Item: AC Hotel New York Downtown
Rating: 9.6
Author: Etienne Werbinski

The AC New York Downtown hotel is located in the financial district, close to New York’s famous Wall Street and within walking distance of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is well placed when you want to visit New York without being in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Times Square. The Wall Street subway station is also about a 5-minute walk away.

Reservation at AC Hotel New York Downtown

Spending a weekend in New York City during December can be very expensive for lodging.

Having a few free night certificates earned through the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card and the Marriott Bonvoy^™ Business American Express^® Card, I decided to take advantage of them and use them on this reservation.

The hotel is a category 4 in the Marriott Bonvoy program, so it can cost between 20,000 and 30,000 points per night depending on the season.

Although these certificates had a value of 35,000 points and the retail price was $350 USD at the time of booking, I found the use of the certificate particularly interesting.

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Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card

American Express Marriott Bonvoy

Annual fee: $120
Our valuation: $990Milesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$990Total$990Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.; Milesopedia first-year estimateFirst-year valueWelcome bonus$990Total$990Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
Welcome offer: Up to 110,000 points; Ends Sep 22, 2026

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Apply with confidence — no impact on your credit scoreApply with confidenceCheck whether your application will be approved before you submit it, with no impact on your credit score*When you apply for a personal American Express Credit Card, we will tell you whether you are eligible without affecting your credit score. So you can apply with confidence.*Instant decisions are only available for consumer Card applications (also called “personal Cards”).

The Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card is the best credit card in Canada for free hotel nights.

New Cardmembers can earn up to 110,000 Marriott Bonvoy^® points with the current offer:

Earn 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on your Card in your first 6 months of Cardmembership.
Plus, earn 30,000 points by making a purchase during your 15th month of Cardmembership.

This offer ends on September 22, 2026. The annual fee is $120, and there is no annual fee on Additional Cards, so you can add a partner or a family member at no extra cost.

Every year after your first Card anniversary, you receive an Annual Free Night Award good for a redemption of up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. At a valuation of 0.9 cents per Marriott Bonvoy point, that certificate is worth roughly $315, which on its own more than covers the $120 annual fee. That is the main reason to keep this Card year after year instead of cancelling it.

To get the most out of the certificate, aim it at a night that would otherwise price close to the 35,000 point ceiling.

The Card also gives you 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year and automatic Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status. Those credits count toward the next Elite tier, so you begin every year 15 nights ahead of where you would otherwise start.

You move up to Gold Elite status automatically when you reach $30,000 in purchases on the Card in a year, or when you combine 10 qualifying paid nights within one calendar year with the 15 Elite Night Credits from your Card.

Marriott Bonvoy points are generally valued at 0.9 cents each. On that basis, the 110,000 point welcome offer is worth about $990, and an Annual Free Night Award used at its full 35,000 point ceiling is worth about $315.

Marriott Bonvoy points pull their weight on free nights rather than on gift cards or merchandise, which is why this Card should be judged on the hotel stays it produces.

You earn 5 points per dollar on eligible purchases at participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels and 2 points per dollar on all other purchases. Points can be redeemed for free nights with no blackout dates at more than 7,000 hotels around the world.

The Card carries a solid package of coverages: $500,000 travel accident insurance, flight delay, baggage delay, lost or stolen baggage and hotel or motel burglary at $500 each, car rental theft and damage up to $85,000 for rentals of up to 48 days, Purchase Protection for 90 days and a one year Extended Warranty.

Two things to plan around: the 2.5% foreign transaction fee on purchases made in a foreign currency, and the 21.99% purchase interest rate, which makes this a Card to pay in full every month. Like all American Express Canada Cards, no minimum income is published for this Card, and you can see whether you would be approved before you apply, with no impact on your credit score.

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Annual fee

Primary card$120

Additional card$0

Annual income required

Individual$0

Household$0

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

5xMarriott Bonvoy hotels
2xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,437

2nd Year Value$312

Travel insurance

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded

Extended Warranty+1 years

Auto Rental Collision (primary)Up to $85,000 / 48 days

AC Hotel New York Downtown location

The AC Hotel New York Downtown is located a 30-35 minute cab ride from John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Check-in at the AC Hotel New York Downtown

I did the check-in through the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app, but it was not possible to get the key directly on the phone.

The hotel does not yet offer this possibility, so it is mandatory to go through the reception. We got an upgrade to a room with a river view.

Review : AC Hotel New York Downtown | Marriott Bonvoy - Lobby_5943

Our room

The AC New York hotel was new, and the rooms were in excellent condition. Although modest in size, the space was well optimized.

These included coffee and tea-making facilities and a refrigerator with two mini-bottles of water. A safety deposit box and an ironing board were also available.

And here’s a look at the shower configuration with the toilet:

During our stay, we could see the configuration of 2 different rooms.

Indeed, once we arrived in our first room, the desk and the glass shower door were dirty, with numerous grease stains suggesting that the surfaces had not been properly cleaned according to Marriott’s cleaning protocol.

After an exchange with the front desk, housekeeping came to clean the surfaces with a towel and water… to my amazement.

We changed rooms but could have had a third if the hotel wasn’t full.

Cleaner than the first one, the mirrors were dirty, and we found hair on the hand soap.

I have nothing to complain about the bedding, which was very clean and comfortable. The view of the river is nice but not worth paying extra for the view.