Hotel junkies and Ace Hotel groupies got an early Christmas present today: the Hollywood Reporter writes that a downtown Los Angeles location of the popular boutique hotel will open in the United Artists building. That's big time.

This holiday season, hotels are getting into the gifting game, crafting and hawking products created in their image. Take the Ace Hotel, for example, whose  outstanding Holiday Bundles have that thrown-together-yet-thoughtful feel they’ve perfected in their establishments. Each of their locations have a tailor-made bundle, specific to the host city. For New York, there's a hooded bathrobe, Pendleton blanket, and vintage-style tee. In Portland, an organic cotton tee, handmade soaps, a ribbon belt, and an elk-logo Pendleton blanket. And for Seattle, a skate deck, guitar picks, and limited edition tee for.

When I first started writing this column, one of my primary goals was to give my readers an insider look at some of the industry’s leaders, and how they approach the business. Some of these people are relatively unknown, as they allow the successful properties and brands they’ve created and promoted do all the talking. Most appear occasionally as a bold-faced name in a newspaper or magazine. Peter Chase is a player. He's the founder of BPC, which develops and manages creative hospitality concepts. His concepts have included: Skybar in Miami Beach, Wunderbar at the W Montreal, MGM Grand Casinos (MGM, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Borgata) in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Atlantic City, as well as Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and the W San Diego.

This winter is proving not so nice for New York. We still have a ways to go, and this week has already broke bad. Who wants to go out in shattering cold or endless dumps of snow and sleet? If you do, you better choose wisely; no one wants to drift from door to door, looking for short waits or elbow room at the bar. Fortunately for the brave and persistent, twin pillars of restaurant discouragement mean the masses are temporarily distracted from New York's best food holes. It's not just the bad weather: the increasingly frequent crapfest known as Restaurant Week has also thinned the herd. For example, I went to the Breslin last night with reservation in hand. And yet, I was pleased to see the place crowded as usual -- but only amicably so, not stuffed to the gills and mobbed to the point of madness.

There have been a lot of great things coming out of Opening Ceremony lately (not to mention the fact that it’s one of Donald Glover’s favorite stores), but the year-end sale is what we’ve all been waiting for. If you held out on buying pieces from the highly-coveted Pendleton x Opening Ceremony collection (pictured), you’re in luck—the sale includes many of the best designer collaborations, such as Robert Clergerie and Jean Paul Gaultier. Starting today, the sale is going on at each of the three worldwide retail locations, as well as online. With discounts up to 70% off, the Howard Street and Ace Hotel locations will have extended holiday hours for those of us staying in town over the weekend. As one of the bigger sales of the year, I suggest stocking up on plenty of designer pieces now—you have the rest of the year to settle your credit card debt.

A hooker cemetery, the basement of a hotel, and more...

Season nine of Art Basel Miami Beach kicks off December 2, which means you'll be jumping on a plane to check out the country's greatest art show any day now. While you're busy planning which exhibits and parties to hit, we'll be here counting down to the big event with some art-inspired features. To get things started, here's a roundup of awesome art-meets-fashion items available at Opening Ceremony.

I have a soft spot for Ace hotels. This loving relationship began when I visited the Ace in Portland and stayed in a guestroom that overlooked the historic Powell's bookstore, the perfect view, in Portland's case. The amenities in my room included a Gibson guitar, turntables, and comfy sofas upholstered in vintage materials. The room itself was masculine and modern without being pretentious - spacious and simple. The staff was just as hip as the clientele. Ace soon opened a year later in New York in the Flatiron, bringing that whole "downtown" scene above 14th street. Partnering with cult-status brands like Opening Ceremony and Stumptown Coffee, it's spurred a lifestyle concept that many hotels don't yet know how to do emulate. In fact, the Ace lobby lounge is just as busy during the day, functioning as a "hang out" space, as the Breslin restaurant is on any given night. So it's good to know that Ace keeps on truckin' outside the Big Apple with new ideas and plans. In fact, the Palm Springs location—Ace Hotel & Swim Club—just opened up a spa last week.

Although Fashion's Night Out was generally considered a success, a common complaint was that it was just too damn packed. We have to agree. The hundreds of people snaking around the Ace Hotel for Opening Ceremony's "Parisian" market was the longest line we've seen since opening night of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, way back in '97 (although this crowd was admittedly far better dressed). Anyway, Vogue UK has announced they'll be co-opting the spirit of FNO while eliminating the crowds, by sponsoring an event called Fashion's Night In. So, instead of scrambling to hail taxis and worming your way through human swarms, you'll be able to shop your heart out in the spacious expanse of cyberspace.

Apparently fashion's fascination with pop-up shops hasn't worn off one iota. A few big names are launching temporary spaces this week, and first up is the Ace Hotel, which is bringing its wandering pop-up shop to Los Angeles tomorrow. Dubbed the Ace Hotel x One Trip Pass Pop-Up Shop, the temporary boutique is opening its doors in honor of a coastal caravan that's been trucking from Portland, Oregon down to Palm Springs (two of Ace's three US locations) with the intention of "rediscover[ing] American craft," says Ace. Expect a vast array of items having something to do with "humor, kitsch, oddities, and the beauty of storytelling." More specifically, wares from the likes of Apolis Activism, Billykirk, Pendleton, and Fjallraven, among others. 10% of proceeds go to benefit Paddle to Live, a fundraiser for cancer care. The shop will be housed in LA's Cleveland Art from Thursday through Saturday before moving to Palm Springs' Ace Hotel & Swim Club that night.