AC HOTEL

Little Rock

The AC Hotel by Marriott Little Rock Downtown may have gotten off to a rough start when it opened in February of 2020, mere weeks before the beginning of the pandemic, yet it has both survived and thrived as a hub for Little Rock’s business crowd.

Guided by the principle of being “obsessed with every detail,” the AC Hotel seeks to optimize every aspect of guests’ stay.

Located in the Capitol-Main Historic District, the AC Hotel is just down the street from the Richard Sheppard Arnold United States Courthouse and within easy distance of any other downtown centers of business, law or administration. For leisure, one can find the Riverfront Park, Downtown Athletic Club, River Market District, Museum of Discovery and Rock Town Distillery all within less than a mile.

The AC Hotel occupies two adjacent buildings, both of which are on the National Historic Register. The first is the 1923 Hall Building, designed by Frank Ginocchio and Charles Thompson, forefathers of what is now Cromwell Architects Engineers. The second building is the Davidson Building, constructed in 1946 as an annex to the Hall building and used primarily as a textile factory to support its neighbor’s retail space.

Both buildings underwent a two-year, $25 million renovation led by Campo Architecture and Interior Design. Though the structure and design of the buildings were significantly altered to suit the sleek, minimalist vision of AC Hotels’ founder, Antonio Catalán, a great many of their historical features were left intact, creating a unique juxtaposition and harmony of designs separated by nearly a century.

“We kept all the original architecture on the outside, as well as some of the features inside: the original crown molding and original marble walls, the penny tile floors. Even the brass mail chute that goes all the way up the building,” said Marti Nicholson, director of sales at AC.

Events and meetings are essential to the character of AC Hotel; a meeting room with space for 12 to 15 people and a 75-inch smart TV is well-suited for business presentations or video conferences, while the AC Lounge is a popular spot for corporate happy-hour groups and social gatherings.

The AC Kitchen and Lounge takes strong inspiration from the hotel’s origin in Madrid, Spain. There’s no continental breakfast of waffles and sausage, but a refined spread of freshly baked croissants, hand-shaved prosciutto, fresh fruit, espresso and more. For dinner, the menu is composed of light plates and tapas, perfect for snacking and sharing with friends at an after-work gathering. In addition, the hotel’s food and beverage coordinator can prepare a menu to cater to the needs of any event. Finally, at the bar, you can enjoy a selection of specialty cocktails, Spanish wines and local beers, with happy hours from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and 10:30-11:30 p.m.