SubscribeSign In
Project posted by Dwell
Editor’s Pick

Ace Hotel & Swim Club

View 9 Photos
Location
Palm Springs, California
Structure
Hotel
Style
Midcentury

Rental for 2 Guests

$109 / night
Check Availability
Theirs is not the intimidating, almost alienating brand of cool that seems to be the goal of the typical modern urban boutique hotel. Though design is a vital element in the Ace hotels, nowhere is it prankish or self-consciously avant-garde. One struggles to find a better word than “funky” to describe the sensibility: vintage but not retro, with a celebratory respect paid to the past rather than an ironic arched eyebrow. And sustainability here is not a slogan or a mission statement but an organic side effect of the use of second-hand furniture and surplus hardware.
Theirs is not the intimidating, almost alienating brand of cool that seems to be the goal of the typical modern urban boutique hotel. Though design is a vital element in the Ace hotels, nowhere is it prankish or self-consciously avant-garde. One struggles to find a better word than “funky” to describe the sensibility: vintage but not retro, with a celebratory respect paid to the past rather than an ironic arched eyebrow. And sustainability here is not a slogan or a mission statement but an organic side effect of the use of second-hand furniture and surplus hardware.
Any hip hotel presents its own version of an idealized lifestyle. But while some present a consumerist bachelor-pad fantasy, others an elitist fashion-insider vibe, the Ace hotels feel democratic, participatory, accessible. Maybe it’s a product of the brand’s origin in the Pacific Northwest, a region that’s known for an egalitarian, community-oriented philosophy. At the Ace Palm Springs you don’t occupy spaces created by big-name designers, dine in a celebrity chef’s concept restaurant, or drink in some nightclub impresario’s branded cocktail bar. Here you drink in a high-desert dive bar and sit for meals in a repurposed diner — lunch counter and all — and order from a menu that’s high-quality and locally sourced but still comfortingly familiar.
Any hip hotel presents its own version of an idealized lifestyle. But while some present a consumerist bachelor-pad fantasy, others an elitist fashion-insider vibe, the Ace hotels feel democratic, participatory, accessible. Maybe it’s a product of the brand’s origin in the Pacific Northwest, a region that’s known for an egalitarian, community-oriented philosophy. At the Ace Palm Springs you don’t occupy spaces created by big-name designers, dine in a celebrity chef’s concept restaurant, or drink in some nightclub impresario’s branded cocktail bar. Here you drink in a high-desert dive bar and sit for meals in a repurposed diner — lunch counter and all — and order from a menu that’s high-quality and locally sourced but still comfortingly familiar.
The inclusive approach makes for an interesting crowd, as does the very reasonable price point. The social life is among the Ace’s strengths, but in a natural, organic way. Rather than a desperate closing-time atmosphere over expensive cocktails, the Ace fosters a sense of genuine camaraderie. The poolside atmosphere, and in fact the atmosphere throughout, is more summer camp than fashion show, and it threatens to put Palm Springs back on the map for a whole new generation.
The inclusive approach makes for an interesting crowd, as does the very reasonable price point. The social life is among the Ace’s strengths, but in a natural, organic way. Rather than a desperate closing-time atmosphere over expensive cocktails, the Ace fosters a sense of genuine camaraderie. The poolside atmosphere, and in fact the atmosphere throughout, is more summer camp than fashion show, and it threatens to put Palm Springs back on the map for a whole new generation.

Credits

Posted by
Photographer
Ace Hotel and Swim Club
Publications
Dwell
Dwell

From Dwell

Set against the backdrop of the dry desert hills, the Ace's white buildings are an unpretentious makeover of an existing, rundown roadside motel. The rooms sit around a central common space with two pools and an event hall, and in a former Denny's on the corner of the property are King's Highway and The Amigo Room, the hotel's restaurant and bar. The rooms, which range in price from $109 for a Simple King to $999 for the Ace Suite, could be characterized as Bedouin tent meets skater chic, curated by the world's best flea market scavenger.

The Ace Palm Springs was designed through a collaboration between LA-based company called Commune and the Ace's own design team, Atelier Ace. They approached the project as a curatorial endeavor, commissioning a number of artists and artisans from southern California and the Southwest to piece together the design elements. The long list includes custom screenprinted duvet covers from Freecity, art prints by Evan Hecox, handcrafted wood furniture by Alma Allen, and instructional signs by The Date Farmers (including the map below).