Review of AC Hotel Murcia in Spain: What You Need To Know Before Booking This Marriott Property

Not every hotel can be a winner. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t.

The AC Hotel Murcia started on the wrong foot and made no attempt to get off of it. From errant charges on our bill to weird odors and an even weirder room layout, we got more than our fill of this hotel during our stay.

This Marriott Bonvoy property in southern Spain was far from the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed at. However, it did nothing to impress us, and we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone — not even just for an “average” hotel stay, if that’s all you need.

Here’s a closer look at the 2 nights my wife and I spent at the property in early June 2025.

Booking AC Hotel Murcia

AC Hotels is one of Marriott’s many hotel brands, and that means the AC Hotel Murcia participates in the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. Guests can earn and redeem points on stays and enjoy other program benefits.

The price for our 2-night stay in early June 2025 was $384 after taxes — an average of $192 per night. That price was for a Standard Queen room, while Standard Plus Queen or Standard Plus King (1 step higher) rooms cost $211 per night.

Standard Queen and Standard Twin rooms were available using Marriott Bonvoy points for 25,500 points for the 2-night stay.

Redeeming 25,500 points to save $384 provided incredible value, giving us 1.51 cents per point — more than double our average valuation of Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents apiece.

It’s also worth noting that the hotel had an interesting Standard Triple room available (starting at $229 per night) with 3 twin beds. This could be nice for a group traveling together.

Hot Tip:

If you pay for a stay here, using a Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card can help you earn even more Marriott Bonvoy points along the way. If I hadn’t used points, I would’ve paid with my Marriott Bonvoy Boundless^® Credit Card to earn 6 points per $1 spent at Marriott Bonvoy properties. The card has just a $95 annual fee.

AC Hotel Murcia’s Location

The AC Hotel Murcia isn’t near the historic center of Murcia, the capital city of the Murcia region of southern Spain. Instead, it’s a 10-minute drive from the city center along Avenida Juan Carlos I.

The hotel is surrounded by shops, restaurants, a mall, and supermarkets, and buses and light rail stops are nearby. Using these, you can reach the main tourist areas in the old town in 15 to 20 minutes.

Murcia’s main train station, El Carmen, is on the south side of the city. Travel between it and the AC Hotel Murcia takes roughly 10 minutes by car or 30 minutes by public transportation.

Checking In

The hotel building had a very modern cubic design, which we thought was cool as we pulled up with our Uber driver. A logo was above the door and on top of the building, making it easy to identify.

Stepping inside, we found the reception desk on the left side of the hallway after walking about 10 steps. We were greeted by an employee with a big “in training” badge on her lapel. It wasn’t a greeting I’d call friendly, but she said hello and asked if we had a reservation.

After checking our passports, she found our reservation and confirmed that we’d paid with points. Thus, she just needed a credit card for incidentals, whipped up a pair of key cards for us, and said goodbye.

Uh, not so fast there, buddy.

I inquired about a room upgrade since the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app showed several room types available. She simply said we were assigned a certain room in the computer before arriving and considered that the end of the story.

“What about our daily food and beverage credit?” I asked.

She didn’t know what I was talking about and called for a manager. He was very familiar with it and explained that we could use our $10 daily credit (per person) at the restaurant but not at the lobby market, which I thought was strange. Then he, too, summarily said goodbye — as if he’d said all he cared to say to us and decided the conversation was over.

Hot Tip:

Elite benefits at Marriott Bonvoy hotels vary by brand and your elite status tier. Those with Platinum Elite status or higher don’t get a guaranteed daily breakfast at AC Hotels. Instead, the elite benefit is a welcome gift choice: 500 bonus points (per stay) or $10 per day food and beverage credit for the member plus 1 guest. More details are available here.

Elite Benefits

Even with my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status, we enjoyed very few added benefits at this hotel. The AC Hotel Murcia upgraded us to a 1 Standard Plus King room, which cost $211 per night — $19 per night more than a standard room.

If we had paid for our stay, rather than using points, I would’ve earned 75% bonus points because of my status. Beyond that, the benefits were minimal.

The only extra perk they offered because of my status was the daily credit, which we had to push to receive. On top of that, we had restrictions on using it (and were overcharged for items we tried to use the credit with — I’ll discuss that in the section on service).

Standard Plus King Guest Room

We stayed in room 408, on the fourth, and top, floor. Oddly, the hallway in front of our room looked completely different from the rest of the hallway.

Most of the hallway had wood-colored doors and frames, beige wallpaper, and a dark gray carpet.

As we approached our room near the end of the hallway, the decor changed. There were mirrored walls (including squiggly patterns on one side), a light gray carpet, and dark gray doors and frames.

Thanks to clear signs in the hallway, our room was easy to find. The door opened easily after we tapped our key card, but we weren’t prepared for what we saw after opening the door.

Immediately in front of us, there was a glass shower box occupying a prominent place in the room. This picture was taken looking through the shower (which didn’t have any curtains or blinds) toward the bed. Good thing I was traveling with someone I know well — my wife!

The room itself was rather plain, with off-white walls and not much for decoration. It was very utilitarian.

The room’s central feature was the king-size bed, which was comfortable. We had 4 pillows, though having them and not having them was roughly the same when considering support for your head at night.

Each side of the bed had both a lamp and a reading light on an adjustable arm. Above each nightstand was an outlet and controls for the lights. The side of the bed closer to the bathroom had the TV remote, hotel information, and a complimentary bottle of water.

The other nightstand had a phone, a pen and notepad, and the room service menu.

Across from the bed, we had a small dresser with a pair of shelves and a deep drawer. It was convenient to keep our suitcase on top of this dresser.

To the right of the dresser, there was a metal box with a slot in it hanging on the wall. We couldn’t find any use for it, so perhaps it was artwork. If so, this was the only decorative item on the 4 walls of our room.

To the left of the dresser, there was a wardrobe with sliding doors. Inside, we found several shelves, a small safe, a clothes rack with several hangers, and extra bedding.

At the far end of the room, there was a leather sofa under the window and a desk in the corner. An armless chair was at the desk, and a TV hung on the wall above it.

The desk also held a phone, a lamp, a single-serve coffee maker, and supplies for making coffee.

A minifridge under the desk had items for sale, including chips, bottled water, candy bars, beers, and Pepsi products. A price list was available for clarity.

Our views weren’t much, looking over a parking structure next door and another parking lot beyond it.

We also had a thermostat in our room, next to the door to the hallway. It wasn’t intuitive at all, and we struggled to control the temperature in our room. After a while, we simply turned it off and opened the window.

Bathroom

A walkway divided the bathroom, going around the shower box and creating an L-shaped layout for the other parts of the bathroom. The glass shower box wasn’t large, but it didn’t feel cramped. Unfortunately, the door was slightly off its hinges, so closing it required lifting up and pushing in with a lot of force. Not closing it fully, though, meant water sprayed onto the floor outside the shower.

The shower had rainfall and handheld showerheads, and there were pump bottles of Korres products attached to the wall. The water pressure and temperature were good.

There was a large, backlit mirror above the sink, and we found a black glass wall that separated the toilet area.

Counter space around the sink was modest, but it was better than nothing. We had a pair of hand towels on a rod in front of the sink, and we found a washcloth on the counter. Pump bottles of hand soap and lotion were by the faucet. There was a hair dryer on the wall nearby.

A small, wobbly stand under the sink held tissues and drinking glasses.

The rod on the black glass wall served as both a place to hang towels and a way to open the door. Opening it led to a closet with a toilet and bidet inside. There was also a (very) small trash bin in here.

The door could swing both directions. Pulling it out was ideal because pushing it in meant you needed a series of moves to get past it to the toilet.

Amenities

AC Hotel Murcia’s list of amenities was modest. Even then, what was available included a few letdowns.

Pool

The hotel’s website says the pool is seasonal, and it was closed during our stay. We stayed during a hot spell in the first week of June — so summer had already started, and I can’t think of a better time for the pool than summer. Staff couldn’t give an exact date for the pool’s opening.

Moreover, a small amount of stagnant water at the bottom of the pool attracted mosquitoes.

The pool was accessed through a pair of doors at the far end of the restaurant, and the pool deck also had several tables with 4 chairs each.

Fitness Center

The modest gym on the hotel’s lower level was open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. It featured adjustable benches, a rack of free weights, stationary bikes, and a treadmill. Towels, wipes, and a water cooler were also available.

There was a bathroom at the fitness center, including toilets, a sink, and a single shower.

The bathroom area also had a Turkish bath. A sign nearby said that using it required talking to someone at reception in advance.

Meeting Rooms

AC Hotel Murcia offered 5 different event rooms, and the largest could hold up to 45 people. These rooms were spread across the ground floor, such as the Forum room immediately to the right of the main entrance.

Across its 5 rooms, the hotel offered 3,886 square feet (361 square meters) of meeting and event space, and there were bathrooms available near several rooms.

Parking

The hotel offered parking for €18 ($20.50) per day. A few spaces were near the front entrance, though these weren’t covered.

There was also an underground parking area, and these spaces were covered from the elements. A door from the parking garage led directly into the hotel’s lower level, near the fitness center and the elevators.

Elevators

The hotel had a pair of elevators across from the reception desk. There was no waiting area near the elevators; rather, they were just … there. They opened directly into the lobby and the guest hallways.

The elevators were small, and putting 4 adults inside made them feel very full. Throughout our stay, they had a weird sweaty-person-at-the-gym smell.

Internet

Complimentary Wi-Fi was available for all guests. When connected, the signal was reliable, and speeds were sufficient for all the tasks we wanted to accomplish. We had to rejoin the network and agree to the terms and conditions every time we returned to the hotel.

Computer

A public computer for guests to use was available at the front of the ground-floor restaurant.

Food and Beverages

AC Lounge

This was the only restaurant at the property, and it was on the ground floor. Breakfast was buffet-style and open from 7 to 10:30 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30 to 11 a.m. on weekends. The AC Lounge had several types of seating: chairs with wire arms, benches, high-back chairs with a semicircular shape, and tall chairs at high tables along the windows.

The breakfast buffet had numerous spreads and jams, along with several types of bread.

There was fresh fruit, several juices, cereals, milk, individual servings of yogurt, and yogurt toppings.

Several hot dishes were available, including sautéed mushrooms, eggs, and steamed vegetables.

Along the wall was a single-serve coffee machine and supplies for making hot tea. There were also single-serve boxes of cereal, which felt out of place.

Bar

There was a small bar between the AC Lounge restaurant and the reception desk. We never saw anyone staffing the bar, and there was a sign that said to ring the bell for service.

There was a drinks list, though, including prices.

We never actually ate here, but the hotel staff had a hard time believing that, which I’ll explain later.

Market

The lobby market was immediately to the left and before the check-in desk when we entered the hotel front door. Several snacks and drinks were available, including bottles of wine, cold sodas, beers, and bottled water. There were also branded items like coffee mugs.

Room Service

Room service was available 24 hours a day, and a menu was on the nightstand. Prices and menu descriptions were clear, and information was available in both Spanish and English. The list of food and drinks was rather small.

Service

I struggle to think of any elements of service that were totally positive, other than the housekeeping staff smiling and saying hello when we passed in the hallway. Other than this, all of our staff encounters had some negative element involved.

First, there was the issue with my inquiry about suite upgrades being ignored and the confusion about our welcome gift choice. I can chalk that up to the employee being a trainee, but both she and the manager essentially dismissed us, as if they had something better to do than … you know, check in guests at a hotel’s reception desk. And why couldn’t we use the daily credit at the marketplace? The manager wouldn’t explain.

There was also the weird smell in the elevators that we didn’t enjoy.

Speaking of smells, we also found one in our room. Well, we found it in the minifridge, and then it stunk up the room. Shortly before going to bed the first night, I opened the minifridge, and it smelled extremely rotten inside — like something had gone bad in there recently, was thrown away, but no one cleaned out or aired out the fridge itself. The smell had simply been trapped, and now I’d released it.

We slept with the window open, but the smell lingered for a while.

We didn’t go to breakfast on the first morning, but we did go down later and asked for lattes (using the bell at the bar, since we couldn’t find any employees). What we got weren’t lattes but essentially coffee with 1 or 2 drops of milk. Considering how long it took to receive these, we simply drank them, knowing our daily food and beverage credit would cover the cost.

On the second morning, my wife hit the snooze button, but I went downstairs to get coffee during breakfast hours. When I asked about a latte, the employee told me to make my own coffee, which was odd since the coffee machine couldn’t make lattes — just black coffee, to which I added some soy milk to the cup from the buffet.

When we went to check out, we found 3 full breakfasts on our bill — despite never eating anything. Our $10 daily food and beverage credit wouldn’t cover these, and we were asked to pay. We insisted that we’d never eaten anything, and luckily the picture of the coffee (above) and the fact I had this picture from after breakfast had ended, taken while waiting for the non-lattes, convinced the desk employee that we weren’t lying.

It was very frustrating that an employee charged us for breakfast when breakfast had ended an hour prior, did not discuss the charges with us, and did not ask us to sign a bill. Luckily, correcting the charges wasn’t a big deal, but our 2 interactions with the front desk both had issues.

Once the bill was corrected, we had nothing to pay as we’d booked our stay on points. We left our luggage while we went to eat lunch around the corner, and this was the sole interaction with staff in which everything went as expected. When we returned 40 minutes later with our claim tickets, the same employee handed us our luggage. After that, we climbed in our Uber, and my wife asked, “So, this review isn’t going to be very good, is it?”

Final Thoughts

Unfortunately, nothing endeared us to the AC Hotel Murcia. Its location wasn’t great, service wasn’t great, and the room wasn’t great. In fact, the room and the elevator had funky smells, the pool was attracting mosquitoes, and we had problems with our bill.

While we got great value for our Marriott Bonvoy points, I’d gladly trade that for not great value for my points and an improved hotel stay.

There weren’t any major problems with safety, aggressive staff, or scams. Even then, we didn’t enjoy our stay and wouldn’t return to the AC Hotel Murcia.