AC Hotel Genova by Marriott

I stayed at the Marriott AC Hotel Genova for 6 nights in September 2024 (3 nights one week, followed by a separate check in / check out for 3 nights the following week).

While the rooms were nice, my experience was negative overall due to the poor service and bad location.

During my two weeks in Genoa and Milan, I also stayed at 3 other Genoa hotels. I liked both the Best Westerns Modern Verdi and Porto Antico (both 3 stars) much better than the AC Hotel. Though the rooms were not quite as good, the better service and location more than offset that. The BW Metropoli was more of a budget hotel but even that had slightly better service and location, though I gave that hotel an overall 2 stars as well (tied with AC Hotel).

The AC Hotel looks a bit old from the exterior but the interior looked modern. The rooms were spacious and modern compared to the other Genoa hotels I stayed at. The couch was a bit old though with some random old stains. I wasn't thrilled that the glass shower door only extended halfway through the shower but apparently that design is not uncommon in Europe. The key card slot for the master light switch was at an awkward angle and took several tries to insert it right. The hallways were dimly lit and it was a bit creepy (I talked to some of my colleagues and they also admitted to feeling uncomfortable due to the darkness of the hallways). The internet worked fine though several reviews mentioned connectivity issues. Also all of the electric sockets were poorly placed as they were all underneath the tables and counters, making it hard to see where you were plugging things in.

The rooms were partly sound proofed but not completely. My first two nights, I kept hearing some very loud moaning from a woman next door, obviously engaging in adult activity. I called the front desk to complain about it but they said they couldn't do anything if I didn't know which room it came from. It took some time to figure out which neighbor it was likely from but even after reporting that, the noise continued. The third night I didn't hear the moaning but there was a loud dog barking from outside. My second stay also had a dog barking from outside.

The location was poor because it was so far from the city center. While you can take the 17 Nervi bus back and forth, it's a 15 minute bus ride each way (75 minute walk so it's not really walkable) and is rather bumpy - bumpier than the turbulence of most plane rides. I didn't mind it so much since I actually like roller coasters but I think the average person would find the trip unpleasant.

If you are on a work vacation, are mainly doing work from your hotel room, and are not going to the city center very much then the AC Hotel might be okay. But if you plan to visit a lot of tourist attractions, then the location will be a real turnoff.

Last of all, my experience with the service was terrible. Although the reception staff seemed outwardly friendly, the service at the restaurant was extremely poor. I previously mentioned how the front desk was ineffectual in dealing with the loud moaning from next door.

My group also had significant issues with the breakfast hours and the poor service during dinner all 6 nights (due to the character limit, I'll mention the details in the Food & Drink section). I also got conflicting information and the runaround when it came to Marriott Bonvoy points and nights credit (more info in the Noteworthy Details section).

Overall, my experience was fairly negative (despite the nice rooms) and I would not recommended staying at the AC Hotel Genova. Instead, I would recommend several of the Best Westerns in the city center instead (Modern Verdi was easily my favorite, Porto Antico was a solid second).

Very bad experience.
My room got flooded in middle of the night.
Instead of providing alternative room, they try to fix .
Didn't sleep all night.
Better choose another hotel in GENOVA.

We reserved a room in this hotel 2 week prior to our trip to Italy/Genova, coming all the way from Norway. When we arrived late evening (23:30) after a long drive from Milano airport, we were welcomed by the reception with the news that they have cancelled our reservation?!?? That was like a punch in the face. The claimed that they couldn’t take any guarantees from my credit card, even if I marked my reservation that I will pay at the hotel. They were NOT supposed to take any guarantees until I arrived to the hotel according to the reservation! They didn’t even bother to send me an email as other hotels do when something is missing (if any). They also claimed that they sent me an email trough boking site, but that was a lie as they could not document or prove that any message was sent. The main reason why my reservation was canceled was because we came late at the evening, and they had other guests asking for a vacant room earlier that day. So, they just canceled our reservation prioritizing new guest in the hotel. In the middle of the night, we changed all our plans and when to a city close to Pisa as all the hotels in Genova where fully booked. Due to this cancellation, I had to pay the double and go through a lot of stress after a long trip. Will never book this hotel. By the way….the hotel is far from the rocky sea/beach. The pics are misleading! Another tip for anyone going to Genova, the villages/Cities in the region (like Rapallo, Sestri Levante, La Spezia..) are more suited for vacation than Genova as the city is very industrial and not tourist friendly.