Tempe Town Lake’s first hotel will open this week.
The AC Hotel Tempe, part of Marriott International, will open on Wednesday June 8.
The European-style hotel will be the first in the western U.S. It will be the eighth in the U.S.
AC has plans to open 35 more in the next year, with 16 coming in 2016.
The hotel has 159 guest rooms with hardwood floors, monotone colors and simple furnishings, four of which will be suites; 650 square feet of meeting space; a rooftop pool; a fitness center with floor-to-ceiling windows; the AC Library, which will be a working space with digital amenities; the AC Lounge, which will offer craft beers, cocktails, and tapas bites; and the AC Kitchen, which will have European-style dishes like flaky croissants, artisanal La Quercia prosciutto and Nespresso coffee.
Phoenix-based HKS Phoenix designed the hotel, which is inspired by Spanish and European-style architecture and decor.
Kara DeNardo, director of sales and marketing, said AC Hotel Tempe will be “beverage, then food” focused, offering snacks and tapas. DeNardo said the hotel has no restaurant because “people only eat at a hotel if they’re stuck and have nowhere else to go.”
The AC Kitchen in the hotel will offer a daily-changing breakfast, so there will be no menu, though flaky croissants, artisanal La Quercia prosciutto and Nespresso coffee will be mainstays.
The bar, DeNardo said, will be an integral focus of the hotel, where the “bartender is the most important person in the hotel,” because he or she will know where to go around town.
The bar, playing into the European theme, will also only offer wine on tap, with beers only in bottles. DeNardo said the hotel will partner with local spirit-makers and breweries.
All of the art installations were chosen by Jude Smith, who chose all female artists to contribute pieces, which pay homage to the surrounding environment.
AC Hotel Tempe is the last parcel on the Hayden Ferry Lakeside in Tempe.
The hotel also designed special locks on guest room doors, which have a wave design, a nod to Tempe Town Lake. The key cards have a sensor recognition rather than a swipe.
The rooftop pool overlooks “A” Mountain as well as Tempe’s historic flour mill.
TynanGroup is acting as the Owner’s Representative for Pacific Hospitality Group.
