Ace Hotel Portland

OUR ARTICLE

Established in 2007, the Ace Hotel in Portland has been on the scene for just over a decade, but it’s already cemented its pop culture celebrity status. Having taken up residence in the old Clyde Hotel building in downtown PDX, the hotel’s lobby served as a location for the Gus Van Sant cult classic Drugstore Cowboy in its previous life. Then in 2011, it was parodied on a Portlandia sketch as the “Deuce Hotel” where obnoxiously hip staff hand out complimentary turntables and typewriters to all guests.

The caricature is delightfully apt. Other hotels boast about well-stocked minibars, but at the Ace Hotel in Portland, some of the rooms are equipped with a record player and an assortment of vinyl. There’s a monthly music series put on by indie record label Sounds et al. Floor-to-ceiling art is painted on accent walls, and every room is dog-friendly, so you can bring Rusty without the usual hassle.

A stay here will put you squarely in one of the coolest parts of the city. The formerly low rent West End neighborhood is now a vibrant creative hub dotted with indie shops you can’t find anywhere else. A stroll around the block will take you to Danner to snag a new pair of boots. Next stop is Powell’s in the Pearl District to pick up some Kerouac for the rest of your journey.

When exploring Bridgetown, the Ace makes it easy to get around with bikes you can borrow, as well as handmade special edition Jordan Hufnagel bikes available to rent.

Not that there’s much of a need to venture out. The hotel is rife with inviting public spaces to make new friends or just chill and daydream about your next tattoo. When the clock strikes Scotch o’clock, proceed downstairs to Pépé le Moko, the intimate, dimly-lit speakeasy in the basement, and sidle up at the bar for a superior cocktail experience. On the way in, we suggest stopping at one of Clyde Common’s communal tables for happy hour to demolish a Bourbon Renewal and Kobe beef skewers.

Don’t worry if the night goes long, with a Stumptown Coffee shop connected to the lobby, the hangover will soon be nothing but a distant memory. The Pacific Northwest is basically the Silicon Valley of java with a lowercase “j,” they don’t mess with Folgers. When in Rome, you might as well take advantage of the craft coffee.

After giving our highest praise to Ace Hotel in Portland, we feel like it’s our duty to tell you straight up: you may never want to leave. Bring a duffle bag big enough to accommodate a potential itinerary change and consider yourself warned.