check-in process was a breeze and my room was ready about half an hour before the check-in time (3 p.m.) and they called me to let me know. My room, a small, was the perfect size and included a guitar! And a cool heart mural over the bed. The bathroom had full-sized bottles of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner from the adjacent barber shop- great quality and smelled fresh. My room had a Smeg fridge with mini-bar goodies and room to store my own groceries. I'll definitely return to the Ace whenever possible! My bed also felt like a marshmallow- so nice after a long day of walking around the city.
    • The Thermals playing a free show in the lobby!
  • Review from

    San Francisco, CA
    6/18/2013
    I didn't stay here, but only came here for the late night drinking scene in their bar area/lobby.

    It's certainly very swank. The drinks are expensive, it's dark and plays good music, very chill vibe, and has a mixed crowd (some suit and tie folks, some younger trendy folks, and hipsters).

    Definitely a great lounge to come back to.
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    5/16/2013 1 check-in here
    This is one of the best places for people watching in the city.
    I could totally sit here on the couches for hours enjoying a Stumptown cappuccino.
    Its a great place to meet friends who are arriving from Penn station too.
    Crowd can be a little bit too cool for school, but that's part of the ambiance.
  • Review from

    • 77 friends
    • 84 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    6/2/2013
    I love this place.  I think it says a lot that this place has been around forever, been reviewed by so many, and still maintains a solid four star average rating.  This is a great place to meet up with people, whether friends, dates, colleagues or even family.  It is like trendy coffee shop by day turned hipster lounge at night.  There is no pretentiousness about the place, the couches are comfy, and it is completely as casual or as dressy as you want to be.

    I've also eaten at the Breslin Restaurant attached and it is a bona fide English restaurant.  Cow decor everywhere, I remember.  It is nice place to eat if  you want a change of pace.
  • Review from

    Sparta Township, NJ
    4/17/2013
    I was meeting up with one of my friends and we decided to get coffee.

    After revealing my outrageous coffee snobbery, my friend goes, "I hear this place serves Stumptown." Good enough for me--I was in.

    They have a pretty incredible lobby--rumor has it that the lights in the lounge are from some kind of telescope (or satellite? I don't remember).

    We both got cappucinos. They were served with raw sugar cubes (always a plus in my book) and tiny cups. The coffee? Outstanding.

    Then, the check: $6.50 a piece. Pricey, even by New York standards.

    Verdict? Worth it.

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