Travel / Hotels: Ace: the Place Between Boutique and Cheap

Seattle buddies and night-life impresarios Wade Weigel and Alex Calderwood realized that there was really no place to stay for the people in their crowd--designers, DJs and other fashion-conscious urbanites. So with partner Doug Herrick they took over a former halfway house in a downtown neighborhood and created Ace, Seattle's new haven for flophouse chic--a mode that could be hospitality's next wave. "They're outsiders," says Ian Schrager, the pioneer of hip hotels. "Which is the way we were, and which I like."

Ace is a kind of superaesthetic barrack, with an in-the-know economy of style. Vintage French army blankets cover the low-to-the-ground beds, and institutional stainless-steel sinks are bolted to the wall. Floor-to-ceiling photo murals and graffiti art offer the only adornments, while a glowing white cube on the floor helps illuminate. Instead of chocolates and a Bible, the Ace offers a couple of condoms and the Kama Sutra. Most of the rooms are no bigger than they were when the Peniel Mission ran the place, but rates haven't gone up much either: prices start at $65.

Oh, did we mention the half a dozen bathrooms shared by 15 guest rooms? "That wasn't our first plan," says Herrick, "but that's all we could afford."

While the Ace's owners build additional rooms, they are also thinking about creating more properties. "You can apply this to almost any industry," says Calderwood. "It sounds corny, but what about dry cleaners? Why doesn't anyone make that cool and interesting?" No starch, please; we're from Seattle.

--By Mark D. Fefer