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Introduction I avoided JW Marriott Bangkok in the past in part because reviews were less than stellar on FT, but now that my Platinum-Ambassador status is valid on the Marriott side since August, I have started venturing on that side of the fence a bit more to test things out. JWM Bangkok is usually more expensive than all other Marriott/Starwood options except St.Regis and without glowing reviews I did not feel the rush to try it. However I had a free night certificate to use before expiration so I thought might as well use it at the one property that I would not be likely to pay cash without having seen it myself first. I am glad I tried even for just one night because it’s always good to be aware of all options in the city and my takeaway is that it’s a decent hotel, but it won’t be at the top of my list in Bangkok. Room Based on reviews, I was under the impression that JWM was either stingy with Platinum suite upgrades, or that it was very difficult to get a suite due to the hotel not having many of them. In addition I was using a free night certificate so one more reason not to expect a suite because I did not think I would be high on the priority list. Well to my surprise I did get upgraded to a suite, and not only that but at 6pm I looked online and they no longer had suites for sale so it’s not like they upgraded me just because they had lots of suites available that night. I can see why opinions about this hotel are mixed. The hotel and the room in particular is quite dated which is in contrast with many other newer hotels in the city. The room reminded me to some extent of Sheraton Royal Orchid and Grand Hyatt in terms of not being exactly the most modern. However I personally enjoy having the extra space so a suite upgrade was appreciated, but if you care about a new hotel then JWM won’t be for you. It’s funny how for quite a while I did not target JWM as one of my next few hotels in Bangkok in part due to the lack of suite upgrades, yet bottom line is that in the last two years I am 1/10 in suite upgrades at Athenee, St.Regis, and Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit combined, and now 1/1 at JWM. As mentioned the room is not modern by any means, but at least it’s in good condition. The bathroom was partially renovated and is of a good size although the shower head is in need of being changed. Off the living room is a small kitchen which can be convenient for those on a long stay who want to cook. There was some equipment available to do so. However for suites in Bangkok I normally prefer having an extra half bath rather than a kitchen. The power plugs near the bed were behind the night tables so not the best location but not surprising for an older hotel. The commands for the lights and AC were probably hi-tech back in the day but now the console is getting up in age. Fortunately the AC worked great and we had a comfortable night. Dining As Platinum we had access to the lounge for happy hour. Drinks are offered for a generous 4 hours from 4:30pm to 8:30pm while food was available 6pm to 8pm. There was a chef on site preparing beef patties for mini burgers, in addition to a carving station with chicken. There were a few cold salads available for example the avocado salad was delicious. They also had a limited selection of fruits and sweets. Overall a decent food selection which compares favorably to some other hotels, perhaps not as great as Athenee but above average nonetheless. The main downside as far as I am concerned is that the food was too Western for my taste when in Bangkok and I would have preferred to see Thai dishes instead. For drinks they had 2 red and 2 white wines in addition to beer and spirits. The quality of drinks was good for a hotel lounge, but a notch below Athenee. The lounge itself is very large and the food area was quite busy. Interestingly there is a small hallway leading to the computer room at the far end, and tables in the hallway were very quiet unlike the rest of the lounge. There is also a terrace outside for people who want to relax outdoors in the evening. All in all a relatively strong happy hour and it’s a positive point of this hotel.Unfortunately breakfast is not offered in the restaurant for Platinums, which was also one of the reasons I was not rushing to try this hotel. We had breakfast in the lounge instead. Choice is rather limited, in fact far more limited than in Marriott Marquis’s lounge, but we found it to be sufficient. There was a dish of shrimps and chili paste and another one was fried noodles. I would have liked a bit more choice, for example I missed having fried rice and there were not many fruits to choose from. But it was ok. The environment was more peaceful when we were there for breakfast than in the evening, and better than the breakfast buffet in some hotels. That said, I always appreciate having access to both the lounge and restaurant for breakfast to mix things up, and that is normally what we get at Starwood legacy hotels and a drawback of Marriott legacy hotels such as JWM. Service In addition to the suite upgrade and lounge access, I should note that one useful Plat benefit is to have 3 pieces of laundry per room per day, which is not something offered at many hotels. Overall Overall I was fairly pleased by the hotel given the suite upgrade and a good lounge so yes I can recommend the hotel. That said, there are some hotels were the basic room is nice enough that if I am not upgraded I am not worried about it and I have a nice stay nonetheless, for example at St.Regis or Athenee. I have not seen the basic room at JWM but given the age of the hotel, I am not sure I would want to take that chance. There are some hotels where I like the suite but not the basic room so I just pay for the suite, for example at Millenium Hilton, but at that hotel the total bill is fairly modest even in their top suite. However the basic room at JWM is already pricey relative to the competition so booking a suite would start getting up there in price and for that kind of money I would rather book at a more modern hotel rather than book a suite at JWM. That means that while I was happy with my stay, unless I thought my odds of suite upgrades were fairly high for a future stay, I would probably look at other alternatives. Based on my limited experience, suite upgrades might be more likely at JWM than at St.Regis, Athenee, and SGS where my upgrades have been hard to get, but it is premature to conclude that odds of suite upgrades at JWM are great because I only have one data point. I would like to see several others on FT getting a suite at JWM first, and then I would consider returning. As a final note, on Marriott.com the pictures of the rooms look quite different than the room I had – perhaps there are going through renovations and if so I would be more positive about the hotel but since it’s not been my experience I can only comment based on the room I got.