Atelier Ace, the in-house creative studio that develops and operates Ace Hotel, continues to expand the Ace Hotel brand across the Asia Pacific and has appointed global communications agency PURPLE to act as its press office within the region. PURPLE will serve as agency of record for the brand, with a particular focus on recent openings Ace Hotel Kyoto and Ace Hotel Sydney.
Following those successful openings, the brand has announced its forthcoming location in Fukuoka, Japan, slated to open in 2027. In addition, Ace will bring famed Copenhagen restaurant, René Redzepi’s noma, back to Ace Hotel Kyoto later this year for its second residency at the hotel. Ace Hotel Sydney continues to pick up accolades for its food and beverage program, with marquee restaurant Kiln, led by Chef-Partner Mitch Orr, consistently rated among the city’s best.
The Ace Hotel brand was founded in Seattle in the US’s Pacific Northwest region in 1999 and has grown to include locations in Portland, New York, Palm Springs, New Orleans, Kyoto, Brooklyn, Sydney and Toronto. Ace Hotel Fukuoka is currently due for completion in 2027.
Known for its pioneering reimagining of what a hotel can and should be, the Ace brand introduced the concept of communal lobbies, utilizing space that was traditionally designated for hotel guests only by opening it up to the local community. When it opened in 2009, the Ace Hotel New York lobby became known as a place for all, activated by public programming, parties, exhibitions and fashion shows, with all new Ace locations following suit. Ace’s partnerships have spanned the worlds of music, art, design, fashion and craft, including collaborative product releases with fashion brands Converse, Vans, Opening Ceremony and BEAMS; programming with organizations and luminaries as diverse as filmmakers David Lynch and Mike Mills, activist Gloria Steinham, architect Kengo Kuma, rappers Run The Jewels, and artists including KAWS, Shepherd Fairey, and Stan Bitters; and mini-music festivals such as the two-week long Coachella-adjacent party Desert Gold at Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs, and Six of Saturns, Ace Hotel New Orleans’ answer to Jazz Fest.
Working with world renowned architects, designers and artists to create its spaces, Ace’s properties have received many accolades for both design and hospitality, with new openings consistently landing on Travel + Leisure’s It List and Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List.
Food and beverage is at the forefront of Ace Hotel’s DNA and Ace has a long history of working with leading chefs throughout the world including Michelin-starred chef Patrick Kriss (Alder, Ace Hotel Toronto), Marc Vetri (Mr Maurice’s Italian, Ace Hotel Kyoto), and Mitch Orr (Kiln, Ace Hotel Sydney). Ace prides itself on delivering the very best hospitality, and its restaurants and bars are considered among the best in their respective cities, and are destinations in their own right.
News from Ace Hotel includes:
● Ace Hotel Fukuoka to open in 2027 – This will be Ace’s second hotel in the country and will be located in the Tenjin neighborhood in the Japanese city of Fukuoka, located on the northern shore of Japan’s Kyushu Island. Ace Hotel Fukuoka is currently slated to open in 2027, developed in partnership with Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.
● noma residency returns to Ace Hotel Kyoto – Following the restaurant’s sold out Spring residency at the hotel in 2023, the lauded Copenhagen restaurant noma led by Chef René Redzepi will be returning to Japan for their second residency opening on Tuesday, October 8, and closing on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. The noma team will return to its original inspiration for a residency in Kyoto – Autumn – crafting a tasting menu inspired by the season’s distinct ingredients, against the backdrop of the changing colors of Kyoto’s Autumn leaves. Lunch and dinner reservations will open on Tuesday May 14 at 4am PDT / 7am EDT / 1pm CEST / 8pm JST / 9pm AEST via noma’s newsletter, with Ace Hotel Kyoto’s website simultaneously offering an accommodation package that includes access to dining at the residency.
● Ace Hotel Sydney’s marquee rooftop restaurant Kiln scoops dining awards – Led by Chef-Partner Mitch Orr, Kiln takes its place on the hotel’s rooftop, 18 stories above Surry Hills. The menu is rooted in contemporary Australian cuisine that focuses on high quality regional produce, meats and seafood, cooked over the restaurant’s signature wood-fired hearth. Chef Mitch draws inspiration from the flavours of Italy, Japan and Southeast Asia, showcasing his renowned genre- bending, innovative-yet-unpretentious approach to cooking. Since opening Kiln has won many awards including Good Food Guide’s New Restaurant of the Year (2022) and Australian Gourmet Traveller’s Top 25 Restaurants of NSW (2023).
● Ace Hotel launches global Artist in Residence program – In 2023 Ace welcomed the return of its long-running Artist in Residence (AIR) program. The AIR program — which hosted over 350 artists at Ace properties in the last decade — is now running at seven Ace locations globally, providing all participating artists space to both create and exhibit work. Ace Hotel Sydney’s AIR program highlights four Indigenous artists including Jazz Money, Mia Boe, Solomon Booth and Madison Gibbs, while Ace Hotel Kyoto’s current AIR program is curated by Takashi Murakami’s Kaikai Kiki Gallery, GEISAI featuring artists MOUSO-YATAI Producer, Momo, Mitsuko Watanabe and Gento.
For more information on the Ace brand, please visit www.acehotel.com or @acehotel.
For more information on Ace Hotel Kyoto, please visit www.acehotel.com/kyoto/ or @acehotelkyoto.
For more information on Ace Hotel Sydney, please visit www.acehotel.com/sydney/ or @acehotelsydney
