By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch, your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Hotel Overview This was an impressive hotel with an amazing location, delightful staff, and an affordable price. It was the nicest Hilton I have ever stayed in. Pros-Centrally located in Mexico City's historic district, very friendly staff, affordable price, amazing views of Mexico City, indoor and outdoor pool, spectacular food at El Cardenal Restaurant. Cons- Poor Check-In Process, Overpriced food at Los Dones. A Weekend in Mexico City Trip Report A Weekend in Mexico City Trip Overview Delta A321 DCA-ATL Review Delta Boeing 737-800 Economy ATL-MEX Review Hilton Mexico City Reforma Review Exploring Mexico City Delta A319 Economy MEX-ATL Review Delta A320 Economy ATL-DCA Review Location Because Mexico City is big (573 square miles) and this was Christina and my first time visiting Mexico City we decided that we needed to pick a hotel that would allow us to tackle one area of the city. We are both history lovers, so we thought the best place to start would be the Centro Histórico. We picked the Hilton Mexico City Reforma to burn through some Hilton Honors points. This hotel is walking distance to many major historical sites including the Zocalo, Palacio Nacional, Templo Mayor, and the Palacio de Bella Artes. We found the location to be an amazing jumping off point to Centro Histórico, and allowed us to throughly enjoy Mexico City. Check In We took an Uber from the airport. The ride was 30 minutes, and 116 pesos (~$7). As we exited the car we were greeted by friendly staff who opened the doors for us as we walked in. The amiable staff was a trend that would continue throughout our stay. I was immediately impressed with the lobby which had high ceilings, a mural, an assortment of couches, and a lobby bar. Behind the lobby bar were floor to ceiling shelves with pottery and to our left of the entrance was the concierge desk. This certainly didn't feel like any Hilton I have stayed at before. We walked up to the check-in area and saw all of the desks were occupied. After a short wait we were greeted and asked if we would like to conduct the check-in process in Spanish or English. We said that it did not matter to us confident that our Spanish we had practiced only a few months before in Spain would be sufficient. However, this was a mistake since the check-in agent spoke really quickly which meant we had to ask her to repeat herself several times. We generally are able to handle speaking in Spanish as tourists and did so throughout our trip but learned our lesson to ask to speak in English during check-in and check-out process. Outside of the language barrier the overall check-in process was very confusing and I believe was made worse by the fact that our check-in agent was new. Hilton has a cool feature which allows Hilton Honors members to pre-select a room using the app 6 am the day before check-in. We used this feature to select our room, however, the agent let us now that the room we pre-selected was no longer available but she had secured us an even better room also on a high floor. The agent also tried to up sell us by asking us first if we wanted to pay extra 200 pesos (~$11) for access to the pool and gym and then if we wanted to upgrade to a room on the executive floor which came with breakfast, a larger room, and lounge access. I found the first offer strange since I had never stayed at a hotel where pool access was not included in the rate. We contemplated this offer since we really wanted pool access but ended up declining both offers since we thought it wasn't worth it to pay extra for amenities or a larger room on our short weekend stay. However, later on when we went back down to the lobby and were told that access to the pool was included. I am not sure if this was something that was lost in translation, which would be our fault for not asking to complete the process in English, but it really made for a confusing check-in process. Room I was nervous that we would be given a room with a view of the adjacent building and not one with a view of the city, like the one we had pre-selected. However, once we opened the door to our room the fear completely disappeared. The room was full of light and had a sweeping view of Mexico City. From our room we could see the Palacio de Bella Artes, Torre Latinoamericana, and the Palacio Nacional. The view was so impressive that every time we came back to the room I would spend a few minutes looking our over the city. I was amazed that we got such a great room given that Christina did not have Hilton elite status. The room came with a king bed, dresser, flat screen television, and a desk. I found the bed to be very comfortable with a perfect balance between hard and soft. One thing that the room lacked was sufficient plugs, an issue I run into in many hotels. The bathroom had a mirror above the sink along with a hair dryer. The bathroom amenities were the Hilton standard Thomas Roth and included lotion, shampoo, conditioner along with a shower cap. The bathroom also had two complimentary bottles of water which we appreciated since we walked a lot around the city. There was also a tub shower combo along with a movable rainforest shower head and great water pressure. We ran into one issue with the shower door not always closing correctly but overall the bathroom was nice. One word of caution the shower/tub combo has a large step up which I could see causing issue for older adults and people with limited mobility. Dining The Hilton Mexico City Reforma has three restaurants the Terrace Restaurant, Los Dones, and El Cardenal. The Terrace Restaurant was located on the sixth floor and had floor to ceiling glass windows, and beautiful views of the city. Unfortunately, we did not get to the try the restaurant because it was closed the day of our arrival, and again on our second day for a private event, and finally completely closed the morning of our departure. We were really hungry after our flight to Mexico City and did not want to venture too far. We decided to have dinner at the hotel. El Cardenal was already closed so we decided to try Los Dones and this was a mistake. The first sign this was a poor choice was that on a Friday night the restaurant was empty. The atmosphere continued to disappoint from the decor to the lack of views. As we sat down at the table and looked at the menu and it was really boring. We came to Mexico City to try authentic Mexican cuisine and the menu did not cater to this. We asked our friendly waiter for a wine menu and he said that they did not have one but if we asked for a type of wine he would bring us a bottle. Later on when we got the bill I realized that one reason they may not have a wine menu here is to hide the expensive prices. The bottle of Malbec we ordered cost 600 pesos (~$32) which is unheard of in a city as affordable as Mexico City. We could have stomached this better if the bottle of wine was good but it was terrible. To make matters worse as we sat and waited to order there was a fly in the restaurant. I ordered the short ribs and Christina ordered sea bass. On the positive side the short ribs were good but not actually short ribs and the sea bass was good even though it had a bit of a spicy kick. Finally, we ordered chocolate ice cream which was delicious. But, how could you go wrong with ice cream? Overall, the food was okay but expensive by Mexico City standards, and the wine was terrible and also expensive. I would recommend skipping this restaurant if you stay at the Hilton Mexico City Reforma. Despite the disappointing first meal we decided to give another restaurant in the hotel, El Cardenal a try. El Cardenal is a local restaurant with a few locations across Mexico City and focused on authentic Mexican cuisine and Mexican culture. We were told that their was a 10 minute wait when we arrived at the restaurant. Their were numerous locals waiting as well, which was very good signs of what was to come. As we waited we perused the Mexican art El Cardenal had for sale, and admired the charming Mexican portraits on the wall. When we sat down we were impressed by the table setting which included napkins branded with the restaurants name. We were greeted by an very friendly waiter. He was the definition of a good waiter always there when you needed him but not hovering. We then embarked on what can only be described as a Mexican culinary adventure trying a wide range of authentic Mexican cuisine. I ordered hot chocolate and it was fantastic. I love hot chocolate and I would go as far as to say at this was the best hot chocolate I had ever had. I believe the hot chocolate was made with real milk chocolate and I could have 10 of them. Next the friendly staff came by with a tray full of Mexican sweets called pan dulce. The pan dulce was rich and flavorful, and obviously made fresh that morning. For our main dishes I ordered the cordero (lamb) and Christina ordered the lengua (beef tongue). The staff also brought us fresh bread, which was excellent and tasted like baguettes, along with corn tortillas. The food came out very quickly and my dish came in a clay pot. The cordero was cooked in a clay oven and surrounded by leaves for flavor. I was really impressed by the freshness of all of the food and the commitment to authenticity of El Cardenal. My one complaint was that the meat came out a little overcooked but overall I still enjoyed the cordero. When I finished my hot chocolate I ordered some mango juice. Wow was it good! The mango juice was so fresh that it tasted like it was just picked from the mango tree. Christina's lengua came with nopales (cactus) and avocado. She really enjoyed her meal and cleaned her plate. In total our meal took about 45 minutes and we were so sad to end what was a truly a toast to some of the best cuisine Mexico has to offer. Even if you don't stay at the Hilton Mexico City Reforma I would strongly recommend that you try out El Cardenal. Amenities The hotels amenities included a gym, pools, and a spa. All of these amenities were located on the sixth floor. We did not use the gym, but peeked inside. It seemed to be a large and well equipped gym. We did call to ask about spa prices and were blown away by the high prices we were quoted so never tried the spa. After we cleared up the confusion around the additional fee for the pool we headed up to the sixth floor on our final day in Mexico City to utilize the pool. The hotel had both an indoor pool and an outdoor lap pool. We utilized the indoor pools for several hours and it was clean and a lot of fun. The outdoor lap pool was next to the Terrace Restaurant and enjoyed nice views of Mexico City. Christina was disappointed that she did not have hear googles to enjoy a few laps in the pool. Service
The staff at the Hilton Mexico City Reforma were delightful. They were friendly and provided great service. Everyone at the hotel seemed to take service seriously. As we walked throughout the hotel, the employees greeted us and had smiles on their faces. One day as we headed towards the elevator a staff member who was headed to the lobby saw us heading towards the elevator pressed the button and held open the elevator doors for us. These small gestures were really appreciated. The only complaint we had was that the concierge was always busy with other guests. Overall, it really seemed like the staff at this hotel actually enjoyed coming to work and were proud to deliver good service. Take Away Despite our initial mix up at check-in and the poor meal at Los Dones this hotel was very impressive and definitely the best stay I have ever had at a Hilton. The location was amazing, the staff were very friendly, the indoor pool was fun, the food at El Cardenal was fabulous, and the room offered an great view of Mexico City. Even better the hotel is affordable and standard rooms regularly go for under $140 a night during April. It is an amazing value for such a good hotel. If we did not have points expiring, we would have gladly paid the full cash to stay at this hotel. I strongly recommend the Hilton Mexico City Reforma, especially for first timers to Mexico City.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Hotel Overview Mentioned in my review of the The AC Hotel New Orleans: The AC brand is native to Spain and I was excited to check out the brand in its homeland, however, our stay was terrible and AC Hotel Irla in Barcelona was one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in. Pros- Affordable price Cons-The hotel was old, rooms had no air conditioning or room temperature control, the service was terrible, the room service food was overpriced and horrible, and beds were uncomfortable Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018 Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park Food in London Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia Exploring Life in Valencia Exploring Life in Barcelona Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA Location AC Hotel Irla is located in the Northwestern portion of Barcelona near Avinguda Diagonal, a major road in the city. We took a taxi from the Barcelona El Prat Airport which is about 20 minutes away and cost $12. One thing to note is that at the time we were in Barcelona in February 2018 Uber was effectively banned but resumed to the city in March 2018. The hotel is about two miles away from major Barcelona sights such as La Sagrada Familia. If you are up to walking Barcelona is a very walkable city and the hotel's location is convenient to many shops and restaurants. However, if you are not up for walking and would like to stay close to the tourist sights or the beach, this hotel would not be an ideal location. Check In After stepping out of our taxi I was surprised how busy the streets around the hotel were and this would prove to be a problem throughout our stay. The exterior of the hotel looked very similar to the AC Hotel New Orleans but that is where the similarities ended as the interior was very dated. We walked up to the check-in desk and began the check-in process first in Spanish and then switched to English when the conversation grew too advanced. The front desk attendant spoke both Spanish and English but was not very friendly. The check-in process was very slow even though there were no other guests waiting to check in. While Christina continued the check in process I looked at the assorted travel sized items such as deodorant or toothpaste which were on a stand next to the front desk. I found the items to be overpriced and I would recommend walking to any of the nearby stores to purchase these instead. The rest of the lobby was dark, (a trend that would continue throughout our stay), and unimpressive with a number of chairs scattered around four round tables. Overall the lobby was uninviting. The front desk attendant proceeded to ask us a series of questions and tried to up sell us on breakfast which we declined. She also scanned our passports (a first for us) it made me very uncomfortable having to turn over this personal information to the hotel. Later on I read that it is common in the European Union because of a requirement that hotel's identify their guests. Rooms Once we completed the check-in process we proceeded to our room using the elevator. The elevator was old and very small with the ability to hold at most four guests with suitcases. As we walked to the room we noticed that the hallways were very dark and gloomy. Upon entering the room we could not turn on any lights and realized that in order to turn on the lights you were required to keep your key card inserted into a slot at the entrance to the room. This was very inconvenient and could lead to guests getting locked out of there rooms after forgetting to remove the key. My first impression of the room was that it was tiny. It is easily the smallest hotel room I had ever stayed in. Worse yet, as Christina pointed out, the hotel did not use the small space very well. The room had a queen size bed and desk in the corner of the room near the window. Also, on the desk were two complimentary bottles of water, which I appreciated, and a room service menu. The closet in the room was so small that our suitcases could not fit and we just left them on the floor. The interior of the room was very old and it included almost none of the modern amenities of a hotel room despite the hotel and the AC brand advertising themselves as modern. One of the biggest missing items was the lack of international outlets or USB plugs. This forced us to go out on the first night to buy a international adapter. The bathroom had a shower and numerous AC branded amenities including a comb, lotion, body wash, and a very small bottle of toothpaste. I appreciated that the hotel provided all of these amenities. The bathroom also had the same glass sink you will find in all AC brand hotels and AC branded towels. However, the problems with this room continued in bathroom. After taking a shower I came out to a completely soaked floor. After inspecting the shower I realized that that the door to the shower was not closing correctly and had flooded our bathroom floor. I was really annoyed but we used our towels to mop it up and continued to try and get some rest. The room was hot so we turned the nob on what we thought was the central heating and cooling system to adjust the temperature since it had no electronic display. However, the room seemed to only get hotter so we opened the window to allow some cool air to come in but this also brought in the significant noise from the busy street below. The room grew so hot and noisy that we could not get much sleep. Furthermore, the bed was very hard and had no sheet only a quilt. Because the room had no air conditioning this meant sleeping without any blankets or overheating under the quilt. After not one but two problems we were so frustrated that we asked to switch rooms the next morning. To the hotel's credit after asking they switched us to a room across the hall. This room was marginally bigger since it was a corner room and the shower doors closed correctly further preventing flooding. However, it suffered from all of the other problems of the previous room in that it had no USB plugs, was hot, and had no air conditioning forcing us to sleep with the window open exposed to the street noise. We found out later that the entire hotel had no individual room temperature control and during the winter, spring, and fall had NO AIR CONDITIONING! So in fact we were turning on the heat the first night. This was truly shocking to us and it is the first hotel I have ever stayed in that had no air conditioning offered during a stay. Between the hard bed, lack of sufficient bedding options, street noise, and heat Christina and I slept terribly throughout our stay at this hotel even after we switched rooms. Room Service and Gym Christina and I did not try out the breakfast during our stay but one night when we were so exhausted from walking around Barcelona that we decided to try the room service which was offered 24 hours a day. The room service menu offered various dishes including starters, "bits and bobs", desserts, wine, and spirits. Given our poor experience with the hotel thus far we decided to play it safe and only order dishes with ham since that is a Spanish speciality and we thought there was no way they could mess that up. We were wrong. The process started off badly as we ordered a bottle of water along with our food and the food showed up without the bottle of water. The silverware used for the room service seemed legitimate but as soon as I opened the top and saw the food that positive impression went way. The ham and cheese sandwich I ordered cost 11.20 euros ($13) and the ham tasted like Lunchables ham and the cheese tasted like slices of Kraft singles. The chips that came with the sandwich were literally plated Pringles and the salad included no cheese and was completely flavorless. My sandwich was so bad that I ended up leaving most of it on the plate save the Pringles. Christina ordered the Iberian ham with breadsticks which cost 15.30 euros (~$18) was not much better. For this price she got a plate of what was certainly the worse Iberian ham we had the whole trip and hard breadsticks. I must say that this was the worse meal I have ever had at any hotel and if this is the best that the hotel could offer for room service they just shouldn't offer it. The hotel did not have many amenities and did not even have an AC Lounge, which is the bar featured in many other AC hotels. However, it did have a gym. We did not use the gym during our stay but I did check it out before we left and it was small but appropriate for a hotel of this size. The gym had three cardio machines, one of which was broken during our stay. On the positive side it did offer free bottles of water, a sauna, and a shower.
Service and Hotel Response The service at this hotel was just terrible. As I stated we had numerous problems throughout our stay and honestly I got the impression that the hotel simply did not care. First, when we complained about the water flooding onto our floor and the hot temperature in our room no one ever followed up to see if the second room was better or to apologize for the leak. Second, when the room service showed up without the water we ordered we called down to the front desk and they said that we could come down and get the bottle. We declined and just made sure it wasn't charged to our room. Third, one day we showed up to hotel and our key cards were all deactivated. This has happened to me in the past but never to multiple key cards from the same room. We went downstairs to get them reactivated and they asked to reconfirm how long we were staying. This implied to me that the key cards were activated for the wrong length of time at check-in. Finally, after numerous issues at check-out were were never asked how our stay went. The impression I got was that the hotel did not care. We had such a bad experience that for our first time ever we wrote to Marriott customer service to complain about our stay. Very disappointedly Marriott customer service simply forwarded our complaint to the hotel. The hotel responded back saying the following which I have paraphrased from their response. First, the hotel said that some of their rooms have international plugs and USBs but one must have not been available when we checked in. However, they sell international adapters at the front desk. Second, that hotel only offers heat during the winter and air conditioning during the summer and that guests have no individual control of temperature in their rooms. Third, some rooms in the hotel had been undergoing a renovation so the shower issue is common when they renovate rooms. Fourth, the key cards likely deactivated when put next to an electronic device so the hotel staff always asks to confirm the departure date when guests get new cards. Finally, the hotel asked for more details about the issues with the room service meal and said they would forward the feedback on the room service to the proper department. I must say I was extremely disappointed by this response from the hotel. After numerous problems over five nights at the hotel we were offered no compensation at all. Instead what we got were very weak responses and excuses. Honestly, if this hotel doesn't even have individual temperature control how can it advertise as having "modern rooms"? Take Away The AC Hotel Irla was one of the worst hotels I have ever stayed in and if I ever find myself in Barcelona again I would never even consider staying at this hotel again no matter the price. This hotel was only built in 2003 yet it looks like it hasn't been updated since the 1990's. After a decent stay at the AC Hotel in New Orleans the stay at the AC Hotel Irla really hurt my impression of the AC brand. Thankfully, as you will see in a future trip report about our visit to Puerto Rico, my faith in the brand was restored after a great stay at AC Hotel San Juan Condado! By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Trip Overview: European Adventures 2018 Flight Review: American Airlines A330-300 Economy CLT-LHR Hotel Review: London Marriott Regent's Park Food in London Flight Review: British Airways A319 Economy LGW-BCN Hotel Review: AC Hotel Irla Barcelona Train Review: Renfe Clase Turista Barcelona-Valencia Exploring Life in Valencia Exploring Life in Barcelona Flight Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy BCN-JFK Flight Review: American Airlines A321T Business Class Seats JFK-DCA Arrival at London Heathrow Our flight landed at London-Heathrow at 6:45 AM and after taxing we deplaned and headed towards immigration. London Heathrow is one of the most confusing airports I have ever been to. The signage in the airport left us confused about where we needed to go to exit and we stood for quite a while in the line for EU passengers until we realized there was a much shorter line for non-EU citizens. The immigration lines at London-Heathrow were very long and once we cleared immigration we searched for a way to our hotel. Once we were able to find the signs for shared rides we headed up an elevator then waited in a long line at another bank of elevators in a parking garage and eventually grew so frustrated by the line that we dragged our bags up several flights of stairs. Once we were finally able to locate the pick-up spot we waited and waited for the Uber to arrive in the terrible traffic. Finally, about 1 hour after deplaning we hopped in an Uber headed to our hotel. I think in the future I will try the Heathrow Express because the process for using Uber at London-Heathrow is a mess. Unfortunately, we waited too long to search for the Heathrow Express tickets and in that time the prices went from £5.50 to £25.00 so we decided to use Uber instead. Location The London Marriott Regent's Park is located in Northwest London about a 40 minute drive from London-Heathrow. The hotel is a six minute walk from the Swiss Cottage Tube station on the Jubilee Line and an easy connection to all the sites in Central London. Also, as the name implies the hotel is walking distance from Regent's Park and nearby the London Zoo. The location is ideal because you can enjoy easy access to the sites in central London in a quiet setting. Check In and Dining The check-in time for the hotel was 3 pm but we arrived around 9 am. As soon as we walked into the hotel we were greeted by friendly agent who offered to take our bags. Despite the dated exterior the hotel had a modern lobby. At the check-in counter we were informed by a friendly check-in agent that our room was not ready yet. The concierge offered to hold our bags while we waited. We agreed and because we were both hungry headed to the hotel's restaurant Carluccio's. Carluccio's is open 7am-11 pm on Saturday and Sunday and 6:30 am-11:00 pm Monday-Friday. The restaurant was very busy but after a short wait we were able to get a seat. The restaurant offered both a buffet and an a la carte breakfast. We decided to order off of the a la carte menu and it did not disappoint. Christina ordered a poached egg with spinach on Italian bread and I ordered a salmon and egg on Italian bread and we were both impressed. The bread was perfectly toasted and the eggs were full and flavor and delicious. Because I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep on our redeye flight I ordered tea and a friendly waitress insisted that I have it with milk which I assumed was the British way to drink tea. However, I found the tea to be too bitter for my taste. Overall, I was very impressed by this meal and it was definitely one of the best breakfasts I have had at a hotel. Room After our meal our room was ready and we headed up to third floor. The hallways of the hotel seemed very dated and in need of renovation. My first impression of the room was positive. The room was small, my understanding is that is normal for European hotel rooms, but the the room had a modern feel. Our room was the smallest room type in the hotel the Deluxe King room and as you enter the room there was a closet, mini-refridgarator, and a safe. Next to the safe was a coffee maker, mugs, glasses, and an ice bucket. At the center of the room was a king bed with a headboard. On either side of the bed were tables each of which had USB chargers! I was excited by the plethora of the USB chargers because this meant we did not need to go out and buy converters (Though this would be an issue in Barcelona). I found the bed too hard but was still able to get two good nights of sleep. One of my favorite features of room was the smart TV. This allowed us to easily connect our Apple devices to the TV to stream music and videos. Another great feature of the room was that it offered a balcony. We did not use the balcony since it was a cold but I could see this being a great feature on warmer days. The bathroom in this hotel room was small and had basic bath amenities. I really enjoyed the strong water pressure from the shower. Amenities The hotel had a fitness club which was complimentary to hotel guests but also offered memberships as part of the Marriott Fitness Club. The Fitness Club featured an indoor pool and a gym. We worked out one morning in the gym and it was nearly empty and had a large selection of cardio equipment and weights. The machines offered access to several television channels on the TV screens at the front of the gym. I also appreciated the view from the gym of the hotel grounds. We did not get a chance to use the pool but I thought it was fairly large indoor pool. Service
The service at the London Marriott Hotel Regent's Park was excellent. From the minute we walked in the door we were greeted by friendly staff who seemed eager to help. This attitude continued throughout our stay from the very early check-in that was accommodated by the hotel staff to friendly concierge who sent us off with free bottles of water at check-out. The staff at this hotel seemed to really care about service. Take Away The exterior of the London Marriott Hotel Regent's Park is not impressive but once you step inside the hotel offers modern touches, a good restaurant, great service, and a convenient location. All of these factors paired with a great price for London ($151 a night) was a perfect match for our stay. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel again on our next trip to London. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further. Winter in New Orleans Trip Report Winter in New Orleans Trip Overview AA E175 Main Cabin Extra DCA-MSY Review AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon/French Quarter Review Active in New Orleans Location MSY airport is located about 15 miles outside of the city of New Orleans and you should expect to pay about $30-35 for the approximately 20 minute Uber/Lyft drive to the city. The AC New Orleans was the first AC Hotel to open in the United States and has 220 rooms across 8 floors. The hotel opened in November 2014 and occupies the historic Cotton Exchange building in New Orleans. The AC brand is a Spanish/Catalan Brand with a large presence in Europe, however, Marriott continues to expand the brand in the United States and this was my first stay at an AC Hotel. The hotel has a great location just a block west of Canal and Bourbon street. We found the location to be ideal because it was in walking distance to many of the major New Orleans attractions and offered access to the nightlife on Bourbon Street/French Quarter without the crowds and noise. Check-In We arrived at our hotel around 2 pm about an hour before the standard check-in time and the front desk attendant informed us that the hotel had limited rooms available. He gave us a choice between two of the worse rooms available at the hotel, an interior room with no windows or a room with a view of a parking garage. Because we wanted to rest before heading out to explore the city we chose the interior room instead of the room with the view of the parking garage or waiting for a better room. As we waited in the lobby we had two sets of bachelorette parties come downstairs into the lobby and the front-desk attendant informed us that hotel was hosting four different bachelorette parties that weekend. However, we were never bothered by any noise during our stay, though I am unsure how much that was a factor of having an interior room. The room was a standard Guest Room with no windows. I was initially impressed with the sleek and modern design of the room which featured modern finishes and recess lighting. On each side of the bed were two standard and two USB plugs which I thought was one of the best features of the room because it allowed us to charge multiple devices at once. This is a feature that I wish more hotels had as a standard offering. The bed was large, soft, and very comfortable. The bathroom featured AC Hotel unbranded toiletries. The bathroom had a glass shower and no tub. The best feature of the bathroom was that it had both a handheld and rainforest shower head both with good water pressure. The room had a mini-fridge which contained two bottles of water that were not complimentary. However, I appreciated the fact that the hotel provided crafts for water next to the ice machines. The biggest problem I had with the room, other than having no windows, was that it lacked a real closet. The “closet’ did not have a door and significant space was taken up by the presence of a safe and a coffee maker. The room also lacked an all off/on switch for the lights and the placement of the light switch on the interior of the bathroom meant that every time you entered the bathroom it was dark and the light streamed into the dark room. Another design feature which could have been improved was the placement of an ottoman below the television. While I appreciated the ability to use the ottoman to put on or take off shoes its placement meant that most times using it you would block a portion of the television.
Service The service at the AC Hotel New Orleans was good and most of the staff were friendly. When we had a leak from the shower the staff sent up a maintenance worker quickly to resolve the issue and when we let the front desk know that our coffee maker wasn’t working they offered Christina a free cup of coffee from the AC Kitchen, though they never replaced the coffee maker. Take Away Overall I enjoyed our stay at the AC Hotel New Orleans. The hotel offers a good location at an affordable price with a friendly staff. However, if I had to stay in New Orleans again I think I would try out another hotel, such as the Q&C Hotel, which I believe offers better standard rooms and amenities at a similar price. We are planning to stay at another AC Hotel in Barcelona, Spain during our upcoming trip in February and it will be interesting to compare the experience of the AC Hotel brand in its home region of Catalonia, Spain. |
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