Jan 15, 2016, 9:38 am
* Parking fee not waived - no public parking anywhere near the hotel
* Gym is free but you have to pay for the spa
*
* Shuttle from airport leaves on the 20s/50s; from the hotel it leaves on the 30s/60s. Takes 15-20 minutes
* 5 minute walk to metro; metro to downtown is 10 minutes
* the airport shuttle is no longer offered. The public transport option is to take a train towards Copenhagen that stops at Ørestad station (second stop). Be aware they don't all stop there. And then change to the metro for two stops. The longer option is to take the metro from the airport to Christianshavn, and then change to the opposite platform to towards Vest Amager, and get off at Bella Center.
Category 6.
Hotel website:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...ky-copenhagen/
AC Bella Sky Copenhagen Denmark [Master Thread]
Aug 26, 2019, 9:31 am
if they don’t have many suites, likely it’s because they wouldn’t sell many suites to their target market, and in practice.
Upon checkin they are available but not being offered because maybe they will sell it? Any hotel can use that argument. They should operate within the Ts and Cs. Marriott can easily modify the Ts and Cs if they need to.
Aug 26, 2019, 5:55 pm
Aug 26, 2019, 6:39 pm
SPG had more or less the same rule as Bonvoy now with regard to enhanced rooms and suite upgrades for Platinums: up to the standard suite was the parlance, but it never guaranteed that any suite or even the lowest category of suite in any hotel had to be part of that standard suite/enhanced room pool.
There were many SPG hotels without many suites proportionally--just like the his AC--that behaved in exactly the same way during the halcyon SPG days.
Bonvoy is essentially the same.
People complained in the SPG days about hotels violating the policy even when it wasn't true, too. People are complaining in the Bonvoy days about hotels violating the policy when it isn't true now. Nothing has changed. People still wrongly believe they are entitled to a suite just because they see it in online inventory---something the SPG Lurkers constantly reminded people about--and people still wrongly believe they are entitled to a suite just because a hotel has one. That was wrong then, and it's wrong still.
Aug 27, 2019, 8:23 am
I’ve only been in SPG / Marriott for 2 - 3 years and all my travel is 100% leisure using my own cash. I don’t travel on business. This doesn’t mean my viewpoint shouldn’t be respected. If you google the issue, there have been many discussions by popular bloggers / travel websites about these upgrade policies and the discrepancies / interpretations. In my experience, although the terms may have been similar (Marriott omitted and added “including standard suites” later), the hotels I frequented with SPG almost always upgraded to suites if available at check in, whereas in Marriott it seems more difficult to do so. So no rose-tinted spectacles, just what I experienced in the past compared with now, which should be respected just as much as your point of view.
Aug 27, 2019, 8:40 am
The fact is that the SPG Platinum suite upgrade policy is essentially the same as the current Bonvoy Platinum suite upgrade policy. In SPG, Platinum was the highest tier. In Bonvoy, Platinum is but the 3rd highest tier and there are far more members. Perhaps that explains different experiences more than any difference in suite upgrade policy.
Last edited by bhrubin; Aug 27, 2019 at 8:49 am
Aug 27, 2019, 11:12 pm
Back to the topic. You may be right that it’s about the volume of members and although they’ve created additional tiers above Platinum, if I were in a situation where I would make 75 or 100 nights, I’d do it in another programme as the difference in benefits between Platinum and Ambassador is negligible. For example, in this case, I was informed that they were just as unwilling to give the suites to Ambassador members so it’s hardly worth it. I think as members try out new hotels (whether they were previously SPG or Marriott), they’ll find their favourites (mine is still SGS) and we’ll have to manage expectations at others (e.g a place to sleep with no expectations if just passing through and not a regular hotel you frequent).
I do feel though that there needs to be more transparency regarding how many suites / enhanced rooms can be up-sold at check in rather than being in the upgrade pool, which seems to be seriously drying up in some hotels.
Aug 28, 2019, 1:08 am
Also if you never have any issue that requires human intervention from customer service then indeed AMB might be worth less to you, but let's not use the fact that AC Bella Sky having less than 3% of its rooms being suites as an argument to toss the entire Marriott Bonvoy program. Not sure what other "better" programme you would do your 100 nights anyway but that is a topic of discussion for another thread and I would be more than happy to chip in if you tell me which thread you want to continue that debate.
Aug 28, 2019, 2:13 am
Also, there are some hotel staff members — at this CPH hotel too — who may be more miserly with upgrades than other hotel staff members, and that hotel miserliness can be due to anything from hotel employee laziness, employer policy requiring approval from a colleague/supervisor, to hotel management just being cheap and greedy, to some hotel employees holding far more insipid views about some customers.
Unless I have a compelling reason to use AC Bella, I choose other Copenhagen area hotels — many of which are more eager to get my room rate and meeting business than to charge me additional money to get a proper breakfast for my stays.
Aug 28, 2019, 6:42 am
Scandinavian hotels tend to be more generous with upgrades when the hotel staff think you are more likely to be a local — regardless of the frequent stay history at a property or hotel group.
Also, there are some hotel staff members — at this CPH hotel too — who may be more miserly with upgrades than other hotel staff members, and that hotel miserliness can be due to anything from hotel employee laziness, employer policy requiring approval from a colleague/supervisor, to hotel management just being cheap and greedy, to some hotel employees holding far more insipid views about some customers.
Unless I have a compelling reason to use AC Bella, I choose other Copenhagen area hotels — many of which are more eager to get my room rate and meeting business than to charge me additional money to get a proper breakfast for my stays.
I think in the story above we lack the point of how many nights the OP was staying for. The longer stay the less likelihood of a suite upgrade. They may have a very reasonable expectation of selling the room, after the first couple of nights.
Sep 3, 2019, 2:51 pm
AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen
Center Boulevard 5 Copenhagen, DK 2300
AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen (11 Photos)
AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen
We had a 20-hour layover in Copenhagen and in the past I stayed at Hilton at the airport which was one of the better airport hotels I have come across. Unfortunately it has been deflagged so I considered other alternatives not far from the airport while providing easy access to the city the next morning and I booked AC Hotel Bella Sky which was much cheaper than hotels in the city. I had a mixed stay but I can recommend it in some circumstances.
Location
AC hotel is only 5km from the airport and the hotel provides a shuttle bus. The problem is that it’s not operating after 11pm and there are still some flights landing after that time so it was a drawback for us, but it would work for most travellers. We had to take a taxi from the airport which cost 170 DKK for barely a five minute drive – welcome to Denmark. The hotel is within walking distance of the Bella Center metro station which is on a direct line to the city center which I found to be quite useful.
Room
I booked the entry level room and I saw on the Marriott app that I was originally upgraded to a corner room but on the day of arrival the upgrade got down a notch to a deluxe room. During our stay the hotel was completely full so I was pleased with the modest upgrade although for just one night it would not have been the end of the world to be stuck in the basic room. Our deluxe room was one of the better ones because it was at the far end of the hallway (in the corner, but not a “corner” room type) and one or the larger deluxe rooms that they have. I am not familiar with the AC brand but I have to say for a somewhat basic hotel the design was quite unique. I liked the odd-shaped windows and the bathroom was well done with a walk-in shower, although having only partially frosted glass separating the bathroom and the bedroom with the toilet almost in sight is far from ideal if not travelling solo. Generally speaking you can tell the room is not brand new as there are some nicks here and there but the modern design gives the feeling of the hotel being more recent than it is.
Even more striking is the design of the building from the outside which makes it look like it’s some new modern hotel in the Middle East rather than a mid-range hotel in a western country.
The view from the room was quite nice especially since we were on a high floor. We had windows on two sides of the room with a view of the city in the distance and it made the room bright and pleasant during the day.
Dining
It has been written about several times already so I am not breaking any news here, but the Platinum breakfast benefit of 10 USD per person at AC brand is way short in major European cities (same as Courtyard brand). As a couple we had 20 USD credit and that is not even enough to cover the cost of only one breakfast in the restaurant which we skipped anyway. The good news is that you can use your 10 USD or 20 USD credit on any food & beverage at the hotel and it does not have to be breakfast. We ordered avocado as room service and including the delivery charge it came to 20 USD on the dot. It was probably the most expensive avocado I have ever had – fortunately it was covered by the F&B allowance and not out of pocket. However the hotel did not take out the charge from my bill as they should have, and I had to ask my ambassador for this small issue that she should not normally be bothered with.
Service
Service was better than I expected for this brand and relative to Scandinavian standards as well, where sometimes service levels are lower in this part of the world. The hotel was quite responsive and helpful before my arrival to explain the options to reach the hotel in late evening. Also upon departure I had a nice conversation with a new manager at the hotel who used to work for many years at the Marriott hotel in Amsterdam. We talked about the differences between various hotel chains including Hilton which I told her I used to go at the CPH airport, and she informed me that Hilton is now building a new hotel in Copenhagen which coincidentally will be part of the same ownership group as AC Hotel.
Overall
Overall my stay was fine for one night because I did not need anything fancy and expensive in the city for such a short trip and the hotel is close to both the airport and the city which was convenient. I might not book at AC on a longer stay however and I might rather try a more centrally located and more upscale hotel instead. In addition on a longer stay I would prefer a hotel with a more meaningful breakfast benefit and a hotel which does not have a strange set up with the not so private toilet. That said, the hotel does have some strong points such as an interesting design, competitive price relative to the city center, and easy access to the airport so I can recommend it to some travelers.
Sep 8, 2019, 4:14 am
And my ambivalent feelings about this hotel remain.
Pro:
- Hard product is above most AC hotels. Very airy, modern and bright. Could pass for Westin/Rennaissance style any day.
- F&B: Nice breakfast selection. The main breakfast room can be a bit of a circus, but on weekdays they open a small and more quiet sattelite breakfast that you get access to as Platinum and higher room categories. Japanese restaurant on top floor is classy and tasty.
- Location/price: While out of town its right on the metro, and only 10 mins away from airport or city centre. Right next door to Bella Center. Consistently cheaper than central Copenhagen Marriotts and often cheaper than Moxy in similar non-central location.
- Staffing: A lot of scandinavian hotels operate at minimum staffing, but this place has plenty of staff and I never waited long at frontdesk/restaurants etc.
- Status recognition: Plat. upgrade to large Corner room and offered late checkout automatically. Small (2 apples !) welcome gift and letter.
Cons:
- Staff attitude/training: This place seems to be catering to large tour groups, and I always feel that they are professional but never personal and always struggling with anything outside the basic check-in/check-out. Especially the 10USD F&B voucher has been a pain every time I've stayed and several times made me leave feeling frustrated from the check-out experience. This time it was bordering absurd:
Me: <At Elite Checkout>Checking out from room 15xx. Please check if all my Bonvoy vouchers have been applied. If there is anything left today, I'd like to grab some candy from your lobby shop.
CheckoutAgent1: Yes of course sir. I see you have a restaurant spendings for kr. xxx and a lobby shop spending for kr. yyy.
Me: Yes that sounds correct. I was asking you to check if voucher are applied and there is any value unspent.
CheckoutAgent1: Yes of course sir. <Processes checkout without showing me any folio for confirmation>
Me: So, did I have any voucher value to shop for in the lobby shop ?
CheckoutAgent1: What do you mean ?
CheckoutAgent2 (More Senior, stepping in next station): These are the Platinum vouchers, I know these. Let me assist. <Checking system>
CheckoutAgent2: Sir, since you've not spent your vouchers, I can just give you points instead.
Me: Oh, so you can give me points for todays unspent voucher. How many points ?
CheckoutAgent2: Yes, I can change you selected benefit to points, that's better for you.
Me: But I've spent two vouchers already ?
CheckoutAgent2: <Checking System> No sir, you have not spent your vouchers. The vouchers require that you spend more than 10USD per day. I'll just change your benefit to points.
Me: No thanks. I've spent kr xxx in your restaurant on wednesday and yyy kr in the lobbyshop on thursday, so I'd like the vouchers deducted from those spendings, and for today I'd like to spend the remaining value in the lobby shop.
CheckoutAgent2: But sir, you have to spend more than 10USD equivalent to use the voucher, and I don't think the lobby shop qualifies. <Grabs phone to check with management>
Me: Then I'll spend 10.01USD and pay the excess. If you're calling a manager, could you please ask him to come out here, I think this discussion is unacceptable after cheking out with a total spending of xxxx.
CheckoutAgent3 (appears instantly from behind curtain 3m away): Let me help you sir <Looking at system>. I see that your voucher havn't been applied. Let me do that and refund the amount to your creditcard. <Refunds to credit card and prints me a barely readable thermo print folio>.
Me: Thank you. Was there anything left for me to spend today ?
CheckoutAgent3: Sure. Let me escort you to the Lobby shop.
Total time spent checking out was 10 mins. And coming home I notice that they've deducted only 55DKK as 10USD equivalent ! At that exchange rate I'll stock up on 100 dollar bills next time I'm in the neighborhood...
If Bella Sky still thinks that Marriott Bonvoy is right for them, maybe they should consider moving up to a full service label like Westin/Rennaissance. The hard product is nearly there, their status customers would get a proper breakfast benefit, and they'd save themselves and their customers lots of frustration managing their Bonvoy obligations.
Sep 8, 2019, 12:25 pm
Sep 8, 2019, 12:44 pm
Sep 9, 2019, 12:16 am
And yes, I'm aware that this is a select service hotel. It's just so different from your average Aloft/Moxy with it's size, design, hard product and F&B offering, that you tend to forget it's not a Westin/Rennaissance. Until the voucher check-out drama that is ... Thus me feeling more ambivalent than underwhelmed.
Would I stay here again ? Yes I surely would if location/price fit my needs. But I think I'd skip the voucher game next time, It's simply not worth the hassle.
Sep 9, 2019, 2:15 am
And yes, I'm aware that this is a select service hotel. It's just so different from your average Aloft/Moxy with it's size, design, hard product and F&B offering, that you tend to forget it's not a Westin/Rennaissance. Until the voucher check-out drama that is ... Thus me feeling more ambivalent than underwhelmed.
Would I stay here again ? Yes I surely would if location/price fit my needs. But I think I'd skip the voucher game next time, It's simply not worth the hassle.