The hotel sits on the original site of the Shoreditch Empire Theatre and borrows its structure from the dated Crowne Plaza hotel. We were appointed by Starwood as executive architects with a brief to create a design that remains true to the existing building’s form, reflects the soul and spirit of the Ace brand, and represents a ‘hotel for London’.

We implemented a soft refurbishment across 258 guest rooms and extensively remodeled the façade and public areas. The result is a stylish mix of flexible space that functions as a contemporary hotel whilst providing an informal hub for local residents and workers. Ace felt strongly that the hotel façade should be opened up to re-integrate the building back into the high street. To continue the traditional high street theme, we adopted Atelier Ace philosophy of using local crafts people and artists; the authentic East London hotel frontage was built using Crittall, bespoke metalwork and engineering brick in homage to local Shoreditch metalwork traditions.

The vast communal areas around the ground floor lobby house a large meeting table, a café, a restaurant, an artist-designed lobby bar, a flower shop, retail units and a gallery. The seventh floor function rooms and meeting spaces with an external terrace and bar add to the hotel’s corporate and events offer.

Each of the guest rooms has a distinct identity and sense of place with individual crafted elements, records and curiosities. The colour palette is modest, creating a minimal canvas for simple bespoke elements such as the oak-finished bed platforms and day beds with reverse-denim upholstery. We worked in collaboration with Universal Design Studios and Atelier Ace to develop the concept, a partnership that resulted in a unique and iconic hotel that has energised the streetscape and become a destination hotel in fashionable East London.