Ace Hotel ~ Hip Rooms Under $100 {NYC, Palm Springs, Seattle, Portland}

Why let being on a budget cramp your style? Ace Hotel, which started in Seattle and has expanded to include Portland, Palm Springs and NYC, offers a lively alternative to the typical budget chain  – with turntables and vintage records in the rooms, indie artwork adorning the walls, and industrial-chic fittings, it makes me want to plan a cross-country road trip just so I can hit each one!

I love the laid-back bohemian vibe of the Palm Springs location (pictured above and below), where you can have a massage in a yurt, lounge in a hammock, or slurp a “booze sno cone” by the saline pool and hot tub. Some of the pricier rooms include private patios and outdoor fireplaces, but a simple king room is just $99 bucks – or $89 on a weeknight.

Ace Hotel Palm Springs

I am crazy about the idea of chic-and-cheap hotels, and I would love to see more open up around the country. As far as I can tell, there is no reason this couldn’t become a growing trend – there are so many talented, creative people out there doing amazing things on tight budgets, why not? Imagine being able to drive cross-country and stay each night in a completely unique little hotel with a real sense of place – I mean, how cool would that be?

Ace Hotel Portland

The thing that excites me the most about Ace Hotel is the sense of place. Just look at the photos of Ace Hotel Portland (above): everything from the local art and eclectic furniture to the concert posters in the bathroom supports the handmade-indie-rock vibe that Portland is known for. If I am going to the trouble of visiting a place, I want to feel that I’ve really been there – and it’s hard for that to happen in a cookie-cutter hotel room that looks identical to five million others around the world, know what I mean? Whenever I do make it to Portland to visit the family and friends I have out there, Ace Hotel will be right at the top of my list. Well, that is, if there’s no room for me on the couch :)

Ace Hotel Website

{images: Ace Hotel}