Introduction I made a stop at JW Marriott Marquis during my stay in Dubai to try this hotel for the first time based on the positive reviews of this hotel. I am not a big fan of the location but I found the hotel itself solid with a nice suite upgrade and good service throughout. Location In Dubai I generally like to either be close to (1) the old city / Creek area, or (2) the Marina, or (3) the Palm for a relaxing trip where I will not get out much. JWM is neither of those so for me it’s suboptimal. If it was connected to a large shopping mall like Sheraton Mall of the Emirates it would be fine but JWM requires a shuttle bus to Dubai Mall and to make things worse the shuttle bus has been discontinued due to covid. JWM is a 10-15 minute walk in the heat to Business Bay metro station so also not very close access to public transportation. Room I booked the entry level room and was upgraded as Ambassador Elite to the deluxe corner suite which was of a good size at 88 sqm. This hotel is massive with over 1000 rooms and over 200 suites; oddly before I arrived at the hotel I noticed the online room availability for my dates was only for the entry level room therefore I thought I would receive no upgrade at all. However they confirmed to me in the app chat that they would give me a suite upgrade which I was quite pleased with.The suite looked decent, nothing too exciting or memorable but it’s a JWM brand hotel so I thought the sober style was appropriate. Since it was a corner room, I liked having windows on two walls of the bedroom and views of the Dubai canal. The main bathroom was the strong point of the suite – very spacious, it had a large window near the bathtub and was private enough despite the window because the tower across was not that close. The half bathroom near the entrance was extremely small especially compared to the main bathroom: there was barely space to open the door and sneak in. The main negative about the room was the use of carpet in the entire bedroom, living room, and dining areas and the carpet itself which felt rough.Unlike other hotels where I stayed in Dubai, there was no bathrobe in the room and when I asked, I was told because of covid they stopped providing them. I asked if I could get one and at first the answer was no, I challenged why they could not simply be cleaned like bed sheets and offered to guests on demand. They checked, called me back and brought four (!) to my room. That was a bit overdone for a 2-night stay but I got what I wanted in the end. Bathroom toiletries were Aromatherapy as found in many other JWMs. Dining At the Starwood legacy hotels such as Sheraton or Luxury Collection, we can elect breakfast in the restaurant instead of bonus points if we don’t want breakfast in the lounge. Conversely at some Marriott legacy brands like JWM, if there is a lounge we must have breakfast in the lounge – the restaurant is not a (free) option. Some hotels nonetheless allow it but unfortunately JWM Dubai did not. This is a pity in Dubai of all places because many hotels have lavish breakfast buffets. When breakfast in the lounge has a nice upscale a la carte breakfast to elites then I enjoy it and is perhaps an even better alternative to a crowded restaurant, but the breakfast in the lounge at JWM was entirely forgettable without any special dish offered.The main thing I liked however was the layout of the lounge which was fairly large but most importantly had many small separate rooms which prevented the feeling of being overcrowded. It was easy to get a table in the lounge and have a semi-private atmosphere which was great. Afternoon tea 2:30-4pm in the lounge was better than breakfast, including quality sandwiches with specialty bread rather than standard sliced bread. Happy hour 6:30-8:30pm was decent although not the best I have seen in the city. There was a choice of small hot dishes and also a chef station. I liked that drinks were not limited to wine/beer/spirits – there was a limited selection of cocktails as well which is suitable for a luxury hotel lounge. Service Service was on par with luxury hotels – the service in the lounge was particularly good and a clear notch above my stay just a few days prior at Sheraton Grand. In addition, every time I made requests in the chat via the Marriott app they were always very quick to answer. They handled my requests efficiently every time including scheduling my covid test in my room (250 AED). Overall Overall I had a nice stay and I can say this hotel can be a good match for people who value a decent lounge, spacious suites, and good service. The two issues which might cause some guests to choose another hotel are people for whom location is important and guests who care about the opulent Dubai breakfast buffets and want it as an elite benefit rather than paying for it.