For a Vibrant and Evolving Community

ACE Hotel’s website features the following as its top “welcome message”:

“ACE Hotel is a collection of individualities, creating a diverse and inclusive presence for the sensation-seekers who respond to their sensibilities.

ACE Hotel exists not merely as the result of a regeneration project. It is constantly being “rewritten” into its ideal form, to keep the hotel itself alive as something fresh, energetic, and human.

ACE Hotel always strives to be engaging for a vibrant and evolving community. We believe that hospitality is compassion—a genuine care for living together with the happiness and empathy of others, not mere subservience.”

The Utmost Dedication to a Sacred Realm

ACE already has many fans in Japan.

The key to its uniqueness lies in the astonishing 100% commitment to its styling concept and aesthetic. Beyond whether ACE’s style is good or bad, liked or disliked, its unwavering dedication to expression, its absolute refusal to waver or compromise, reaches an almost sacred level.

The power of this soft, thorough approach—the ability to embody the desired environment through graphic design, interior design, form, color, and materials—is remarkable. These are superb examples of projects that have thoroughly renovated and revitalized old hotels and buildings from the 1920s and 1930s, transforming them into their ideal vision.

Almost nothing from the original structure remains; only the frames have been inherited. Most elements have been newly added, repainted, and coordinated. Every element, from the interior materials to the soaps and bathrobes in the rooms, is unified by a single set of values and aesthetics. This unified set is then further expanded for each individual room using different materials and tools. No two rooms have the same interior; each features various unique touches.

A Hotel Where You Might Encounter the Sheep Man

For our guests, to ensure our guests have a comfortable stay...

I had always believed this to be the fundamental value of hotel management and existence. But ACE is different. The hotel's desire to be, and its intention to be, takes precedence.

This expression, as the ACE world, takes precedence in all aspects, much like Haruki Murakami's world. The Sheep Man, emerging from the mysterious dimension of the Dolphin Hotel, lurks in the corridors, shared bathrooms, under breakfast tables, and behind headboards, startling guests before quickly vanishing. This is how one can experience the feeling of encountering the Sheep Man at ACE.

The website is similarly designed with a tabloid-like layout. It operates under rules unrelated to generality or universality, rules that seem to stem from a place akin to the directionless Talmud or a mandala. Whether it's a cool game played by the Sheep Men of Portland or something else, it undoubtedly exists within a specific realm of sensibility.

A Hotel as a Community for the Culturally Sensitive

This first-class creativity, which relentlessly pursues a strong, unwavering concept and style in all aspects, was likely achieved through solid teamwork.

The strength of this project—meticulously discussed, selected, and planned by everyone involved, from design and interiors to finishing work, coordination, construction, and site supervision—is palpable.

While many concepts and businesses aim for the lowest common denominator or greatest common multiple, seeking to be “good for everyone,” this Dolphin Hotel, or rather, Hotel ACE, possesses a unique and powerful message. Will we see more hotels like this in the future?

In contrast to traditional, high-class five-star hotels, we are seeing the rise of bohemian-chic, hip ACE-style hotels, or sophisticated and stylish hotels like Singapore's LLOYD’S (http://lloydsinn.com/),
and England's At the Chapel (www.atthechapel.co.uk). I believe many more hotels will emerge as communities for the culturally sensitive.

We are witnessing a shift in how people choose and experience hotels. Beyond mere comfort, luxury, or value, there's a growing desire to be stimulated by hotels that align with one's personal style and taste, and to enjoy a casual hotel life as part of a community or membership. This evolving perspective on hotel usage and stays is becoming increasingly evident.

Design & Planning
Yoko Ueno Lewis

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