AC Hotel by Marriott Columbus Downtown

I checked in on 1/27-1/28/2026 and the stay was deeply frustrating. From the start, the front desk attendant, a woman whose name I unfortunately didn't catch, was hostile and unprofessional, among the worst attitudes I've experienced in years of travel. I was put in a hearing-impaired room without explanation or my consent. When I objected, I got indifference instead of accountability. The hotel also refused basic services, including daily room cleaning for my staff, which should be standard rather than optional. The property could be a decent hotel, but poor service, disrespect, and dismissive treatment undermine it. I would have left within an hour if I'd been offered a refund, but no refund was offered, so I felt stuck and unwelcome. I'm particularly reluctant to recommend it to minorities. I'm extremely irritated and disappointed, hope I'm never booked here again, and would give it less than one star if I could. Guests deserve professionalism, respect, and basic service. Do better, because this hotel delivers none of those.

The room had several problems that should've been fixed before check-in: dirty showers, a slow-draining clogged sink, hair on the toilet seat, a nearly empty Kleenex box that looked unchanged, and a toilet paper roll that seemed left by the previous guest. The sliding door was broken and hard to close, so my guest and I fixed it ourselves. One elevator also stopped working, which meant long waits. Towels we asked for never arrived, and some in the room were stained. I had to track down a housekeeper to get clean ones. We didn't ask to change rooms because we were traveling with our baby, who was already settled in, and moving would've been too disruptive. Still, these issues needed to be handled before anyone stayed there. I wouldn't return to this location. I've stayed at other AC Hotels without problems, including one in North Carolina where they promptly moved me when an issue came up. This specific hotel needs better cleanliness, maintenance, and communication, and it's a shame because problems like these can damage guests' impression of Marriott overall. The arrival was unwelcoming too. Front desk staff seemed rushed, pushy, and a little snooty. Street parking was almost impossible, and when we asked about it, we were warned we could get a ticket, so we had to pay for nightly parking. The hotel should also have told guests ahead of time that a parade was happening the next morning that weekend. The streets were fully blocked and we couldn't go anywhere for a while. Breakfast wasn't complimentary, and staff didn't recommend it because there were few options. I appreciated their honesty. There was no microwave in the room or on our floor. The only one was in the back with staff, which made me uncomfortable because I prefer warming my own food myself. On the positive side, I accidentally left my makeup bag behind and it was returned quickly. The staff I spoke to by phone and at checkout were also much friendlier than the people I met on arrival. I've been a Marriott Bonvoy member for over three years and usually enjoy Marriott hotels. This feedback is about this location specifically, not the whole company. My stay at the AC Hotel by Marriott Downtown Columbus didn't meet expectations.

The location is great for walking to pretty much anything downtown Columbus. Housekeeping could be better, though. The rooms weren't the cleanest, with dirty floors and debris in the bathroom and under the entertainment area. The hotel bar service was good every day we visited.

This used to be our favorite Columbus hotel, but our mid-December visit was the last time we'll stay there. The bathroom sliding door wouldn't close, and the front desk helped get maintenance over on Sunday. The man at the desk told us the manager knew about it and we'd receive some points for the inconvenience. A week passed without any points appearing, so we called Marriott and spoke with this location's General Manager. He said nobody on staff had told him about the issue, but he offered one night's points. We got 15,000 points, which didn't cover either night: one cost 37,000 points and the other 27,000. When we visit in June, we'll try a different Marriott and hope to feel valued as customers.