ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“ACE HOTEL IS A MEGA-CHAIN WAITING TO HAPPEN.” WALLPAPER MAGAZINE

THE BRAND

The Ace Hotel is a pioneer of the “value boutique” hotel, combiningthe stylish accommodation of a “Design” boutique with the intimacyand feel of a small, European hotel at an affordable price.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

SELECTED AS “THE NEXT WAVE” OF HOTELIERS IN TIME MAGAZINE’S LIST OF 100 INNOVATORS.

THE BRAND

The Ace Hotel reinterprets the traditional hotel model, enhancingthe value of the property at less cost, maximizing alternate revenuestreams and offering a limited service product at a comparablypremium rate.

Ace offers an innovative integrated hotel product with bar/caféand retail concepts marketed to both hotel guests and locals.Each new hotel is positioned as a catalyst in the experienceeconomy, providing real access to the cultural life of the city.

HOW DOES ‘DESIGN’ BENEFIT A HOTEL?

A. ‘Design’ attracts media interest

B. ‘Design’ reflects the way people look and feel today

C. ‘Design’ encourages guests to spend more money

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“AUSTERE MODERNISM, ORGANIC FORMS AND A DAB OF STREET CULTURECOME TOGETHER IN AN ORDERED YET FRESH MIX.” ARCHITECTURAL RECORD

NEVERSTOP

Neverstop – our affiliated marketing company – enables us toproject a clear, compelling identity in the marketplace and providesa cost-effective, innovative means to drive occupancy and stabilizeaverage daily room rates.

www.neverstop.com

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“NEVERSTOP’S EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS HELP CLIENTS SUCH AS NIKE, GIORGIO ARMANI,GAP, AND MICROSOFT BUILD BRANDS, PROMOTE PRODUCTS, AND CONNECT WITH CUSTOMERS.”FAST COMPANY MAGAZINE

SEATTLE PROTOTYPE

The Ace Hotel Seattle is a 28-room prototype in the historicBelltown neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Created in 1999from the bones of an SRO Mission Hotel, the Ace has been featuredin numerous magazines, travel books, design books and onlinetravel sites. The Ace’s rooms feature loft-like ceilings, hardwoodfloors, and a single sink and vanity in each room. Half the hotelfeatures custom private bathrooms or, for the budget-mindedtraveler, there are European rooms with shared bathrooms.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“ACE, THE PLACE BETWEEN BOUTIQUE AND CHEAP.” TIME MAGAZINE

“THE HOTEL FEATURES A SPARTAN, FUTURISTIC DESIGN AND ATTRACTS A VARIEDCLIENTELE – TRENDSETTING ARTISTS, WEB DESIGNERS, SNOWBOARDERS,FILMMAKERS AND NOMADS.” INSTYLE MAGAZINE

ACE CUSTOMERS

While the Ace appeal is very democratic, Ace specifically targetscultural influencers and opinion leaders on a budget. This marketis a growing class of creative professionals, ranging in age from25-50, who travel widely for business and pleasure, who seek outquality and whose influence extends beyond their personal circles.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

MARKETPLACE

Currently, the large chains are scrambling to cater to the Ace coreaudience, a group that they call “Generation X.” This group has“eclipsed baby boomers in average per-trip spending for tripsinvolving a hotel stay… spending an estimated $1,297 per trip ona per-capita basis; baby boomers, $1,155.”**D.K. Shifflet & Associates

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“THE SKETCH OF THE GEN X TRAVELER, AS DEVELOPED BY MARKET RESEARCHERS, GOES LIKE THIS: THEY CRAVE BRANDEDITEMS – FOR EXAMPLE, STARBUCKS, NOT COFFEE. PARADOXICALLY, THEY’RE LESS LOYAL THAN OLDER TRAVELERS TO SINGLEBRANDS… THEY’RE WILLING TO SCOUR THE WEB TO FIND A BOUTIQUE HOTEL OOZING WITH ATTITUDE, INSTEAD OF SIMPLYBOOKING THE SAME CHAIN HOTEL THEIR FAMILY BOOKED FOR THEIR 1980s VACATIONS.” USA TODAY

“CASH-CONSCIOUS URBAN NOMADS FLOCK TO SEATTLE’S ACE HOTEL FOR A FUSION OFEUROPEAN PENSION AND MINIMALIST LUXURY.” ARCHITECTURAL RECORD

ACQUISITION PROFILE

The Ace Hotel Group is a branded management and operationscompany focusing on leases and management contracts. Ace seeksto reposition niche properties that are often overlooked or undervaluedby large hotel operators.

Ace also partners with local and international Real Estatedevelopers to find and acquire properties based on lease commitmentsor management arrangements.

The Ace brand generally seeks 60-150 room properties withexploitable public spaces for locally relevant food and beverageoperations, retail and event space.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

ACE MARKETS

Ace has focused primarily on the EU, based on the increasedavailability of appropriate hotel properties and a higher densityof cultural travel. Ace is also targeting specific properties inselected North American and Pacific Rim markets.

Gateway high demand cities: Paris, London, New York, Tokyo,Amsterdam. As well as cultural centers and growing markets suchas: Berlin, Montreal, Portland, Hamburg, Stockholm.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“...THE ACE CLIENTELE – HIP URBANITES IN FOR A VISIT WHO LIKE A LICK OF LUXURY,BUT DON’T NECESSARILY NEED ALL THE INDULGENCES OF TYPICAL HIGH-CLASS HOTELS.”BEST DESIGNED HOTELS IN NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA

VALUE PROPOSITION: FAST, LOW-COST DEVELOPMENT

Ace focuses primarily on FF&E upgrades and can deliver fasterdevelopment turnaround times and phased in operations to allowfor shorter ramp-up periods and reduced risk.

Ace will create or increase value of distressed, under-utilized,or under-performing properties. Ace can acquire 1 and 2 starproperties and achieve 3 star rates through repositioningand marketing.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“ACE IS A KIND OF SUPER-AESTHETIC BARRACK, WITH AN IN-THE-KNOW ECONOMY OF STYLE.” TIME MAGAZINE

VALUE PROPOSITION: ECONOMY OPERATIONSAT MID-SCALE ROOM RATES

Personalized service and unique, intimate design allows Ace to charge a relativepremium room rate that is cheaper than typical “design boutique” hotels whileoffering a more unique and compelling product than comparably pricedaccommodation.

The Ace embraces the concept of limited service, giving it a “cool” factorthat keeps operating costs low, while maximizing revenues.

The Ace’s entrepreneurial approach endeavors to integrate solid alternaterevenue streams wherever possible including locally-oriented food and beverageoperations, innovative retail products, services, and strategic alliances withlocal and international ventures.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“ACE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED, AND NOTHING YOU DON’T.” CUSTOMER COMMENT

VALUE PROPOSITION: INNOVATIVE, PRO-ACTIVE SALESAND MARKETING

– Web Savvy Strategy: Ace has an in depth understanding of the digital domain and is continuing to develop new ways to use the internet as a marketing tool, a direct reservation system and customer touch-point.

– In-House Sales and Marketing: Each property will have a dedicated salesperson to develop local, in-market relationships and corporate clients.

– Neverstop provides Ace with a dedicated marketing staff to push a broaderinternational strategy and is adept at generating publicity in traditional andnon-traditional media outlets.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

"THE ACE HOTEL... IT’S A CROSS BETWEEN FUTURISM AND THE EUROPEAN KINDOF CLASSIC HOTEL.” ACTOR TIM ROBBINS IN AMERICAN WAY MAGAZINE

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

Ace will integrate solid alternate revenue streams whereverpossible, including its nationally recognized chain of Rudy’sBarbershops, locally oriented food & beverage operations,and other innovative retail products and services.

Ace expects to develop new brands and seek strategic allianceswith local and international ventures.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“RUDY’S BARBERSHOP IS A CUT ABOVE THE REST.” FLAUNT MAGAZINE

TECHNICAL INNOVATION

Ace is developing custom ways to integrate technology in hotelsutilizing the Tablet PC platform, which streamlines and personalizesthe check-in process and the Media PC platform, which can allowus to offer a custom, branded, in-room entertainment solution.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

SELECTED AS ONE OF THE 5 BEST WEST COAST HOTELS BY THE INDEPENDENT, LONDON

THE ACE TEAM

Founding partners, Alex Calderwood and Wade Weigel have been successfulin a variety of design-savvy, cost conscious, entrepreneurial ventures targetedtowards the “culture classes.” Along with the Ace Hotel in Seattle, they alsocreated the well-known, growing chain of Rudy’s Barbershops with 12 locationsin Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle.

Alex Calderwood is also founder and principal of Neverstop, a niche-marketing and event production company, whose clients include Nike, Microsoft,Giorgio Armani, and Song Airlines. In addition to Ace and Rudy’s, Wade Weigelhas owned several successful bars and clubs including Cha-Cha Lounge,Bimbo’s Bitchin’ Burrito Kitchen, and the Viceroy.

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

“IN AN INDUSTRY RENOWNED FOR DUPLICATION INSTEAD OF INNOVATION, SEATTLE NATIVE ALEX CALDERWOODMAY WELL BE A 21ST CENTURY CONRAD HILTON IN THE MAKING.” WALLPAPER MAGAZINE

THE ACE TEAM

Doug Herrick is a founding partner and general manager of the Ace Hotel.Since the opening in 1999, Doug has acted as the on-site manager, responsiblefor daily operations including marketing, management, and customer relations.

Jack Barron is the former Managing Director of Westfield International, Inc,a merchant bank that specialized in Real Estate development. He has a Mastersin Architecture and is responsible for evaluating hotel opportunities. He iscurrently based in Amsterdam.

CONSULTANTS

Michael Bisordi is a Principal of Tungsten Partners in New York, a realestate investment company. Tungsten Partners is a minority partner in AceHotel and is involved in global sourcing, underwriting and funding oftransactions.

Falk Wisinger, City Investments - ParisJoost Mees, MD Hotel Investments - AmsterdamDolph Segaar & Mark Mathijssen, CMS Derks Star Busmann - UtrechtNasir Rasheed, Neverstop - Seattle

ACE HOTEL / Seattle

CONTACT

Alex Calderwood206.769.5665 (US)alex@neverstop.com

Tungsten Partners212.343.4280 (US)aceinvestments@tungstenpartners.com

Jack Barron+31 650 471 311 (EU)jackb@neverstop.com

www.acehotel.com

ACE HOTEL / Seattle