AC Hotel Columbus Downtown opened in June 2021 as the first hotel to ever occupy a preserved row of historic North Market buildings, at the crossroads of the Short North, the Arena District and downtown. The 160-room property pairs Marriott's upscale AC Hotels format with an award-winning adaptive-reuse renovation, anchored by a rooftop restaurant and bar with skyline views.
The essentials
Group AC Hotels by Marriott, managed by Concord Hospitality
Opening June 2021
Rooms & suites 160 rooms
Segment Upscale
Designer Meyers+Associates
Entry rate From $150 Learn more → The place The hotel stands at 517 Park Street on the edge of the North Market Historic District, at the point where the Short North Arts District, the Arena District and downtown Columbus meet, a few blocks from Nationwide Arena and the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
The concept AC Hotel Columbus Downtown opened in June 2021 as the first hotel operation ever run out of this cluster of historic North Market buildings, developed in a joint venture involving Continental Hospitality Group/CREC and managed by Concord Hospitality. Rather than clear the site, architecture and interior design firm Meyers+Associates restored and stitched together a row of existing brick, cast-iron and stone structures at street level, then set the guest-room floors and rooftop bar back above them: an adaptive-reuse approach recognized with an IIDA Columbus Play Honor Award in 2021 and an IIDA Ohio-Kentucky Chapter award in 2022.
Inside, the hotel follows AC Hotels by Marriott's signature formula: a pared-back, 'timeless European design' aesthetic built around clean lines, minimal clutter and a strong F&B-led ground floor, applied here to a 160-room property that trades a fully custom boutique brief for the consistency of an established upscale flag, a reasonable trade for a first-time hotel conversion in a historic streetscape.
Dining & wellness The eighth-floor Astra Rooftop Restaurant and Bar (an evolution of the hotel's original rooftop concept, Lumin Sky Bar & Kitchen) serves elevated dining and cocktails with panoramic skyline views. Spruce Street Sporting operates as a modern tavern with games and comfort food, AC Kitchen covers breakfast with a Eurocentric-meets-Midwest menu, and AC Lounge offers shareable plates and cocktails; a further concept, Sorella Kitchen, is slated to open in fall 2026. No spa is advertised on the property.
Our take The real story here is the building, not the brand: turning a row of North Market's historic facades into a functioning hotel for the first time is a genuinely useful piece of adaptive reuse, even if what's inside is a fairly standard AC Hotels product rather than a one-of-a-kind boutique experience.
Google guest reviews 4.0/5 · 378 reviews
I wanted to love this hotel because I've been a Marriott bonvoy member for a very long time. This was a downtown hotel with lots of things with him walking distance. I felt $39 for valet parking was very high, especially since the first night my car was not even parked in their lot. I actually felt that they should have refunded part of the valet fee since my car was parked a block and a half away in an unattended lot. I actually felt that for $39 per night that the cars should have been in a garage.
The hotel was nice, though we were looking for something to eat late at night after 10:00 p.m. and didn't realize that the sports bar stop serving food after 10:00 p.m. and the restaurant upstairs was packed and very loud. We ended up ordering out doordash which was easier and quicker especially since it was pouring down rain outside.
The desk wasn't always staffed while we were there, that included when we called on the phone at 7:00 p.m. to speak with someone and the phone just rang and rang and rang, it also included daytime when we were looking to speak with someone at the front desk and there was no one there. A desk in a downtown hotel should be staffed 24 hours a day.
When we booked our room I didn't realize my mother would need a handicapped room. When we finally did get a hold of someone a little bit after 7:00 on that first evening we were able to move to a room that was supposedly handicapped but wasn't quite as I expected it would be. Yes there were rails everywhere in the bathroom but the toilet was low and what really blew my mind was there was a bathtub and anyone who's handicapped like let's say in a wheelchair is not going to be able to get into the bathtub or out very easily. There was a seat underneath the sink that could be set up in the tub but how would somebody if they were handicapped get into and out of it. The first room we had had a nice shower that you could practically walk in without having to climb over the edge of a bathtub. I would have felt that would have been much better of an option for someone handicapped.
Drawer space in both rooms was non-existent. In the handicap room there was one drawer underneath the fridge. In the other room there were two drawers. We were there for the weekend, we operated out of the suitcase. They were all so only four hangers. It seemed to me a bit ridiculous that there wasn't enough storage space for someone who might want to unpack if they were there for a week or longer than a weekend. In fact, I've never been in a Marriott hotel that didn't have more storage than this one. It was a bit odd to me.
The staff was friendly, helpful, the little store downstairs was nice to pick up some drinks or some snacks, I'm unsure where we would have heated up the frozen dinner or pizza that were in the freezer in that little store since we didn't have a microwave in our hotel room.
It was nice that the hotel was close to comfest that was happening while we were visiting the area and that North market was just a block up. It was nice that you could walk to things and weren't always reliant on your car.
Again I really wanted to like this hotel thoroughly, but there were just things that didn't make sense and were problematic to me. But since we were there for an event, we didn't have a choice of the hotel for that event.
One of the more disappointing properties I have stayed at in 20+ years as a Bonvoy member with 25-30 nights per year of travel. First the good: location is walkable to many restaurants and bars. Also, the breakfast quality is good for the price with excellent service. Now the bad: VERY noisy location right on a busy highway. Road noise significant beginning at 4:00 am. Unfriendly front desk staff. No acknowledgment of Bonvoy status at check in. Housekeeping completely skipped our room one day. Sheets worn (see photo). Poor water pressure with warm water at best. Very high prices due to music festival in town when booked. look elsewhere when staying in Columbus for the price. I would call this a 2.5 star hotel seeking 4-star prices.
Avoid this hotel.
We checked in through the Marriott app before arriving and requested a mobile key because we knew we'd be getting in late. Instead of honoring the reservation, the hotel canceled it as a no-show and then told us we were still required to come to the front desk.
The irony? We had to scramble to find another hotel at the last minute because many were already sold out. We booked another Marriott property, checked in through the app, requested a mobile key, completely skipped the front desk, and went straight to our room without a single issue.
So either this hotel doesn't understand how Marriott's mobile check-in is supposed to work, or they simply chose not to follow it. Either way, I wouldn't trust them with your reservation. Book somewhere else.
I had a very good overall stay at the AC Hotel Columbus Downtown. The hotel itself feels modern and updated, and the rooms were clean, fresh, and well maintained. The bed was comfortable and clean, and the room was quiet, which made for a good night’s sleep.
Check-in and check-out were both smooth and quick, and the staff was consistently friendly and helpful throughout my stay. The WiFi worked well without any issues, and one thing that really stood out was the gym — it was much better equipped than what you typically find in most hotels.
The downtown location is also a major advantage, making it convenient to access nearby restaurants, attractions, and the surrounding area.
The only real drawbacks I noticed were that the toilet flush in the room was fairly weak, and while the restaurant was excellent from a food quality standpoint, it was on the expensive side.
Overall, I’d stay here again. Clean rooms, a great location, strong amenities, and helpful staff made it an enjoyable stay.
I stayed at this hotel for a late check-in around 10 PM, and the experience had a mix of positives and a few frustrations.
One thing to note right away—there’s no dedicated parking lot. When I arrived, it seemed like there was an event going on, and valet parking was extremely busy. I ended up waiting about 15 minutes just to get my car parked, which wasn’t ideal after a long day.
At the front desk, the staff member appeared overwhelmed, constantly answering the phone, and unfortunately wasn’t the friendliest. First impressions aside, the hotel itself looked very nice—modern, clean, and well-maintained. My room was also very clean and comfortable, which I appreciated.
The only downside to the room was the noise. It faced the highway, and I didn’t realize how loud it would be until I tried to go to sleep. If you’re a light sleeper, I’d definitely recommend requesting a room that doesn’t face the highway.
The next morning, I had breakfast thinking it was included with my reservation, but I ended up being charged for it, which was a bit disappointing.
Overall, it’s a nice, modern hotel with clean rooms, but there are a few things—like parking, noise levels, and clarity around amenities—that could really improve the guest experience.
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