Ace Hotel Brooklyn, New York City
Brutalist Beauty, Brooklyn Soul
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● A striking Brutalist landmark where Roman and Williams transformed raw concrete architecture into one of Brooklyn’s warmest creative spaces.
● Authentic connection to Brooklyn’s artistic community through rotating exhibitions, local makers, and thoughtfully curated interiors.
● A hotel that feels less like a destination and more like the neighbourhood’s living room—equally loved by locals and travellers.
Brooklyn’s Creative Heart
When Ace Hotels first emerged in Seattle in 1999, they changed the language of boutique hospitality. Music, design, creativity, and community mattered as much as thread counts and concierge desks. Ace Hotel Brooklyn represents the brand at its most refined. Located in Boerum Hill, inside a striking concrete building designed by Stonehill Taylor, the hotel trades Williamsburg’s familiar industrial aesthetic for something more architectural. Its imposing Brutalist exterior gives little away, but step inside and the atmosphere changes instantly. Warm timber, handcrafted furniture, vintage finds, and soft lighting transform the monumental structure into a welcoming social space that feels unmistakably Brooklyn.
Concrete Softened by Craft
The interiors, created by celebrated design studio Roman and Williams, balance strength with warmth. Inspired in part by the timeless elegance of Tokyo’s legendary Hotel Okura, the lobby features soaring Georgian-style windows, rich wood finishes, handcrafted details, and a spectacular cascading light installation that immediately draws the eye upward. Art is woven into every corner. A sculptural bar by Verdan Jakšić anchors the lobby, while works by Tara Geer and a rotating exhibition programme celebrate Brooklyn’s thriving creative community. Rather than decorating the hotel, art becomes part of its identity. The result feels less like a hotel lobby and more like a cultural salon where locals work, meet, linger, and return.
Rooms That Feel Like Artists’ Lofts
The 287 guest rooms continue the dialogue between industrial architecture and residential comfort. Exposed concrete ceilings, oversized warehouse-style windows, tactile textiles, handcrafted furniture, and custom pieces create spaces inspired by European modernist studios and Brooklyn loft living. Many rooms feature Music Hall turntables or handcrafted D’Angelico guitars, while Smeg refrigerators, Tivoli radios, and artworks by local textile artists reinforce the hotel’s deep connection to Brooklyn’s makers and musicians. Nothing feels generic. Every room carries its own quiet personality.
Made for Gathering
Like every great Ace Hotel, the public spaces are as important as the guestrooms. The Lobby Bar effortlessly shifts throughout the day—from café and co-working space to cocktail destination—creating the kind of informal atmosphere that has become one of the brand’s signatures. Lele’s Roman brings contemporary Italian cooking to Boerum Hill in a retro-inspired dining room filled with warm colours and vintage influences, while Koju offers one of Brooklyn’s most intimate omakase experiences. Throughout the year, artist residencies, exhibitions, live music, and cultural programming ensure the building remains closely connected to the creative energy of its neighbourhood.
Brooklyn Without Pretence
The location places guests within walking distance of BAM, Barclays Center, Fort Greene, Cobble Hill, and countless independent cafés, galleries, bookstores, and boutiques. Multiple subway lines connect Manhattan within minutes, yet the hotel encourages visitors to embrace Brooklyn on its own terms. This is not a hotel that isolates guests from the city. Instead, it invites them directly into it.
Why It Works
Many lifestyle hotels try to manufacture authenticity. Ace Hotel Brooklyn simply reflects the neighbourhood around it. Its Brutalist architecture, thoughtful design, local collaborations, and welcoming social spaces create an atmosphere that feels effortless rather than curated. Creative without becoming self-conscious, stylish without chasing trends, it captures the spirit of contemporary Brooklyn better than almost anywhere else. For travellers who believe a hotel should feel like part of the city rather than separate from it, Ace Hotel Brooklyn remains one of New York’s most rewarding places to stay.
