Have you ever wanted to experience a hostel but still want to pay a hefty price tag? Well, with the AC Hotel at the National Harbor you’re in luck!!
This hotel comes with all the familiar comforts of a century old, worn down European style hostel with the American inflated price tag of luxury that we have come to know and hate. Decorated in tones of dark brown and pea soup green, experience a time warp back to the 1980's as you step inside. Enjoy a tediously small room complete with Costco inspired shared amenities, (none of those pandemic-appropriate single serving shampoo/conditioner/body wash here!) and enough mold/mildew to inspire your own homegrown penicillin recipe. Don’t forget to admire the Jackson Pollock-esque mold sprayed across the shower door, which really shines once a picture is taken, truly an ingenious splattering of modern art!
You’ll need to bring along shower shoes to avoid the thick coated mildew along the green tiled floor, unless you are just itching for some unique Prince Georges County foot fungus.
No European hostel would be complete without unsightly lampshades and not to worry, these lampshades have been expertly ripped and stained to match the decor style.
No detail is left untouched or looked over. The walls are ripped in the corners to reveal holes; rust stains the pipes and bathroom corners; and, the pièce de résistance…the wallpaper, which amongst its brown striped pattern also gloriously showcases small...Have you ever wanted to experience a hostel but still want to pay a hefty price tag? Well, with the AC Hotel at the National Harbor you’re in luck!!
This hotel comes with all the familiar comforts of a century old, worn down European style hostel with the American inflated price tag of luxury that we have come to know and hate. Decorated in tones of dark brown and pea soup green, experience a time warp back to the 1980's as you step inside. Enjoy a tediously small room complete with Costco inspired shared amenities, (none of those pandemic-appropriate single serving shampoo/conditioner/body wash here!) and enough mold/mildew to inspire your own homegrown penicillin recipe. Don’t forget to admire the Jackson Pollock-esque mold sprayed across the shower door, which really shines once a picture is taken, truly an ingenious splattering of modern art!
You’ll need to bring along shower shoes to avoid the thick coated mildew along the green tiled floor, unless you are just itching for some unique Prince Georges County foot fungus.
No European hostel would be complete without unsightly lampshades and not to worry, these lampshades have been expertly ripped and stained to match the decor style.
No detail is left untouched or looked over. The walls are ripped in the corners to reveal holes; rust stains the pipes and bathroom corners; and, the pièce de résistance…the wallpaper, which amongst its brown striped pattern also gloriously showcases small black hairs. If you are missing your black lab back home you will surely be comforted by this design.
This hotel does give one a sense of a time warp and the most surprising part? It’s only six years old! Absolutely astonishing to see a company truly invest in and dedicate themselves to this type of decor.
I’m sure the surrounding bars (and even the hotel bar!) enjoy the decrepit flair of the AC hotel, as my husband and I had to drink ourselves nearly stupid before we could gather the courage to return to the room. We debated over brunch whether to eat the cost of another night and move over to the Westin across the street (where we would have to pay for another night, albeit in an actual hotel), or just suck it up and stay. I’m not sure staying was the right choice.
In all seriousness, please avoid this hotel. The National Harbor is a lovely place with fantastic restaurants and a vibrant atmosphere. Don’t dim your experience with the AC hotel which will surely leave a bad taste. Stay at the Westin or Marriott Residence Inn (which are both in the same immediate area!) for less money and certainly a more enjoyable rest. The Gaylord is only steps away and you don’t have to be a guest there to enjoy their wonderful interior. The Marriott family should be embarrassed of the AC hotel and will hopefully work on improving, or at the very least decreasing the price, of this disaster.More
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