Editorial score of 8.6 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why does Ace Hotel New York rank where it does?
Ace Hotel New York earns its place on the strength of its lobby, its location and its cultural influence rather than the plushness of its rooms. When it opened at 20 West 29th Street in 2009 it changed what a New York hotel lobby could be: the ground floor, with its coffee shop, its bar, its Wi-Fi and its communal tables, mixed hotel guests, neighbourhood creatives and remote workers into a single room, and it became the model that every design hotel in the city has tried to reproduce since. More than fifteen years on, the lobby still runs with that original vitality, and the NoMad address around it carries the location score outright. This is the reason to book, and it is a genuinely distinctive one.
The reason the overall score sits mid-pack is honest and specific. This is a scene, not a sanctuary. Entry rooms are genuinely small, several with windows onto the street rather than a view, and the 2009 build shows its age in some bathrooms, which is why guest scores run lower than the design-press reputation, around 7.6 on Booking.com and 4.0 of 5 on Tripadvisor, with the deductions clustering on dated bathrooms, compact rooms and low-floor street noise. On top of that, the rate you are quoted is not the rate you pay: a destination fee of roughly 46 dollars per night sits on top of the headline price and hits a cheap winter rate proportionally hardest. None of this makes the Ace overpriced. It makes it a specific purchase, and the score reflects that.
What are the best rooms to request?
Book a Deluxe or larger on a higher floor and treat the entry Bunk and Standard tiers as price points rather than the experience. The 275 rooms are individually furnished in the Ace vocabulary of reclaimed wood, custom upholstery and specific details, a turntable in some rooms, an acoustic Martin guitar in others, a reading library, a clawfoot tub, that make the room a cultural environment rather than a standardised box. The bunk rooms bring a hostel-style social logic into a design hotel and are genuinely useful for solo travellers on a budget, but they are small and basic. The best value sits in a shoulder-season midweek Deluxe, where you get the design and the size without paying a peak rate on top of the destination fee.
The honest caveat is the one that shows up in the guest scores: the smallest rooms are compact, some face the street rather than a view, and low floors catch NoMad noise, including from the very lobby you are partly paying for, which is busiest and loudest exactly when you might want to use it. If you want quiet and space for your money, go up a category and up a few floors, and set your expectations for a design hotel with character rather than a five-star hush. Read that way, the value equation is straightforward: pay for the location, the design and the lobby culture, keep an eye on the destination fee, and choose a shoulder-season midweek date if you can, and the Ace delivers exactly what it promises without the disappointment that comes from expecting something it never set out to be.
Ask for a higher floor away from West 29th Street for quiet, and if the room's turntable matters to you, confirm the category carries one at booking since not all do. Factor the destination fee into any expense claim, because it applies per night regardless of room tier.
What is the dining and the bar scene like?
The food and drink line-up is fully operating and adds real value to the rate rather than padding it. Bistro 29, the open-kitchen French bistro under chef Jarett Brodie, runs a Provencal-leaning menu from breakfast through dinner. Beneath it, the red-lit Sous-Sol lounge handles late drinks and DJ nights from a deep wine cellar. The headline asset is the Lobby Bar, which works as co-working space by day and a neighbourhood bar by night, the laptop crowd at noon becoming the bar-stool crowd by evening. You are paying for that lobby whether or not you book a meal, which is part of why the location score carries the property, and the NoMad restaurant bench within a few blocks covers anything the building does not.
Does it have a spa or pool?
No. Ace Hotel New York has no swimming pool and no destination spa, only a fitness centre and in-room wellness. That is consistent with what the hotel is: a design-led, scene-led property where the investment went into the rooms, the lobby and the food and beverage rather than a wellness floor. Guests who want a pool or full spa should plan that portion of the trip elsewhere and come to the Ace for the lobby, the design and the NoMad location instead.
Signature amenities
In the heart of NoMad
NoMad, near Broadway
What's nearby
- 28th Street subway
R and W trains1 min walk - Madison Square Park
Green space4 min walk - Empire State Building
Observation decks8 min walk - Flatiron Building
Landmark & dining6 min walk - Penn Station
Rail & subway hub9 min walk
The lobby, the rooms, Bistro 29
Exterior
Guest room
Lobby
Bistro 29How does Ace Hotel New York compare with other NoMad stays?
Against the field, the Ace is the design-and-scene value pick, and the choice comes down to how much polish you want with the neighbourhood. The Ned NoMad is the members-club-style upgrade a few blocks away, with five restaurants inside the Metropolitan Life building and a more finished feel. The Bowery Hotel trades NoMad for the East Village edge with a fire-lit lobby and warmer rooms. Freehand New York is the budget-social alternative on Lexington, with the Broken Shaker bar and a younger crowd. The Ace's own trade-off is that you buy the lobby, the design and the location rather than a hushed room, and the destination fee widens the gap between the price you see and the price you pay.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Hotel New York | NoMad design icon | Lobby scene, design, location | Compact rooms; ~$46 destination fee |
| The Ned NoMad | Members-style NoMad | Restaurants, polish, rooftop | Higher rates |
| The Bowery Hotel | East Village scene hotel | Warmth, lobby, downtown edge | Away from NoMad, busy public rooms |
| Freehand New York | Budget-social hotel | Value, Broken Shaker, younger crowd | Basic rooms, livelier scene |
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Ace Hotel New York cost per night?
Rooms typically run from about 125 dollars on quiet winter dates to 300 dollars or more in peak weeks, with suites higher. Budget an added destination fee of roughly 46 dollars per night on top of the room rate, plus New York's hotel taxes, which changes the real per-night cost more than most guests expect.
Does the Ace Hotel New York charge a resort or destination fee?
Yes. A destination fee of roughly 46 dollars per night is added to the room rate. Confirm the exact amount and what it covers at the time of booking, because on a cheap winter rate it works out as a large percentage surcharge and it applies regardless of room tier.
Is the Ace Hotel New York still open in 2026?
Yes. The Ace Hotel New York at 20 West 29th Street in NoMad is operating and taking bookings in 2026 under the Ace brand. Its restaurant Bistro 29, the Lobby Bar and the Sous-Sol lounge are also open.
What is the Ace Hotel New York known for?
The 2009 lobby that became the template for the social, co-working hotel lobby, individually furnished rooms with details like turntables and Martin guitars in select categories, and lower-priced bunk rooms for solo travellers.
What is the nearest subway to the Ace Hotel New York?
The R and W trains stop at 28th Street and Broadway, one block away. Madison Square Park is three blocks north, the Empire State Building about six blocks north, and Penn Station roughly four blocks west.
Other stays around NoMad and downtown
#21 · NoMadThe Ned NoMad
#18 · East VillageThe Bowery Hotel
#41 · Flatiron