The AC Hotel Miami Beach is one of the first in North America of Marriott’s new minimalist brand that focuses on fewer frills, a killer location and a sleek design. Aimed at millennial-age travellers, these chic and cheap hotels have flourished in Europe over the past few years, beginning in Spain and then spreading to Italy, Portugal, Denmark and France.
Here in Miami Beach, guests come not to hang out in the hotel but to explore the neighbourhood and enjoy the ocean, so who needs extravagant decor? By eliminating unnecessary luxuries (no full-service restaurant or room service, but wait until you see the rooftop-pool view), AC Miami is betting visitors will buy in to the scaled-down pleasures the hotel has to offer. Over the next few years, the chain has plans to open about 65 more locations across the United States and South America.
Design
Gone are any marble floors, gold chandeliers or Impressionist paintings. AC’s scaled-down ethos means the design features stark, clean lines, open spaces and uncluttered floors and walls, all in neutral colours. Guests find free WiFi, mini-fridges and Netflix on large-screen TVs in their rooms.
On the ground floor, there’s a library featuring coffee-table books, primarily about fashion and food, all selected by photographer Nigel Barker of America’s Next Top Model fame. Nearby are computers, free for guests, which prove most useful for printing out a boarding pass. Steps away, too, is the gym – with floor-to-ceiling windows – that’s equipped with free weights, treadmills and elliptical machines.
Location, location
The AC Hotel is about a 30-second walk from a long, wide and clean sandy beach on the shores of the Atlantic, although you do have to cross one moderately busy road before you can slip off your sandals. Fortunately, there are traffic lights to help you safely across. But Miami Beach offers more than just the ocean – the thriving, world-famous nightlife of South Beach is just a 10-minute stroll south of the hotel, close enough to reach on foot, but distant enough that the AC is also a refuge from the noise and flashing lights.
Noteworthy neighbourhoods such as Little Havana are a $25 (U.S) cab ride off the island and into the city, but why not live like a local? Miami’s excellent transit system includes a bus stop just steps from the AC. For $2.25, the “S” bus will carry you straight into the heart of downtown.
Best amenity
Without doubt it’s the heated rooftop pool, which offers a breathtaking view of the ocean. Now, it might seem a little twisted to sit in a pool and gaze out at the ocean, but at night, when the beach plunges into pitch darkness, this is where you can safely relax and marvel at the lights of the distant ships. But take note: The pool is only about one metre deep, so it’s definitely for relaxing, not for lengths.
If I could change one thing
There is one area where the minimalist spirit may have gone too far, and that’s the shower. There is no door, only a half of a glass wall, which leaves a large opening through which water splashes onto the bathroom floor, so be prepared to make a towel double as a floor mat. On the upside, the bathroom is stocked with plenty of clean towels.
Eat in or eat out?
A breakfast buffet is served in the ground-floor lounge and features tarts, pastries, yogurt, fruits and cereals. The neighbourhood is full of good restaurants but I chose to order tapas plates in the AC Lounge, dining on merguez sausage with spiced lentils, braised pork, ham, Swiss cheese and pickle toast, and enjoying the loud music that keeps the party bouncing. If you’re into gin and tonic, try the hotel’s unique mixes, with names such as Surf’s Up, London Broil and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean. The gins, which come from across the United States and Britain, are paired with different tonics and garnished with herbs, seeds or citrus.
AC Hotel Miami Beach, 2912 Collins Ave., 150 rooms from $169 (U.S.); marriott.com
The writer was guest of the hotel.