AC Hotel by Marriott Marseille Prado Velodrome

We stayed here at both the start and the end of our cruise. The pool area was clean and well maintained, and the food was delicious. On our first night I had the shrimp dish, then on the second stay we had pizza and fries by the pool. The location and amenities were great. My only suggestion would be to add a hot tub.

For what this place costs, it’s disappointing. The street noise is pretty bad, the rooms are very basic, and the amenities are lacking. Even the linens feel close to cheap. It doesn’t measure up to the other AC properties I’ve stayed at, and it’s way overpriced.

I’d give this zero stars if I could. We booked two rooms for two nights for my family and brought a car. Paola at the front desk told us the hotel parking was at “P6,” so we parked there. The next day, the attendant warned us we were trespassing and might be towed because P6 was event parking, not the hotel’s lot. Strike one. It turned out the front desk had sent us there because, supposedly, the hotel’s private parking was full. When I went back to ask, they acted like they didn’t know what I meant, then directed us to another car park about a mile away that wasn’t affiliated with the hotel. That one was full too, so with an event at the Velodrome and no warning from staff, we ended up leaving the car in an insecure street spot even farther away. Strike two. When I asked for management’s contact details, Paola refused and gave me only a name, telling me to return at 10am the next day. We had to leave before then and couldn’t meet management. Strike three. The day after checkout, I still hadn’t received my folio, so I contacted the front desk and they emailed an itemized receipt. They’d charged us for two days of parking, even though neither day was in the hotel parking. Strike four. I’ve contacted the hotel about a refund, but they haven’t apologized for any of it.

The €200 deposit was another surprise. Of the 11 hotels I stayed at on this trip, this was the only one that asked for one. Were they worried I’d take their rolling beds? I had booked a King Size bed, but in the middle of the night I realized the middle was sinking. It turned out to be two twin beds on wheels pushed together, and it was incredibly uncomfortable. I have photos. Parking was a mess from the start. The website said the hotel had parking, but after navigating Marseille’s maze of roads, I couldn’t see a lot or find out where to leave the car. I parked in a random corner, worried about break-ins, then went to check in. The front desk was painfully slow, with a long queue and just one employee. When another staff member finally showed up, the first left right away. I asked about parking and was told only “P6 parking lot,” with no explanation. I eventually found P6, an open-air lot that was empty and insecure, with no spaces reserved for the hotel. The next morning, I asked about the parking ticket. A staff member disappeared into the back office, then came out with a printed QR code and told me to use it to get out, then pay at the front desk. The website listed €20 per day, the lot showed €22 per 24 hours, and the hotel charged €23. They also insisted on charging me right away even though I had another night booked, and tried to check me out then and there. The QR code didn’t work at the exit gate. The lot attendant told us to drive out through the entrance, without a ticket, so we reluctantly did. When we came back later, he said there was a match and we couldn’t park there. I asked where we should go, and he said “at the hotel.” He kindly walked us to the hotel’s private parking entrance. That was when I first realized the hotel really did have its own lot, with empty spaces inside. But my room card wouldn’t open it. The attendant called the hotel for us, and at first they hung up as soon as they heard it was about parking. After several tries, someone finally answered and said, “complete, no spaces.” They didn’t seem to care that their guest had nowhere to park. Thankfully, the attendant felt for us and found us a spot. By then our schedule was ruined. With the sports event filling all the lots, we were afraid to drive out and not find a space again, so we felt stuck at the hotel. I can’t believe this is a four-star Marriott property. The whole parking situation was badly handled.