SkiAdcock

Just noticed on Marriott website that AC Hotel Washington D.C. at National Harbor is opening in March. No category assigned yet.

Evidently Marriott isn't very good at geography since it says it's the first AC to open in the Northeast. I thought DC was Mid-Atlantic?

"The 192-room property is designed with millennials in mind who want a sophisticated experience with style, inspired social spaces and technology.

The 8-story hotel will include outdoor terraces with dramatic views of the Potomac River; the AC Kitchen serving a European-influenced daily breakfast including sweet and savory tarts, freshly baked croissants and a selection of artisan cured meats and cheeses; and the AC Library offering a quiet area for guests to use while still being connected. Additional amenities include a fitness center, 3,700-square-feet of meeting space and complimentary Wi-Fi."

http://news.marriott.com/2015/02/ac-...his-march.html

Cheers.

Horace

It's the former aloft Washington National Harbor.

flash1129

Currently staying here at the new AC Hotel at National Harbor - spending the weekend away to catch the Cherry Blossoms as they're in full bloom this week!

I'll post additional thoughts and some pictures later when I return, but wanted to get some initial thoughts down from my first night here:

Location: great location, close to the Westin, Gaylord, and Residence Inn properties at National Harbor. Shuttle (provided by National Harbor) to a nearby Metro stop to Washington DC. I've stayed at the RI before, and appreciate the "closeness" to Washington DC without actually being in the city.

Room: Bedroom similarly designed to the AC Hotel in New Orleans (see reference pictures in this thread). A couple of notes:

• Walls are thin - you can hear conversations in the hallway. I'm a heavy sleeper, so for me to say that about the room says a lot.
• I was expecting so much more from the bed. While it was comfortable for me to sleep in, I had expected a pillow-top mattress similar to what you'd find at a Renaissance/Marriott full service hotel. I'm guessing that they used mattresses similar to what you'd find at one of Marriott's limited service brands.
• No in-room guide, so really didn't have an opportunity to know what amenities the hotel offers. I just walked around the property to explore.
• Love the USB outlets! Just bring your charging cables and you are good to go.
• There isn't a ton of storage, but I'm guessing that they intend for guests to live out of their luggage.

Hotel: I was expecting more from this hotel, amenity wise.

• There is a fitness center, and it's actually very well appointed.
• No in-hotel restaurant, but there is a bar and a very vibrant lobby space. I didn't see room service as an offering (again, no in-room guide).
• Valet parking is $35 with in and out privileges, or $16 for self park. There is a self-park garage managed by the city less than a block away, but it does require crossing a side street to access.

I think part of my problem is that I had set my expectations of the AC Hotel being a full service hotel, similar a Renaissance or Marriott. Unfortunately, to me - the way the hotel has been marketed by Marriott made it seem so. Once you reset your expectations that AC Hotels is more of a limited-service brand/offering, then the amenities become more acceptable for the type of hotel that it is.

I'll share more thoughts later - feel free to post if there's something that I should look into before I leave tomorrow.

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the update. Much appreciated. You're correct - AC hotels are limited service/brand.

Cheers.

flash1129

Some additional thoughts from my stay at the AC Hotel, Washington DC:

Bar and Lobby Area is pretty nice with a very modern feel to it. It just seems natural to spend some time in the lobby to get a few drinks and meet with friends. The lobby/bar area is on the second floor of the hotel, and there is a outdoor patio that overlooks the street and harbor below. I didn’t buy any drinks, but they were priced around $12 per cocktail.

Platinum Arrival Gift: 450 points plus one item selection (non-alcoholic) from the market.

Breakfast in the AC Kitchen: $15/day for a “european-style” breakfast. Mostly cold items, including sliced meats/cheeses (freshly sliced prosciutto, turkey, cheddar); coffees (hot and iced), espresso, and cappuccino; assorted pastries including imported croissants; selection of parfaits and yogurts; cereal; 2 types of warmed quiche (spinach and bacon). Kitchen staff is on-point and friendly! I did pay for breakfast to see what it was like - while the breakfast options seemed of a higher quality, I don’t believe it’s worth $15.

For Marriott Gold/Platinum elite members, no breakfast amenity is offered at all. (I asked three different front desk agents about it.) That was disappointing... I know the AC brand technically does not offer breakfast, but wished that they offered breakfast even as a arrival gift option.

Hotel Upkeep: There were a handful of housekeeping issues that I chalked up to the hotel just opening, such as hallway carpets that haven’t been vacuumed and the hotel room floor not being swept. I did bring it up to the front desk when I checked out. I do think that the hotel staff that I met seem to be genuinely proud to be working at the hotel, so I presume that these issues should be cleared up in due time.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay - the vibe and atmosphere for the hotel was very comfortable and welcoming, but wish some sort of complimentary breakfast option for elites was offered.

VickiSoCal

Marriott does not list AC with the other limited services brands. They list it under "lifestyles" with Edition, Autograph and Renaissance. This gives the wrong impression.

flash1129

You know, I think that's why I had a strong disconnect between what I was expecting and what I was offered. I remember seeing AC Hotels grouped with those other ones and expected more of a full-service experience as a result.

Don't get me wrong, I think that the stay was more than adequate once you understand that it's a limited service offering. The simplest way to describe this hotel is that it's the "Courtyard for Millennials".

VickiSoCal

I think it should be under "Modern Essentials" with CY, Springhill and Protea. Listing it in a grouping with primarily full service brands leads to misplaced expectations.

I also think labels like "Lifestyle Collections" and "Modern Essentials" are silly. Tell me what I'm getting without the fluff!

SkiAdcock

Press release on Marriott website, saying it officially opened.

http://news.marriott.com/2015/04/ac-...to-guests.html

We have more info from flash1129's review than we do from the press release

Cheers.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Not often offered by AC hotels in Europe so I would not expect it at these properties. They may be called lifestyle hotels but they are limited service hotels -- and that is fine by me. I am mostly a leisure traveler who does my own touristic research so I like to have a clean, modern looking property that is not too expensive and these definitely fit the bill.

This one, however, is in an out of the way area and I would never stay here while visiting the sites of DC.

lovethoselegs

My wife and I stayed there last weekend. Was really excited about staying at an AC hotel but must say it missed the mark.

To start on entry to the hotel it's not clear how to get to the lobby. You walk into a ground floor lobby and must take the stairs or elevator to the main lobby. A sign or person directing you would would have been appreciated.

On check-in I was hoping for an upgrade as a platinum and none was offered even when requested - I know the suites aren't open yet, but a water view room could have been offered to me as a platinum but wasn't even considered.

On getting to my room was disappointed to find a broken glass mirror door. I called the lobby and they asked to have maintenance check if it was safe to stay in the room. They came and were clueless on why they were there only saying they couldn't fix it, but did eventually come back with clear tape To go on it safety. HELLO!!! If you are almost empty, why did you not just offer to move us to a new room!

As previously noted, there is no in room guide so we were clueless about what the hotel offers. Our room also lacked cups. In calling the lobby to ask about them they said - okay we have cups. Thanks, but are you going to bring them to me? Why do I even have to ask that question, you should have said sorry, we'll be right up.

In the morning my wife went down for a paper and breakfast to which the front desk @ 8am told her the paper hadn't arrived. Really? She went down to the lower lobby and the papers were there.

There were more incidents like this... And we were only there for one night.

Nice hotel, but the staff seems to be rookies in hospitality. Give them a year and then give them a try.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Hmm.

I hate to say this as you write well, but do you have a voice???

Speak up!!!

Each of the things you have mentioned are certainly not out of the ordinary as requests or expectations go for any guest or MR member given the vacancy at the hotel, let alone for a Platinum member!!!

If I was met with this sort of nonchalance/non-compliance, I would have requested to speak to a manager and take names if none was forthcoming.

I have written here how some elites think they should be handed the world, but your requests and observations are perfectly reasonable, I don't see how you just let them slide or if they gave you the brush off, how you did not escalate this to a higher level.

Hope you enjoy your next stay but the staff ought to have their heads handed to them.

lovethoselegs

Thanks for your comments. Traveling with a pregnant wife can cause one to want to keep stress down for all. I know i'm right and the hotel should have had better service and that escalating could have gotten me something. But escalating while there would have taken my time and added stress to the situation. I did however want to make sure that others didn't experience the same so posted here and sent to Marriott.

NJUPINTHEAIR

Now that you provided more facts, you were right in both senses -- no need to make it more stressful and they fell down on the job.

You may want to e-mail them or contact Marriott Customer Care which is the office that deals with unsatisfactory hotel stays. Good luck.

thnarf

I stayed at the AC Hotel National Harbor for 2 nights and did a video review of the hotel grounds and a king bed room.

If you'd like to see what the what the hotel and room looks like then check out the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGfPeZGMHOg

The AC Hotel National Harbor is located in the National Harbor complex, in Maryland, right across the Potomac River from Alexandria, VA. The hotel is approximately 10 miles to Washington DC.
Valet parking directly in front of the hotel is $35/day, or self-parking is available in any of the National Harbor parking garages for $18/day. I did the self parking, because I don’t mind walking a block… but the annoying thing about the self parking is that since the parking is not paid for through the hotel, you have to pay every time you go in or out of the parking garage.

The hotel definitely has a European feel to it – not the feel of a typical Marriott. When you walk in the front door of the hotel, there’s a small bell-boy podium, two elevators, and a staircase. That’s it on the first floor. Guests need to take the elevator or the stairs up to the second floor to the “lounge bar” where the check-in desk is.

Upon check-in I was recognized as a Platinum member, and offered 400 points, plus any single food or drink item from the marketplace (except alcohol). I asked about breakfast, the price is $15 for a continental breakfast, no free breakfast for golds or platinum members here. I couldn’t tell you how the breakfast is, I had McDonald’s just down the street for breakfast instead.

In addition to the lounge bar, and breakfast, the second floor also has some meeting rooms, and a small but nicely put together gym.
Now on to the room -- When you walk in, the first thing you see is a rather odd exposed closest. It looks like something maybe purchased from IKEA. To the left of the closest is the bathroom sink, and beyond a sliding glass mirrored door, the toilet and a shower. So you basically walk in to the room and you are “in” the closest and bathroom. Just a bit weird.

Beyond the closest/bathroom is the “bed” part of the room. The bed part of the room was nicely put together. The bed was comfortable. The desk had a neat view out the window. There was a small refrigerator under the desk. The front-desk staff told me there would be two complimentary bottles of water in the room… well not in mine. The floors were hard-wood… not really my favorite. I like carpet – easier on the feet.

Some oddities in the room: No clocks, no tissue/Kleenex box.
The walls seem really thin… I could hear almost every door close from the hallway. Light sleepers beware!