AC Hotel by Marriott Austin Review

If you’re interested in staying in the Austin area but you want to experience something a little bit more remote (but not too remote) then the AC Hotel by Marriott Austin may be a great choice for you.

It’s a modern hotel, reasonably priced, and a property that comes with some unique amenities like a beautiful rooftop terrace and outdoor patio area.

In this review article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the AC Hotel by Marriott Austin.

Booking the AC Hotel by Marriott Austin

We booked two nights at the AC Hotel by Marriott Austin with 45,000 points total, which in my opinion was a pretty good redemption considering prices were around $200 per night.

Other AC Hotel reviews:

Location overview: Southwest Austin

The property is located in Southwest Austin, about 20 minutes from downtown.

For us, it was the perfect choice because we were still close enough to downtown to get there relatively quickly but the hotel was still secluded enough to offer a more relaxed feel to our stay.

After staying in cities the past several days on a two-week long road trip across Texas, it was nice to experience something a little slower.

Since the hotel is so remote you don’t have a lot around you but there are some things nearby.

There is a movieplex (Moviehouse & Eatery by Cinépolis SW Austin) and a couple of restaurants in the neighboring area (CARVE American Grille) but not a whole lot going on other than some corporate offices.

Behind the property, there is a sidewalk that looks like it will eventually lead to some sort of connected pathway, perhaps to other business centers but I’m honestly not very sure.

Check-in 

After making the short drive from the Westin in San Antonio and stopping at Buc-ees for a little while, we arrived at the hotel around 3:20pm so early check-in was not needed.

Since this was mid-December, the hotel was decorated for the holidays and the lobby area along with surrounding areas were pretty beautiful.

AC Hotels have a distinct scent (which I really love) and I’ll say that the scent here was really pumping in the vents — it was the strongest I’d ever encountered at an AC and maybe just a tad too strong.

The property has just opened up so this type of thing is honestly expected and I’m sure they will level out the scent at some point.

AC Hotel Austin Hill Country lobby
AC Hotel Austin Hill Country lobby
AC Hotel Austin Hill Country lobby

One thing I did want to point out is that all of the staff members were extremely personable. Out of all of the AC hotels I’ve recently stayed at, this property had the best service by far.

The room

We had a pretty basic king room that had all of the standard AC features.

If you’ve never stayed at an AC property before, you’ll find that these properties are very consistent in what they have to offer, especially with the rooms.

The bed was very comfortable and I did not have any issues getting some good sleep.

One side of the bed had the phone along with power outlets and USB ports while the other side had more power outlets and USB ports. It’s never difficult to keep your devices charged in these hotels which is something I really like.

Related: Should You Use USB Ports In Hotel Rooms? (Stay Away!?)

We had a good-sized TV screen in our room with a cushioned bench below that I always just assume is for luggage or random needs like getting dressed?

Next to that was the classic AC minimalist workstation.

The room also had a little seating area that had a view towards the Hill Country which was nice. I usually avoid hotel furniture but because this was a new hotel I didn’t feel bad about taking a rest on it.

Near the room’s entrance you’ll find all of the standard AC in-room amenities like the iron and iron board, safe, coffee maker, and smart fridge (with two free bottles of water in the fridge).

The hotel also has a hydration station upstairs at the rooftop terrace so you can fill up jugs of water which is something I really liked.

Like most of the AC hotels I’ve stayed at, the bathrooms were on point. They were very clean and I always like the dual showerhead found at the AC.

The bars and tapas

The hotel has two separate bar areas.

One is on the main lobby floor and is a more compact bar with around six chairs. Here you will find some of the more “standard” on-brand drinks and cocktails. In case you did not know, AC Hotels have a signature gin and tonic, which is a pretty refreshing drink.

AC Hotel Austin Hill Country lobby bar

They have some additional seating nearby so you can also relax and enjoy your drinks/tapas or get work done because there are some outlets in the floor.

The second bar is a rooftop bar called Salt + Stone.

AC Hotel Austin Hill Country rooftop bar

This is a much bigger space with lots of seating and some pretty sweet views looking out to the Texas Hill Country and city of Austin. It’s a great spot to catch a sunset. If it’s cold up there, there are heat lamps and even blankets on standby.

AC Hotel Austin Hill Country rooftop bar view
AC Hotel Austin Hill Country rooftop bar view

The bar upstairs will have a more extensive selection and you’ll likely find drinks of a local variety up there. Apparently, the bartenders have more of a creative license up there so if you are really into cocktails and mixed drinks that’s a spot to be.

Although I don’t drink, I still enjoyed lounging up there. It’s also just a really cool looking terrace area, especially when you see it from afar.

One of my favorite features of the AC Hotel brand is that they serve tapas. As a Titanium Elite member, we were able to receive $40 in dining credits which we decided to use exclusively on the tapas bar.

This was the first time we were issued the credits in the form of cards that could be used all at once which was really cool. Typically, I’ve been limited to $10 per day per person but here we could spend all $40 in one setting.

Just note that the credits do not carry over so if you use $20 in credits to cover a $16 bill, you lose out on $4.

In my experience, every AC hotel offer something a little bit different in their tapas which keeps things interesting. On our stay, we tried the roasted cauliflower, prosciutto and cheese, meatball, and crispy potatoes.

Nothing really blew me away but it was nice to try some different light bites that helped carry us over to the next meal. Plus, the bartender was a lot of fun to talk to.

Breakfast

AC Hotels serve up a European inspired breakfast. This means that you’ll find things like croissants, cheeses, and deli meats for your breakfast selection.

The selection here was a little bit limited compared to some of the other AC Hotels so we just decided to do breakfast on our own but I still did get some good pictures of the breakfast.

So here’s what you can expect:

Gym & Pool

The hotel has a beautiful outdoor patio area with plenty of seating and some massive randomly placed geodes.

We visited on a pretty cool day but they had a fire pit going and it was actually quite nice to relax out there. This is another great spot to catch the sunset and perhaps enjoy some tapas.

Next to the patio area is the pool, complete with a dozen or so lounge chairs. It’s small but well-kept and it looks like a great place to relax in.

The fitness center looked out to the pool area and had a lot of natural light which is always energizing.

It’s a smaller gym but still pretty well equipped with an elliptical, Peloton, and a few treadmills. They also had a little station for free weights and some other equipment. Everything looked very modern so you should be able to get a great workout at the hotel.

Final word

Overall, I really enjoyed my hotel stay here.

This felt like one of the smaller AC Hotels I’ve stayed at but it ended up being one of the most beautiful.

The breakfast and tapas menu was not quite as loaded as other ACs but this hotel had also just opened like one month prior to the stay so I’m not even sure I was able to experience everything that it had to offer.

If you’re looking for more of a quiet stay within the Austin area but want a hotel that still has some nice amenities, I think this is a great selection.

AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center Review

Washington DC is a fascinating destination.

The city’s urban atmosphere along with the lack of high-rise buildings gave me some London vibes, although on a smaller scale and with a much stronger governmental feel.

You’ll have a lot of choices for hotels when exploring the Capital but if you were thinking about staying in the Mount Vernon Square area then you might want to strongly consider the AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center.

In this article, I’ll give you a detailed review of the AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center.

Booking

On a road trip where we knocked out 13 states in the Northeast, we decided to kick everything off in Washington DC.

We had never explored the DC area before so we wanted to be relatively close to the National Mall, where we could easily get into full tourist mode for a day or two.

After searching for hotels in the area we settled upon the AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center — a Marriott category four hotel that would allow us to use our free night certificates for both nights.

This is a new Marriott hotel that just opened up in the fall of 2020 (a few months ahead of schedule) so we got to experience it when it was about one-year old.

Tip: Don’t get this property confused with the nearby AC Hotel by Marriott Washington DC Downtown, which unfortunately did happen to us at one point.

Although the room rates can be low for this hotel, the rates were actually quite high during October.

For the standard rooms we would’ve been paying around $600 for two nights which meant we were getting about $300 in value from each of our free night certificates. That’s really great value so we did not hesitate to jump on this booking.

I also applied suite night awards to the booking and got confirmation about five days prior, which is how we landed the corner room on a high floor.

One thing that I thought was interesting about this hotel is that they offer rooms with two king beds — something I had not seen a lot of.

Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!

Location overview: Mount Vernon Square

The 13-story hotel is located in Mount Vernon Square although it also closely the borders Chinatown.

The Mount Vernon Square area seemed to be a pretty busy area with a lot of business travelers which is no surprise since this where you find the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

There are tons of hotels, restaurants, and shops nearby the hotel, and although I don’t know DC very well, it felt like we were right in the heart of the city.

Back when we lived in the UK we fell in love with Nandos so we had to hit it up, as DC is one of the few places in the states where you can find it.

For a quick lunch we tried the Sol Mexican Grill which is located just next-door to the hotel and it was okay but it’s hard to compete with Tex-Mex.

Other dining recommendations you could try include:

  • Shouk
  • Kinship
  • The Capital Burger
  • RPM Italian
  • Busboys and Poets
  • Farmers & Distillers

There’s a good amount of shopping nearby including the Apple Carnegie Library which is pretty iconic. Also, just next-door is a CVS for your all-purpose needs.

The Capital One Arena is only a couple of blocks away. We ventured out just before a Washington Capitals game which meant that a lot of the restaurants were filled with fans so try to time your meals accordingly.

This hotel is also a great location for visiting the National Portrait Gallery.

As far as getting to the National Mall you are about a 20 minute walk from it.

Related: National Mall in Washington DC (1 Day/24hr Itinerary)

Check-in

We parked on the side of the road in temporary parking so that I could go in and ask about the parking situation. There are three different lots you can choose from that are pretty much neighboring the property.

We chose to use an uncovered lot that was fenced in just across the street. Parking ran $30 a day.

My recommendation would be to head to your parking lot first as we found it very difficult to maneuver around the area due to a lot of traffic.

AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center parking

After we got the parking situation figured out, we made our way in the lobby.

Large floor to ceiling windows cast a lot of natural light into the lobby area, which has a very modern and sleek feel. The property stresses an open appearance that holds true in both the lobby and the rooms.

AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center lobby

The lobby has plenty of lounge seating and a bar at the end which always seemed to be pretty busy during the early evenings.

AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center lobby

The agents at check-in were nice and we were issued room keys and sent to our upgraded room on one of the 12th floor in a matter of minutes.

The corner room 

It had been a little while since we had stayed in a luxury hotel and so it felt very refreshing to have such a nice view.

With floor-to-ceiling windows, the corner room had some nice city views but use caution with those shades pulled open because people in nearby high-rises can see directly into your room.

The corner room set up that we had was a little bit different from what was advertised on the hotel website. It seems this is a more upgraded version of the room, perhaps with more space?

AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center corner room

While this was one of the top floors, DC has strict limits on high-rises so you don’t really get a true high-rise experience in this part of the city. Still, from 12 flors up the views were pretty solid.

AC Hotel Washington DC Convention Center corner room

The hotel bedding was fresh and clean and the mattress comfortable enough to offer a good night’s sleep which we needed considering the crazy amount of walking that we did exploring the National Mall.

Seriously, I was exhausted after day one!

Read: Do Hotels Wash Bedding Between Stays?

Both sides of the bed have lamps and power outlets along with USB ports.

There’s a small sitting chair and table right next to the floor to ceiling window.

You can actually crack one of the windows behind the chair to help you control the temperature.

There’s a minimalist workstation attached to the wall with a rack for your luggage as well.

On the left, you’ll find a lamp and power outlets along with USB ports at the workstation.

As always, I suggest you read my guide on USB ports before plugging in your device.

If you’re looking for entertainment while in your room you are in luck because a 55″ TV screen hangs overhead the desk.

Next to the workstation was a large mirror.

In the entry area you have a mini-fridge and coffee maker, along with the iron and iron board.

If you pull out one of the drawers you’ll find the Gideon Bible and Book of Mormon along with forms for hotel laundry.

Related: Laundry At Hotels? Essential Tips for Keeping Your Threads Fresh

The bathroom is pretty spacious and elegant with hardwood floors and modern fixtures. The toilets have a European feel (square seat and dual flush) which is a signature of the AC brand.

The bathroom amenities were from Korres, which offer natural Greek skincare and beauty products inspired by homeopathic remedies.

They were high-quality and we did not have to bust out our own soaps and shampoos which is always nice. 

The sink area is quite spacious and beautifully backlit. I always say you can tell a lot about a hotel room by the bathroom and this room certainly had quality bathroom features all around.

The fitness center

The hotel has really nice gym in the basement. You’ll find plenty of cardio equipment and quite a few TV screens to keep you occupied. Towels and earbuds can be found down there as well.

Dining

We were out and about so much that we did not spend a lot of time in the hotel and unfortunately did not get to try out the restaurant: the AC Kitchen which offers European-style breakfast with French croissants, artisan Berkel-sliced Prosciutto di Parma and other cured meats.

To get more of your European fix you can also try out the AC Lounge which offers Spanish tapas and a curated drink menu, including the brand’s signature Gin+Tonic cocktail.

There’s also the penthouse: Estrella Lounge, which offers a rooftop experience with live music but we did not have time to check that out (assuming it was even open when we stayed).

Final word

Overall, I was very pleased with his hotel stay. Everything feels modern and fresh and the service was solid. I thought this was a great hotel to choose for a home base when exploring the National Mall, even though the hotel is designed to cater to business travelers.