Attention to detail and design pay off at AC by Marriott in Inverness
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WITH Friar’s Bridge being on my daily commute, I was rather curious about the building that, in the past year, has been slowly surging next to the riverside.
The curiosity grew as the neon lights of the bar started shining against the quiet backdrop of the River Ness. Add to this the promise of tapas and a focus on cocktails and expectations were high as I entered the new AC by Marriott in Glebe Street, Inverness.
The building is nestled between the bridge and the streets leading to the city centre and architects have done an excellent job at shielding the main entrance from the busy nearby roads.
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One can’t help but appreciate the attention to detail when entering – small touches of decor and a neat and sleek design for the rest of the interior, which acts as lounge, tapas restaurant, café, breakfast area and working space for anyone in need of a comfortable place to meet or write. With a variety of illustrated books and newspapers scattered around the tables, it feels like a great place for ideas and inspiration.
Bright and airy by day, the lounge turns to warmer and softer lighting at night, which allow for a lovely night view of the river. There is a nice terrace just outside, which will serve guests well in warmer months.
With 60 seats in the all-day restaurant, there is a good space between tables, some of which are provided with charging points for devices – really practical both for those wishing to work here during the day or for tourists who have been out for the day and need a last-minute smartphone charge.
The ambience is soft, and at dinner having a mellow volume of music in the background and dim lights makes it a relaxing experience. A great setting to try some of the cocktails.
We went for mint and smoke: a classic mojito and a smoky Manhattan did not disappoint, a good balance of flavours and alcohol content – you can feel it in the background but it blends with the other ingredients nicely.
The hotel’s menu has a curated selection of tapas and main dishes mixing Scottish tradition (haggis, fish and chips) to more European flavours, a short but fairly comprehensive selection which sits between comfort food and finer dining.
My favourite bite of the night was the crispy and salty hassleback potatoes: definitely a comfort food dish, but with a good amount of flavours and textures. The baba ghanoush was nice and creamy and served with some lovely hot flatbread slices.
The haggis and tatties bonbons tasted nice although they lacked a bit of the characteristic haggis spicyness, flavours were more towards a nice potato croquette, but very pleasant nonetheless.
For good measure, we also tried one of the mains, and the fish and chips had – both – a good crunch to them (if a bit oversalted). Thumbs up for the tartar sauce which seemed freshly made.
One aspect which I feel needs some work are desserts: the options were cranachan, cheesecake, macarons and cheese platter and therefore lacked of a warm or non-fruity dessert.
Those with a sweet tooth can however have a refill at breakfast: the selection is pretty wide, from British staples to continental and the pastries section is continuously refilled.
There is a rather drastic separation between the ambience of the lounge and the corridors leading to the bedrooms, which are 191 in total. In fact it feels a bit like a maze once you are in the corridors. Before going in the elevators, a lovely stand dispenses sachets of lavander to place under the pillow to help you have a better night’s sleep.
The rooms are mostly provided with a king-sized bed (aside from twins) and a nicely wide TV screen. The design and spaces are minimal but cosy, clean, functional. The beds are extremely comfortable. A good spacious walk-in shower was equipped with fresh and citrusy toiletries from dispensers, for good measures on avoiding single-use plastic bottles. Despite being right next to Friar’s Bridge, it was quiet and peaceful, the dark curtains doing their job nicely.
There is a rather drastic separation between the ambience of the lounge and the corridors leading to the bedrooms, which are 191 in total. In fact it feel a bit like a maze once you are in the corridors, but everything feels pleasantly quiet when we are in.
Before going in the elevators, a lovely stand dispenses sachets of lavander to place under the pillow to help you have a better night of sleep (that, together with the raw honey frame at breakfast and the books scattered around the lounge, was one of the small but lovely highlights of the night).
I can see how this new hotel will become easily popular among tourists and locals looking for a coffee and just sitting in a really relaxing and charming space.
