Review: AC Hotel by Marriott New York Downtown

AC Hotels, named after its Spanish founder Antonio Catalan, has over 200 properties globally with over half of them in the US. The New York Downtown property opened in 2018 and marks the second AC Hotel in the Big Apple, with the other being in Times Square.

Sculpture by Ann Weber at hotel lobby

The hotel is located in the revitalised Seaport District, a historic neighbourhood in Manhattan that is now home to waterfront restaurants, bars, and music venues. Pier 17, just a few steps away, is a nice place to see the Brooklyn Bridge light up at night. The area is only slightly east of the Financial District so it provides easy access to Wall Street, World Trade Center, and the September 11th Memorial and Museum. The 274 guest rooms are spread across 33 floors with many offering views of the East River and Brooklyn.

Hotel entrance at night

The hotel lobby is on the first floor and beside it is the AC Store, a little corner selling snacks and drinks (room minibars are empty).

Marble staircase connecting stories 1 and 2

AC Store

Going up the Italian marble staircase, the AC Kitchen and AC Lounge are on the second floor. The latter offers the brand’s signature Gin & Tonics. In the seating area there is also a Mac and printer for guests to use.

Seating area at the AC Lounge

The AC Lounge bar on the left

Rooms are not big in New York City, and the King room I was allocated was modest although there is not much to talk about. 

King bed

Entrance to bathroom

One to mention though, which is a practical matter during the hot summer when I was there — there are two cute bottles of water in the minibar that are 8 oz (that is 237 ml). Guests can find more of them at the fitness centre in the basement. There is also a water dispenser in the basement and on level 2.

Room amenities

Water dispenser

The bathroom was bright and decently sized. Bath amenities are supplied by Korres in fresh citrus and come in bulk-sized containers. One comment about the bathroom is the noticeable gap between the blinds and window edge which allows one to clearly see the opposite buildings in this busy district. Perhaps it was meant to incorporate some natural light into the bathroom, but it does not seem to reinforce the sense of calm and tranquillity that the AC brand promises.

Bathroom

Bath amenities

Gap in the bathroom window

The fitness centre opens 24 hours and is accessible by keycard in the basement. It comes with cardio machines, a dumbbell rack, and a weights machine.

Fitness centre

Another view

Water and towels

I had a short stay and thought the plus points are (1) that it is a new hotel, and (2) its proximity to the Seaport and financial districts. It was a comfortable stay. Of course in New York City there is no shortage of hotels to choose from and often the deciding factor becomes the price, which I paid with 23,000 Marriott Bonvoy points a night and was relatively low compared to other Marriott properties in Manhattan.

Location info:

• Fulton St station (2, 3, 4, 5, J, Z trains) is a 7-min walk away
• Cortlandt St station (R, W trains) is a 10-min walk away
• LaGuardia (LGA), Newark Liberty International (EWR), and John F Kennedy International (JFK) airports are respectively 12, 16, and 27 miles away

AC Hotel by Marriott New York Downtown
151 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038, United States