ICON. INSPIRATION. ENTREPRENEUR. INFLUENCE. Alex Calderwood made his vision come to life - a vision characterized by the need to bridge the gap between the service found in luxury hotels and a room rate that won’t break the bank. And BAM - The Ace Hotel concept was born. With 4 locations in the US (and subsequent plans to expand) - Calderwood’s vision has taken him from a young guy with a vision to a global influential tastemaker.

My chat with Mr. Calderwood - below…

Before we we dive into the subject of the Ace Hotel - it’s quite interesting to understand your career path. Alongside partner Wade Weigel, you launched Rudy’s Barbershop in Seattle in 1993. What was your original motivation to start Rudy’s? How has it changed/expanded since?

Back then; I used to walk by Sig’s barbershop in Seattle.  I always thought the look of it was cool, but thought t would be more interesting with younger stylists.  I fantasized about buying that shop.  At the same time my (now) business partner, Wade, would travel often to London for work, and loved seeing the barbers at the Camden Market, with just a chair + scissors.  He loved the spontaneity of it.  So one day, we shared our stories with one another and Wade had the brilliant idea of setting up own shop. We scraped together our pennies and built the first Rudy’s for about $15,000.  I wish we could build them that cheaply again!

(ACE HOTEL - NEW YORK)

Quite the entrepreneur - you then went on to form NeverStop with Nasir Rasheed. Tell us a little bit about this unique concept.

Around the same time we started Rudy’s, I used to throw warehouse parities, and earned a rep for this.  My partners and I moved on to produce concerts.  Then we started getting asked to events for local companies…which was more profitable.  As we worked more closely with these companies, we got asked to do events outside Seattle, packaging design, graphic design, marketing initiatives, etc. We always said yes + figured it out as we went along. The talent we accumulated from these endeavors, turned into Neverstop.  Now we do much more sophisticated projects all over the word.

(ACE HOTEL - NEW YORK)

It has been stated that the Ace Hotel Group was established as a way to fill the gap between high style and authentic hotels that were also quite affordable. What event in your life triggered this step forward?

Just a love of travel and hotels.

ACE HOTEL - PALM SPRINGS)

Launching your first hotel in Seattle, you brought your second location to Portland in 2007. What is it about these two locations that you believed would provided good testing grounds?

The buildings were a good fit for us aesthetically and also available. These cities are just “off the beaten path” and as such enabled us to provide a good value to the customer in terms of price point.

You recently launched the Ace Hotel New York. How would you describe the interior aesthetic of this hotel?

Our intention was to create an instant classic.  We stripped back to the bones of this 1904 building.  Our decisions were born of a sort of spare classicism…A mixture of custom design furniture + unique “found” pieces.  A type of modern bohemia.

(ACE HOTEL - PORTLAND)

It’s often said that “you pay for the best service” - but the Ace Hotel business model challenges that notation. What do you think sets the Ace Hotel apart from other hotels?

For us, service is just natural instinct.  It’s like taking care of friends.  Good service doesn’t cost anymore than bad service.

Your latest hotel is the Ace Hotel and Swim Club in Palm Springs. This location is quite different from your others. What do you see as the defining characteristics of this property?

We liked the challenge of applying our spirit and ethos to a resort style property.

(ALEX CALDERWOOD - THE MAN HIMSELF)

From Barbershop owner to established Hotelier, what are some other hotels worldwide that peak your interests?

A couple of my favorites…

The Dylan, formerly Blakes, in Amsterdam.

The Mercer in NYC.

I am curious about Basico in Mexico.

Also there is a hotel in a coastal area of Japan, designed by Tadao Ando, that I would love to visit.

There is a heavy emphasis on use of typography throughout your rooms - including my favorite “Let’s Get Lost” emblazoned across the headboard in one of your NYC rooms. How were these statements chosen?

Mostly from the Ace Atelier.  Our Creative Director, Jeremy, is brilliant when it comes to copy.  Also, our resident artist, Johnee Eschleman, is also a big part of this effort.

(ACE HOTEL - SEATTLE)

Besides being a self-proclaimed “Hotel Junkie”, I am also a “Business Card Junkie” - as I think ones card really says a lot about themselves. From the font, to the information provided to the card stock - it really is a personality indicator. I’ve heard rumblings that your business card is quite unique. What can we find on your biz card?

There is no address on it…which I guess is not traditional, but who knows where I’ll be. There are both Chinese + Japanese translations of my name, as Neverstop does a lot of business there.  My title is Cultural engineer.

Where are other international locations that you could see an Ace Hotel fitting in perfectly?

Too many to count…Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris are the ones that are obvious to me.

(ACE HOTEL - NEW YORK)

What are you currently working on?

Finishing the NY hotel…the restaurant is opening this weekend, and we are finalizing the retails aspects of the hotel.

Who has had the biggest influence on who you are today?

All the creative people that I have worked with over the years.

(ACE HOTEL - PORTLAND)

What is one song lyric that sums up your personality?

Hmmmm….I will have to think about that one for a long time….