New York hotel review: Hipster haven Ace Hotel
In the latest in our series on the worlds top hotels and the stars who frequent them, we check out Ace Hotel in New York, a hip enclave favoured by the stars of Dr Who... and Miss Piggy.
Star quality
Dr Who stars Karen Gillan and Matt Smith, Hollywood actress Kirsten Dunst, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, singer and actress Kelly Osbourne, Muppet diva Miss Piggy.
Room style: Many of its 260 rooms have a guitar placed in a corner
Vital statistics
Its the sort of hotel where bookings should come with a hefty serving of irony. Many of its 260 rooms have a guitar thoughtfully placed in one corner in case you need to serenade a loved one, and doormen are adorned with copious amounts of body art.
A few of the rooms come with bunk beds for the perpetual adolescent, and turntables so that the iTunes generation can get acquainted with vinyl records. There is also a supply of Pot Noodles - but one things for certain: guests at the Ace dont go hungry.
British-born chef April Bloomfield is at the helm of The Breslin, the hotels restaurant, famed for its artery-hardening, meat-minded food - including whole pigs and lamb; its famed lamb burger and chips costs 13. In the lobby is the John Dory Oyster Bar and Stumphouse Coffee, where they serve up some of the citys most serious espresso, even if the baristas do wear flat caps and trilbys while doing so.
Housed in a 1904 building that was once a rooming house - and there are still some permanent residents in the building - this is a clever reinvention of an element of New Yorks history.
Bare essentials: Dr Who star Karen Gillan was found naked in a corridor during a stay at Ace Hotel
Location report
On Broadway and 29th Street, the Ace is close to the theatre district and Madison Square Garden but actually in Korea Town. However, it is moments from the subway and not far from the Empire State Building; some rooms look on to it.
Key attraction
This hotel is a hipster enclave par excellence, but it also happens to be a great hotel with admirably little in the way of attitude. The hotels shops may sell witty, message-laden T-shirts but you can also pick up a packet of Haribo sweets; shoppers have included Dunst and Osbourne. Liberty Hall, the hotels ballroom, hosts performances by up-and-coming bands.
In the news
Earlier this year, Dr Who star Gillan, who plays the Time Lords companion Amy Pond, was found naked in a corridor at the hotel - a security guard quickly escorted her back to her room. Miss Piggy, the iconic Muppet, is due to make an appearance there next month.
Good enough for the rest of us?
Rooms start at 170 but customers at Stumphouse Coffee can take their coffee and drink it in the lobby while they use the hotel wi-fi - which makes the Ace perfect for Facebook founder Zuckerberg when hes in town.
Getting there
Three nights in New York with Virgin Holidays, including flights and room only accommodation starts from 925pp. To book: 0844 557 3859, www.virginholidays.co.uk.
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