Call them & ask. Easiest way to find out.

Cheers.

Which is better as a Plat? This hotel or the AC Irvine? They are both about the same price on the weekend I'm looking at.

Does parking cost the same at both?

I haven't done the Marriott but just finished up at the AC...really nice stay, I said elsewhere I think this is my favorite legacy Marriott brand.

Obviously no lounge at the AC, and the AC gym is pretty bare bones. And that Marriott does seem to be renovated with the newer room aesthetic.

I love the AC style though - I had a car ($20 to park in the garage next door, $30 to valet) but I ended up walking to my place of business a block away, and walking to Starbucks across the street, and walking to Houston's / North Italia for meals. The mini-complex across the street is pretty nice.

I expensed all my meals so just took the $10 daily credit to get other snacks, better deal intrinsically vs. a few points.

Recent Platinum Elite 1 night stay over a weekend. Overall, to me the hotel looks and feels nice in a business casual sense. No upgrade given when asked upon arrival - booked a King guest room. Was told only 9 suites in the hotel. Although it sufficed for the short stay, the room is relatively small. The website seems like there are somewhat larger rooms though.

The lounge has what I figure is a typical Marriott breakfast set up for the M Club Lounge - it reminded me of the LAX Marriott lounge with less blue lighting iirc. The lounge was not very big but not crowded either at about 10 am. Even so, it seems not attended to very well. The food was below average imho - decent scrambled eggs, sausage below average, a good variety of fruit and other basics (oatmeal, yogurt with granola, various cereal). There was a special french toast-like dish with strawberry jam inside(?), which was awful because it probably sat under the heat lamp for 2 hours.

Self-parking was $32, which I think is unreasonably high (but the norm for the area).

The pool is very nice and stood out for me. It is somewhat narrow but very long. A small portion of it is covered as well.

Overall, for some reason I had somewhat high expectations of this property but was somewhat disappointed due to the small room and below average lounge breakfast. Perhaps I should have known better as this hotel is probably geared toward the airport/business guest.

Stayed at the Irvine Marriott a couple of months ago. Amazingly low rate on a weekend. Appreciated the always-available M Club with snacks, beverages anytime. Beautiful hotel.

A bit late to add this report, but I stayed 1 night as a Platinum in late June. Was very impressed by my stay. This is one of the few Marriotts I found stateside still offering full breakfast benefits in a real restaurant in the COVID era. Free entree and drink per person. I got the huevos rancheros, which was beautifully presented (like a fancy restaurant dish) and actually tasted delicious too. No room upgrade but I was happy with what I had booked.

Irvine Marriott. Titanium elite with no recognition. No upgrade on a one night stay and got the lowly 3rd floor(guest rooms are 3rd to the 17th floor). Glad I booked a breakfast rate(it was $7 more and included free parking, otherwise $37)since the spread at the M Lounge looks pretty sad. Let's see if I get the elite bonus or I have to get it out of them! lol

Good luck.

David

bad experience there too?

received all my points and left the property a proper review.

Looks like parking has gone up even more ($42/nt or 30% of the base rate when I'm looking). Breakfast package no longer includes parking. There's a parking package but nightly it's as much as just paying for parking (but you'd get points). It mentions parking for up to 7 nights as it's technically a park n fly rate. Curious if anyone has tried booking this for just one night and doing in and out for a longer stay on a non-ludicrous rate?

Any recent stays here? I'm trying to choose between this property and one of the nearby Hyatts (Irvine or Newport West, i.e., John Wayne). Marriott Newport Bayview has been annoyingly stuck at 61 or 62k points when I'm looking to burn a 35k cert.

I stay here routinely - lounge is decent for the US and the rooms are fine if you aren't facing the 405 (noise) - they have been good about not putting me in those rooms once i started asking. Showers aren't the best but get the job done - limited flow and sometimes the head sprays in different random directions.

Its about a 20 min walk from SNA.