Ace hotel group founder dies at 47
Alex Calderwood, the co-founder of the Ace Hotel chain, has died.
Calderwood was 47. He was discovered in a room in the London Ace hotel on Thursday.
A blog posted on the Ace hotel group website on 15 November said: "Yesterday Alex Calderwood passed away. Alex was our teacher, mentor, guru and most importantly our dear friend. We will miss him."
Calderwood launched Ace hotel group in 2009 with two friends. It made a name for having an un-hotel like approach to design with features like vintage furniture, unpainted metal doors and original artwork. Unusual in-bedroom touches include record players and staff-curated vinyl.
More hotels followed, including Portland, New York, Palm Springs and London.
The 265-bedroom hotel in Shoreditch, London opened in September. At the time of its opening Calderwood said he intended to introduce to London the same affordable hotel experience with a strong connection to the local culture which he had successfully created in four locations in the USA.
"Ace Hotel London Shoreditch marks our first expansion into Europe," said Calderwood at the time. "We envision Ace London appealing to active participants in the creative arts and new media industries as well as the culturally curious business and leisure traveller."
The New York property, which was described by the New York Times as "the country's most original new hotel" features a Michelin-starred restaurant, the Breslin, and the John Dory Oyster Bar, run by British chef April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman of Spotted Pig fame.
