Ace Hotels founder Alex Calderwood dies in London aged 47

The co-founder of a hip global hotel chain has been found dead in his recently opened UK hotel.

The body of Alex Calderwood, 47, was discovered in a room at Ace Hotel London Shoreditch – known for its eclectic style and A-list clients – on Thursday afternoon. The cause of death is unknown. In a statement the company said: "Alex was our teacher, mentor, guru and most importantly our dear friend. We will miss him."

Calderwood, whose mop of curly black hair and dress-down style matched his artfully cool establishments, had spent time in rehab but said in an interview in 2011 that he had been sober for five months.

Ace's president, Brad Wilson, said: "Alex was our business partner but more than that our best friend and teacher. We will rally and continue to grow and build his vision – he left us with a keen understanding of our future."

Ryan Bukstein, head of public relations and marketing at the hotel chain, said Calderwood was an inspiration to all those who worked with him.

"His humility, spirit of collaboration and tireless work ethic has influenced our family at Atelier Ace and creatives across the globe," " Bukstein he said. "We all plan to continue moving forward with the ideals Alex championed so naturally."

Described as a hospitality pioneer who created artsy, unusual hotels that catered for image-conscious "scenesters", Calderwood opened his latest in Shoreditch six weeks ago, saying it was "derived and driven by east London".

The hotelier, who described himself as a cultural engineer, opened the first Ace in Seattle in 1999, breaking several accepted hospitality rules with its budget shared-bathroom rooms next to luxury suites, vintage furniture and artfully relaxed style the hotel aimed to capture both ends of the market.

"In a deck of cards the ace is both high and low. We chose it because we wanted the brand to appeal to every sort of traveller," he said at the time.

Speaking about his venture into the world of hospitality, he said: "We didn't know anything about hotels when we started. We just went on instinct."

The group opened a second hotel in 2007 in Portland, Oregon, which featured turntables in the rooms and a library of records. Its New York hotel – where guests can choose between budget rooms with bunk beds to exclusive loft-style suites a landmark 1900s building. In Palm Springs the hotel was designed with a bohemian style to reflect the town's Californian heritage. Further hotels are due to open in Panama City and Los Angeles.

Calderwood told the New York Times in 2011 that he had experienced addiction problems, but had put them behind him. "I am very proud of my sobriety … You get to a certain age, and you get to a certain point, where you realise this is just, like, dragging me down. It's not fun anymore. I'm not enjoying it."

Calderwood grew up in a suburb of Seattle and started his career as the manager of a clothing store in the city called International News. Using his eclectic taste for vintage objects, he bought material from a Boeing surplus store to create a unique atmosphere, Amit Shah, who hired Calderwood, told the Seattle Times.

"He saw what you could do with material that nobody else wanted," Shah said. "He always had a desire to come up with something new that gave consumers value for their money. He was an entrepreneur and knew how to entertain, but more than that, he was always willing to talk about what the new thing was."

In 1993, with two partners, Calderwood started a Seattle chain of retro barbershops called Rudy's. The successful venture grew to a chain of eight Seattle shops and nine others in Portland, New York and Los Angeles.

Calderwood opened a nightclub in Seattle before opening the first Ace hotel in Seattle in 1999. He is survived by his parents, Thomas and Kathleen Calderwood, sisters Donna Roberts and Tahnee Ferry and brother Tim Calderwood.

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