It's been a rocky first few months for the Ace Hotel, the ultra-cool rebirth of the historic yet down-on-its-luck Breslin Hotel just off a colorful stretch of Broadway. While the lobby bar, Stumptown coffee shop and Breslin restaurant have opened to widespread hipster acclaim, the leftover tenants from the old SRO days have been less than thrilled. But angry residents and fancy coffee are old news. What's up with the Ace lately? Well, according to tech investor and entrepreneur Charlie O'Donnell, the Ace Hotel lobby "has become something of a phenomenon" for the startup crowd. He writes on his blog:
With a long study hall style table, comfortable couches, and wifi whose codes are the worst kept secret since USV’s Foursquare funding, the Ace had attracted a growing following from the New York City startup world. The Stumptown Coffee right off the lobby doesn’t hurt the geek pull either—everyone knows high quality caffeine is the fuel that makes code go. But all may not be well in the Ace's new Nerdville.
The question is whether the Ace Hotel will embrace its newfound friends in the Big Apple's creative class. While the waitresses aren’t pushy with getting people to order—yet—little cards have started showing up reminding folks that these seats are "guest only". I’ve yet to find a guest among the Ace’s laptop nation yet, but I’m currently sitting within spitting distance of Malcolm Gladwell as I write this. I’m pretty sure he’s not staying at the hotel either.They're going to give Malcolm Gladwell the boot?! Actually, it might be the man himself who is doing the booting, as Ace hotelier Alex Calderwood bears more than a passing resemblance to the wild-maned Gladwell. If the freeloaders do get evicted, we're sure the old folks upstairs would welcome them over for a nice venting sesh.
· Will the Ace Hotel embrace the innovation community? [This is going to be BIG]
· Ace Hotel coverage [Curbed]
· Ace Hotel [Official Site]
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