AC Hotels, one of Marriott International’s four lifestyle hotel brands, is “designed,” says Marriott International’s v.p. of lifestyle brands Toni Stoeckl, “for all those creative, well-traveled, entrepreneurial spirits, millennials and other travelers who are constantly on the go,” and who appreciate a well-designed hotel that also allows guests to find those important moments of tranquility and connection with others.
“Everything at AC Hotels by Marriott is created with intention,” he points out. “It edits away what is unnecessary in order to provide guests with thoughtfully designed moments of elegance that elevate their stay.”
For a bit of background, AC Hotels first debuted in the U.S. in November 2014 with the opening of an AC Hotel in New Orleans (the brand was originally founded in 1998 by Spanish hotelier Antonio Catalan before a joint venture with Marriott in 2011 launched the official brand, AC Hotels by Marriott).
AC Hotels is “not a boutique hotel, but features many boutique hotel characteristics,” says Stoeckl. The brand also “celebrates the beauty of classic modern designs with its European soul and Spanish roots.
“We know our guests’ daily lives are overflowing with responsibilities, so we want them to be able to draw energy from welcomed moments of tranquility where they can appreciate the beauty in the small details,” says Stoeckl. “Our AC Kitchen, open for breakfast, is the welcoming heart of a European home, inviting guests each morning to savor the day with a proper Spanish-influenced breakfast, while our AC Library provides a quiet space to peruse the selection of inspiring modern art and design.”
In June, the brand welcomed its first new-build property: the AC Hotel Miami Beachopened in sunny South Florida. The hotel, designed by Miami-based Kobi Karp Architecture, features 150 guestrooms decorated with modern furnishings, an open closet system, which means the closet space comes without a door, a rooftop pool offering ocean views, communal spaces for guests to connect, and complimentary WiFi throughout the property. Rates start in the mid-$200s.
June also saw the opening of the AC Hotel Chicago Downtown, the first AC Hotel in Illinois. The property features 226 guestrooms, a fifth floor terrace with views of Chicago’s skyline, an indoor pool and fitness center, onsite parking, complimentary WiFi, and the brand’s signature AC Kitchen and AC Lounge.
Additional upcoming AC Hotels will be introduced in Kansas City and Washington, D.C.; Marriott also expects to open an AC Hotel in Boston and Atlanta. Some of these properties will be new-builds while others will be conversions of existing buildings. In fact, an intense growth plan is projected for AC Hotels, with more than 60 properties opening in the next three years throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Currently, the brand features a large European portfolio with more than 75 properties in Spain, Italy, Portugal and France.
Clients will want to know that if they are enrolled in the Marriott Rewards program, they’ll earn points during their stay at any AC Hotel in the U.S. or abroad.
contact information
AC Hotels: achotels.marriott.com
or travelagents.marriott.com/travelagents/signin.mi
