Earlier today I began my tour of Portland's Ace Hotel. Welcome to Part Deux.
As they planned the hotel, the designers were interested in instilling a real sense of Portland life into the rooms, top to bottom, so they sourced lots of quirky vintage elements locally. Since the city is somewhat of a vinyl collector's mecca, Ace rocked out 14 of their suites with high-quality turntables, and allows guests access to a record library. Room numbers were inspired by the simple coding found on most Portland telephone poles, and Ace tracked down the Irwin-Hodson Co., WWII specialists in embossed metal tags, to create them, along with directional signage and graphics throughout the building. Edison light fixtures were sourced from Schoolhouse Electric, the 150-year-old locally based lighting company. Ace also commissioned Pendleton Woolen Mills, a 100+-year-old firm, to create custom wool blankets with a bunk-y, period feel, featuring a local icon, the Thompson Elk. And big fun—there's a working old-school photo booth in the lobby!
What really sets this hotel apart is that no room is alike, and most are decorated to feel like real bedrooms. Half of the rooms are decorated with the work of artists, local (Brent Wick) and international (Kenzo Minami), and the rest by Ace's in-house graphic team (and they ain't bad either). They also feature green mattresses, headboards upholstered in recycled army ponchos, U.S. domestic mailbags turned laundry bags, and lots of other cozy, vintage elements, all used minimally and with clean lines, not flea market clutter. The rates are also really affordable: with budget 'band rooms' (named for penny-pinching touring musicians) with bunk beds and shared baths at $95 a night to giant, airy deluxe rooms at $250 a night. I don't know if I'll make it to Portland, but if I do, you can find me there. Until then, I'll just be drooling over these photos—and the founders, 'cause they're dreamy too.
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That giant cat freaks me out!