I'd have to agree that the bathrooms are the biggest and most obvious difference as well as the staff. I've stayed at a few J.W.s but the only city where I've stayed in just about all the Marriott properties would be Denver. Comparing them all I'd have to say that the Marriott City Center and J.W. are above and beyond better than the Renaissance.

The MCC and JW in Denver I'd almost rank as a tie but it depends on what you're looking for. The MCC is far larger and subsequently has more too offer for the added guests, but the rooms themselves are pretty on par. The JW on the other hand has 1/3 the rooms and ergo about 1/3 the "communal" space, but it's noticably "better"... Better lighting, more pleasing to the eye... (Reminds me a bit of the W on Union Square in NYC.) The room was equal to the MCC, but the bathroom... Holy cow.

For the sake of arguement, here are three different Marriott brands that I would say tie in respects to what I got at the JW when you add the "cool" factor. (this is room ONLY, not the bathroom.) The Renaissance Cleveland, Courtyard Pittsburgh Downtown and as I mentioned the Denver Marriott City Center. Each of those three had equally intriguing rooms but the bathroom in the JW, as well as the service staff were just in a league of their own.