Review : AC Hotel Bologna

As part of a weekend in Italy, I stayed at the AC Hotel in Bologna. A stay without any big surprise.

Booking

I booked this hotel a few weeks before my arrival. Bologna had another Marriott hotel, a Sheraton, near the airport, but it recently left the group. That leaves only one option, the AC Marriott, which I booked.

My business has a corporate rate that I use, which is more or less the same as the public rate but allows for all the flexibility. The rate does not include breakfast.

Arrival

Two days before my arrival, I receive a notification that I can check-in, which I do.

On the day of my arrival, I do not notice any upgrades in the app until I arrive at the property.

I arrive at the hotel by cab from the airport. The property is located a little away from the center, in a residential area near the train station.

The hotel being full, the receptionist told us that she could only upgrade us to a Standard Plus room, which is the same size as a standard room but with bathrobes and espresso machine.

A light take-away food area is available in the lobby
Elegant decoration in the lobby and common areas

In AC hotels, the Platinum benefits are rather limited: points, late check-out but no breakfast. Instead, a restaurant credit of 8 € per person per day is applied.

The landings are also well decorated

Room

The room was located on the 6th floor of the property, far from the elevator (and fortunately).

Very elegant tones in the room from the moment you enter
A more than compact space

It is quite small, but up to the standards of AC hotels.

The view is not extraordinary

Right at the entrance is the bathroom. Italian addition: the bidet, but for the rest we are at AC: glass basin, famous soap in the shape of golf ball, and quality toiletries.

The typical AC hotel washbasin
AC’s classic toiletries
The typical decoration of the bathrooms of the AC hotels

Just before the room are the courtesy tray and the mini-bar, courtesy tray equipped with an Italian espresso machine of rather good quality.

The espresso machine that makes the difference between a Standard room and a Standard Plus room!

The room is rather spartan… But there is at least a desk to work on! The bed is rather comfortable, even if I’m not a fan of the Italian bedding, which is very hard and with little fluff.

The bedding is a bit firm
Light tones on the walls contrast with the dark parquet and its elegance
The closets are large in size

And the video to finish.

Hotel facilities

The hotel has a small fitness room, located on the top floor of the property.

Ac Hotel Bologna - Fitness Center
The fitness area is not necessarily well optimized

This one offers a breathtaking view of the city, but its lack of equipment is prohibitive for aficionados.

Ac Hotel Bologna - Fitness Center
The view is clear but not much to observe

No spa or pool.

Catering

The hotel has a bar and a restaurant located on the first floor of the property, right next to the reception.

The atmosphere of the restaurant and the bar in the evening is rather nice

Breakfast service

Breakfast is served on weekends between 7am and 11am, for a price of 15€ per person.

The offer is rather interesting, even if it does not equal that of the more high-end properties.

A bread offer that could be greatly improved…
… But there is something for everyone!

The offer of hot and cold drinks is available in self-service, the coffee is Nespresso brand. Fresh juices are available.

Even in Italy, coffee is now Swiss…
The juices were very good
The pastries are quite good
The cereal offer is rather complete
The torta della nonna is stifling.

The hot offer is rather limited, with tortillas and bacon on the buffet, but it is possible to order eggs in addition and without extra charge.

Knack-type sausages are not welcome on a breakfast buffet
The frittata is a little dry but the taste is there

The cold offer is short but qualitative. We only regret the presence of Serrano Ham instead of Parma Ham, less than 70km from the latter…

Incredible to offer Serrano next to Parma!
The fresh ricotta is delicious

Dinner service

For our second evening, we chose to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, given our early departure for Parma.

The menu is quite short, but rather qualitative.

The service is quite good, and we take some fruits to taste in our room. Perfect!

Departure

Check-out formalities were straightforward, but note that the property does not (yet?) offer mobile check-out from the Marriott Bonvoy app.

Bottom line

A good stay, without more, but where all the basics of the hotel business are respected and it is unfortunately less and less the case…

Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier Delestre-Levai
Olivier has been into airline blogging since 2010. First a major contributor to the FlyerTalk forum, he created the FlyerPlan website in July 2012, and writes articles with a major echo among airline specialists. He now co-runs the TravelGuys blog with Bertrand, focusing on travel experience and loyalty programs.
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