I have stayed at both the Renaissance and the JW Marriott within the last few weeks and have to say...I liked the Renaissance better. The JW Marriott is nice, and has some amazing amenities, but we just seemed to like the layout of the Ren better. The JW is definitely geared for business travelers, and not vacationers like us though.
A few comparisons:
JW Marriott -
- Concierge check in and Lounge are on 3rd (of 6) floor
- Next to lounge is business center with three computers and printer available for complimentary use
- Lounge has free wifi
- Paid wifi in other parts of the hotel is expensive - about 50 Dhs/hour ($15 USD)
- Lounge will give you a coupon to go eat breakfast in the Marketplace downstairs - great b-fast buffet down there
- B-fast in the lounge is probably identical though, and chef there will make omletes/eggs upon request
- Pool area is nice, and is well staffed
- Rooms are huge, and steam showers are big enough for the Brady bunch
- No views really, I think most of the rooms face inwards to the courtyard in the middle of the building
Renaissance
- Concierge check in and Lounge are on 6th floor
- Lounge has one computer for complimentary use, and free wifi - both need an access code to be used, so you need to speak to the attendant in the lounge
- The lounge staff at the Ren will remember your name after hearing it once, no matter how many nights you stay
- Breakfast, as others have posted, is good, but somewhat basic
- Rooms are updated and modern, but bathrooms are on the smaller side
- Our room was on the 6th floor, overlooking the pool as well as the skyline and the Burj in the distance
- Pool area is part of health club on 4th floor with great staff and the occasional waiter to take food/drink orders
- The pool area is nice and uncrowded
Both hotels are in an area where you will probably want to take a cab anywhere you need to go. You will see that both hotels are very close to the flight path at the airport, but I guarantee you will not hear a thing once inside the airport. Taxis are readily available at both hotels, and expect a ride of about 15 Dhs to the airport, 10-20 Dhs to other areas of Diera, and 30-40 Dhs to Jumeirah Beach and that area. Of course, this all depends on traffic which can gridlock you for 10-40 minutes in Diera alone. Both hotels have the private cars available as someone posted above. These are often hailed by the hotel bellmen if you do not specify that you want a taxi, and not a car. We took the cars a few times and found that the ride was much nicer (Lexus was most common type) for a price difference of $1 -5 USD. The JW Marriott often has 2-3 of these Lexus' sitting curbside at any given time, so we ended up using those more often at the JW.