Scott S. Smith for Huffingtonpost Travel
You may not be familiar with the AC Hotel brand because Marriott International only started bringing it to North America in 2014 and the one in downtown Atlanta was reopened after renovation in May 2017 http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/atlar-ac-hotel-atlanta-downtown/. But you’ll soon hear the buzz because it’s aimed at those who like an elegant minimalist design, just the real necessities even for long-term stays, great food, and a place to hang out with other interesting travelers. In short, it has the perfect name: it’s very cool. My wife, Sandra Wells, and I stayed there while writing a travel article about this important and fun city, the third most popular destination for domestic travelers (behind just Orlando and Chicago). Atlanta International Airport is the world’s busiest hub, with 100 million passing through its terminals each year, so you’re bound to find yourself with an opportunity to take a break (check out the things to do at www.Atlanta.net or www.Tripadvisor).
In fact, one of the best things about the AC Hotel is that it is at the edge of the business district, but quiet, as well as a short walk to the major attractions, including Philips Arena (NBA Hawks, WNBA Dream), the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium (NFL Falcons), the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, the Georgia Aquarium (world’s largest and truly stunning), the Civil and Human Rights Center (interactive exhibits), and CNN headquarters (fascinating backstage tour). It’s a quick subway, trolley, or bus right to the other key attractions, such as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the Carter Presidential Museum, the High Art Museum, and the Atlanta History Center (with what may be America’s best Civil War museum).
The Room
The size of the room, 282 square feet, was just right for our needs (there were 249 other choices). We requested two queen beds because I’m a light sleeper and we both tend to move around. The mattresses were very comfortable, as were the pillows, which combined down with plastic capsules that acted as air cushions. Hip hotels and even traditional ones sometimes have surprisingly uncomfortable mattresses and travel guides rarely tell you want to expect, so the AC aced this aspect.
The walk-in shower had an overhead rain showerhead, as well as a handheld one for the nether regions, with strong water pressure. There was plenty of counter space. The mirror was large, though like most hotels, the lighting wasn’t really adequate for doing makeup. Good hair dryer and toiletries.
If you need a light to find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, too much will stream through if you keep the light on there and we found the nightlights too bright, so we just kept our mobile phones handy.
The mini-frig had room for personal items, rather than having the honor bar crammed with expensive items we never buy. The coffeemaker had quality coffees and teas. There was free high-speed Wi-Fi , USB ports, and a 50-inch LCD flat-screen TV with not only HBO, but Netflix. There was a desk with ergonomic chair, iron and ironing board, a shoe sponge to fresh-up leather, and complimentary water.
The room was cleaned daily—it’s really neither necessary nor desirable to have this done twice, as so many “luxury” hotels do, and turndown service is a stupid tradition. Rooms at the AC are non-smoking and the a/c system itself was easy to use.
Some rooms are outfitted for ADA accessibility, including roll-in showers, and they even have visual alarms and devices for the hard-of-hearing.
Lots of Amenities
There is a computer in the lobby guests can access 24/7 and lots of interesting books and newspapers for anyone waiting or just relaxing. There is a small adjacent meeting room equipped with media. Three other wired-and-wireless rooms with a total of 1457 square feet of space are available for conferences. Elevators are fast.
The small section of self-service food in the lobby was impressive in its hard-to-find indulgences: Scofflaw Beer, Freakshow Wine, Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle, High Road 16% Butterfat Bourbon Burnt Sugar
In the basement was a large and very well-equipped fitness center with workout room, accessible 24/7.
The type of people who stay at the hotel were informal and friendly. We were surprised by the range of ages; it wasn’t a hipper-than-thou hangout for those who want to be seen.
I don’t drink, but Sandra asked advice from our server, Jasmine, who suggested the Signature Gintonic. Not her usual drink, she tried it any way and was wowed. The snack menu was very creative and delicious—we tried the tomato braised eggplant and ricotta toast, the manchego and quince paste, chili and citrus marinated olives, and crispy sea salt potatoes, smoked paprika, and aioli.
The breakfast buffet at first appeared to be basic, but had not only sufficient meats and cheese for most people, there were the things we don’t always get at a casual hotel: gourmet coffee, an espresso and cappuccino machine, soymilk, stevia for sweetening, extra-thick yoghurt, and Nutella spread.
Staff was knowledgeable, helpful, even interesting. They were willing to spend time talking about the city or anything else without the sense they needed to do something more important.
One can use the self-service laundry room, laundry service, or have clothes dry cleaned.
The outdoor pool was surprisingly large, with plenty of furniture for informal meetings.
Check out the brand if you get to Atlanta or elsewhere, as it spreads to cities, and you’ll enjoy the experience as we did.
Contact: 404/524-5555, 101 Andrew Young International Blvd. NW, Atlanta GA 30303
