Marriott Wants to Introduce AC Hotels to the U.S. as New Kind of Upscale Brand
Photo Credit: AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon opened recently inside the city's historic cotton exchange building. AC Hotels by Marriott
Skift Take
Gen X and Boomer business travelers craving low rates and high design, without the overtly weird and whimsical, may have finally found what they're looking for.
Well established in Europe, the AC Hotels by Marriott brand migrated to the U.S. for the first time with the opening of the 220-room AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon in November.
A lot of new design-forward lifestyle hotel groups launched in 2014, and we’ve covered them all, but this one just might be the most intelligently positioned. AC Hotels is primarily an upscale business hotel brand in the select service category, with an approachable average daily rate and a trendy design mission defined as “European-inspired classic modernism.”
Basically, Marriott is promoting AC as a brand new hospitality tier, and that market segment differentiation is apparently resonating with owners.
According to Toni Stoeckl, VP of lifestyle brands at Marriott Hotels, there are presently “almost 60 agreements" in place for new AC projects in the Americas. Miami, Chicago, Kansas City and Washington, DC are scheduled to open within the first half of 2015.
The select service hotel categ
