Booking
The booking was made, as always, through the Marriott website (with cashback), which came with the — rather limited — benefits of being a Marriott Titanium member. Why limited benefits? Partly because the hotel has barely any “better” rooms, and also because the rooms are rather functionally equipped. The Standard Plus room is, from my research, the only slightly better category — though it’s not truly outstanding either.
Location
From the Bologna airport (BQT) it’s only about 9.5 kilometers to the hotel. For the trip there I took an Uber, which was relatively expensive. Otherwise, the hotel is about 20 minutes on foot from the city center, and in the immediate vicinity there are only a few options for food and drinks.
Normally I prefer Uber over taxis in most cities, but here taxi prices tend to be cheaper. As an example, the ride from the airport to the hotel cost 25 EUR, while the return journey only came to 18 EUR.
From the outside, the hotel looks quite modern, though it’s situated in a not particularly attractive neighborhood of Bologna.
Check In
Quite okay and friendly, I would say. I was informed that AC Hotels don’t offer breakfast for elite guests either (which is correct), and that I could choose between an 8 EUR credit per day or 500 points. Since I have quite a lot of points on my Marriott account already, I opted for the 8 EUR. That turned out to be a bit of a mistake, as the rules here are interpreted quite strictly — the credit must be used each day individually. In fairness, I should mention that this is absolutely correct policy, though other hotels are significantly more flexible about it. The so-called Marketplace is kept fairly simple. For anyone curious: the sandwiches come from Lidl, and it’s even labeled as such.
As an upgrade, I headed with room key in hand up to the 5th floor — a Plus room right next to the elevator… not exactly my first preference, to be honest.
Room
The first impression of the room is quite good. On the left there’s the bathroom, and in the hallway a safe, the coffee/tea machine, and a minibar.
The largest part of the room is taken up by the bed; there’s a desk with a good chair and decent luggage storage. Unfortunately, I don’t understand why all the power outlets at the desk are mounted underneath it. That simply isn’t up to modern standards, and there’s also only one outlet at the bedside. On the other side there’s a fairly large TV.
The bathroom is perfectly adequate and clean. It also features a bathtub, which I personally always prefer over a simple shower.
Toiletries were more than sufficient; things like tissues and cotton swabs are missing, but for a short stay that shouldn’t be an issue.
There’s also a small table and chair in the room — I gave it a try, but it feels more like a decorative piece to me. Not something that really invites you to work.
In the wardrobe, alongside a bathrobe and slippers, there’s also an ironing board and iron. I tested everything and found it all satisfactory.
A lovely surprise was the welcome amenity that arrived in the room shortly after check-in — a bottle of Prosecco along with a card. I find this gesture to be a very nice touch.
Amenities
On the 6th floor there’s also a fitness room. It’s not particularly large or generously equipped, but the view from up there is quite lovely, I think.
Restaurant
On the ground floor there’s the restaurant where breakfast is also served. On both occasions I visited, there were only a few guests, but the portions looked quite appealing. I also took a photo of the menu. The trainee, by the way, was genuinely super friendly and full of positive energy.
Check Out
I had to wait a very, very long time for someone to come — which eventually became quite frustrating. I would have simply used the Marriott app to check out, but that wasn’t possible at this AC Hotel.
Conclusion
The stay was absolutely fine for the price. The option to use the chat function in the Marriott app (since nobody answered the phone) was also commendable. There are certainly a few things in the room that could be modernized — power outlets, water bottles, and amenities come to mind. After the first night I noticed just how odd the bed was, and perhaps I shouldn’t have looked too closely. For a next visit, I would likely choose a hotel closer to the center, as not everything here was fully convincing.
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Comments