This was published 9 years ago
AC Hotel Washington, DC: Marriott's new boutique hotels target Gen Y travellers
The new AC Hotel Washington, DC at National Harbour is due to open in March 2015.Credit: marriott.com.au
Hotel companies are racing to woo the next generation of travellers, and at Marriott International, it's come down to this: free internet, craft beers and a menu full of tapas.
The company's AC Hotels by Marriott, a line of boutique hotels founded in Spain (hence the small-plate offerings), will make its local debut at National Harbour in suburban Washington next month with a number of amenities aimed at millennials.
A 192-room, eight-story Aloft Hotel, which closed last month for renovations, will reopen under the new brand. It will have 3700 square feet of meeting space, as well as outdoor terraces with views of the Potomac River.
"We're not trying to re-create something else here," said Tina Edmundson, global brand officer for luxury and lifestyle at Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott. "What AC has done in Europe has proven to be so successful. It is a modern, design-led hotel."
A communal library will provide guests a quiet area in which to work or hang out, while the hotel's AC Lounge will offer wines on tap and handcrafted cocktails. Bartenders will be encouraged to chat with guests and offer tourism tips.
"We understand luxury and efficiency, but we also know modern hotels need to be comfortable for the client," Antonio Catalan, founder and president of AC Hotels, said in an interview.
When it opens in March, the hotel will be the brand's third in the United States. The first opened in New Orleans in November, and a Kansas City location is expected to follow in the coming weeks.
The move is part of a broader shift within the company to focus on its luxury and lifestyle brands, which make up about 25 per cent of Marriott's overall portfolio.
"Over the last five to seven years, we've seen a shift in what consumers want," Edmundson said. "We understand luxury and efficiency, but modern hotels also need to be comfortable for the client."
Four of the six brands Marriott considers luxury and lifestyle - Edition, Autograph Collection, Moxy Hotels and AC - were introduced in the last seven years. (The other two, J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, have been around since 1984 and 1995, respectively.)
Marriott already manages a much-larger hotel at National Harbour, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre, which has 2000 hotel rooms and 89 meeting spaces. Overflow is also expected to help fill rooms at the AC Hotel down the street.
The Washington Post
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