AC Hotel St. Petersburg Downtown — Hotel in Saint Petersburg

Absolutely! Here’s the updated review with the addition about Cane & Barrel:

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Hotel Review: AC Hotel St. Petersburg Downtown – A Stylish Urban Retreat ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you’re planning a trip to St. Petersburg, Florida, do yourself a favor and check into the AC Hotel in downtown St. Pete. This modern, stylish hotel is the perfect base for exploring everything the area has to offer—literally steps away from award-winning restaurants, vibrant bars, waterfront parks, marinas, boutique shopping, and cultural attractions. The location could not be more ideal.

The vibe throughout the hotel is clean, fresh, and upscale without being stuffy. There’s a calm, open energy from the lobby to the guest rooms, with beautifully curated modern décor and a subtle touch of European elegance. One of the standout features? The aroma. From the moment you walk in, the air smells incredible—some sort of luxury infusion that instantly puts you in vacation mode. Whatever scent system they’re using, it’s worth bottling.

The rooms are spacious and thoughtfully appointed, with everything you need for a comfortable stay: plush beds, a refrigerator, microwave, and in-room coffee service. Every detail is dialed in for relaxation and convenience.

A definite highlight is the outdoor pool deck on the sixth floor—a sleek, serene spot perfect for lounging. There’s plenty of stylish seating just off the pool area, making it a great place to unwind after a day of sightseeing or soaking in the sun.

Also located on the rooftop is Cane & Barrel, the hotel’s signature restaurant and bar. With fabulous views of the city skyline and Tampa Bay, it’s the perfect place to sip a craft cocktail or enjoy a light bite. The vibe is trendy yet relaxed, and both the drink menu and food offerings are top-notch—a must-visit even if you’re not staying at the hotel.

Room rates are very reasonable for what the hotel offers, especially when you consider the level of comfort, style, and location. One helpful tip: while the hotel offers valet parking at $45/day, there’s a public garage just across the street for $25/day that’s an easy alternative and a great way to save.

Final thoughts? Five stars across the board. Whether you’re visiting for a weekend getaway, a longer vacation, or a work trip with some play on the side, the AC Hotel delivers on all fronts—comfort, convenience, style, and experience.

Highly recommend—this...

Our two nights here were very disappointing for a Marriott brand property. Short version: You're paying more (points or cash) and getting less.

1. Valet parking was $32 a night and always understaffed by the contracted valet company - long wait times to get your car were the norm. The claim check instructed that we scan a QR code from our room and text the valet stand that we needed our vehicle. I did, only to get an immediate reply message saying that "due to high volume," we were to come down to the valet stand. Also, it seems the valet service had to use only the second and sixth floors of the parking garage that the hotel shares with an adjacent condominium, which added to long waits.

2. The "European inspired breakfast" (buffet) was $22 per person. It was not complimentary even for a Lifetime Titanium level Marriott Bonvoy member. Fortunately, there's a Starbucks across the street.

3. Our room itself was nice enough. AC hotels are good for short stays, and this was not my first stay in one. But we were constantly subjected to room doors slamming shut.

4. On our second night (a Friday), the music outside our room from a bar across the street was so loud it was thumping our window. The front desk apologized and said "it should be over by midnight." It went on until well after 1AM.

5. We came to St. Pete after a long travel day to visit family members and attend a graduation ceremony the next day. I asked a housekeeping manager i met in the hall the morning after our first night to have our room serviced. She said the hotel policy is only to service rooms every other day and that I would have to ask at the front desk. I made my request to a front desk agent. When we returned 4-1/2 hours later to change for the graduation, the room was still untouched. I went downstairs and spoke with another front desk agent, who checked her register and said, "Oh, you just arrived yesterday" and started to tell me about their every other day policy. Only after politely but firmly asking to have our room serviced did she say, "I hope someone from Housekeeping is still here" and grudgingly agree.

I realize an AC Hotel isn't a JW Marriott. But this short stay was one aggravation after another. The only good thing about it is its proximity to the St. Pete Pier. I would not recommend it, given the selection of other properties in the same...

I really want to love this hotel. My husband and I have stayed at this location 4 times since it opened in Spring 2023. Bad experiences every time from no housekeeping service to rude staff to overall general bad maintenance of property. The pool is fantastic which is why we keep returning. Just checked out today and couldn’t let it go anymore. It’s just poorly managed. Marriott should be able to do better. The issues on this visit ranged from housekeeping to customer service to maintenance issues. One set of steps to the pool is still being fixed. I’m not sure how long they’ve been like that but it’s been at least a month because we were there a month ago. It’s surprising that a hotel that has only been open for 16 months is in such disrepair. The door from the fitness room to the pool is randomly locked so fitness users can’t access the bathroom at random times even though they advertise 24 hour fitness center. The bathroom area which is accessible from the pool side had dead worms on the floor for the 4 days of our stay. The towels in the bathroom had hair on them and the shower floor was dirty so the room felt unclean. Housekeeping did show up this visit but did not restock pool towels, water or remove dirty glasses. One evening I approached the front desk to ask a question and the girl held my gaze until I was at the desk. She then looked at her coworker, silently but not interacting with her busy coworker, who was helping another guest and ignored me. I just laughed and shouted my question at her until she looked back at me and answered (I asked what time the pool actually closed.) Pool hours are dawn to dusk so at 7 am my husband went to the front desk to get pool towels and head to the pool (it’s fantastic for those who swim for exercise). The person at the front desk said that the pool was not open yet because the engineers were not there yet. At 7:45 the front desk person told my husband that the pool was open. So dawn to dusk means whenever they feel like showing up to work and opening it. 4 visits, 4 bad experiences with private emails to management about our experiences and we got no response. So since management doesn’t seem to care I’m writing this...