Inside the latest offering from the hipster Ace Hotel chain – a Brooklyn outpost fizzing with energy that has squishy leather sofas, an in-house bakery and rooms with record players
- The Ace hotel chain has opened its latest outpost in Boerum Hill on the edge of Downtown Brooklyn
- The guest rooms feature retro details such as mid-century furniture and vinyl record players
- Pasty chef extraordinaire Danny Alvarez heads up the hotel’s bakery, which serves PB&J doughnuts
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It’s just before 6pm when I check in to the Ace Hotel Brooklyn and the place is fizzing with energy.
The lobby is packed with people finishing off Zoom calls, groups of friends chatting over cocktails and cool couples on Hinge dates.
The Ace brand has a reputation for turning buildings into social hubs for travellers and the local community. Clearly, it’s already working its magic here.
Ace Hotel Brooklyn is located in Boerum Hill on the edge of Downtown Brooklyn
MailOnline Travel’s Samantha Lewis says the lobby, pictured above, is ‘fizzing with energy’ when she arrives
The latest outpost is in Boerum Hill on the edge of Downtown Brooklyn. It’s an emerging area close to the Hoyt-Schermerhorn station with easy access into Manhattan.
While the building’s facade is a harsh mass of concrete and steel, inside the aesthetic is super-cosy. A warm amber glow lights the wood-panelled lobby, which has squishy leather sofas, a couple of bars and a gallery space.
Upstairs the decor gets more eclectic with plenty of retro details. The gym is a throwback to the 80s with vintage exercise machines and bodybuilder posters.
The rooms have a vintage vibe, says Samantha. Pictured is a Medium Skyline room, which has floor-to-ceiling windows
Pictured is one of the bathrooms
Meanwhile, the guest rooms are filled with mid-century furniture, turntables and vinyl records curated by Rough Trade (can you get any more hipster?).
My room is on the ninth floor and has a brilliant view of the swooping arc of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn with Staten Island.
The space is decently-sized and very functional but it’s a little lacking in luxury touches.
Bottles of water aren’t provided (you have to go to a refill station at the end of the corridor) and in place of a cavernous wardrobe there’s just a tiny rail to hang my clothes.
What’s the thinking behind this? The Ace is what the travel industry calls a ‘lean luxury’ hotel. It’s all about cutting back on amenities and being smart with space in order to make the rooms more budget-friendly.
For dinner I head to the adjoining restaurant, As You Are, which looks like an upmarket diner with a menu that celebrates Brooklyn culture and cuisine.
I happily tuck into a plate of crispy Brussels sprouts to start, followed by grilled halibut with freekeh tabbouleh. The meal ends on a high note with toasted oat ice cream that arrives swimming in thick toffee sauce.
Come morning the restaurant morphs into an all-day cafe with a bakery headed up by pastry chef extraordinaire Danny Alvarez.
Samantha dines in the adjoining restaurant, As You Are, which has a menu that ‘celebrates Brooklyn culture and cuisine’
‘As far as hipster hotels go, this one has to be right up there,’ writes Samantha
Pasty chef extraordinaire Danny Alvarez heads up the bakery (above), which serves treats such as PB&J doughnuts
The hotel’s gym is a throwback to the 80s, with vintage exercise machines and bodybuilder posters
Samantha describes the exterior of Ace Hotel Brooklyn as ‘a harsh mass of concrete and steel’. But inside, she enthuses that ‘the aesthetic is super-cosy’
When I show up most tables are occupied and the takeaway queue is outside the door. I can’t resist ordering a PB&J doughnut and a pastel de nata (both incredible).
Back in the lobby, a table of creatives are huddled over MacBooks having a breakfast pow-wow.
As far as hipster hotels go, this one has to be right up there.
TRAVEL FACTS
Sam was hosted by Ace Hotel Brooklyn, 252 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
Rates start from $299 (£225) + tax per night. For more information visit acehotel.com/brooklyn.
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