Mar 18, 2016, 9:20 am
Last edit by: SkiAdcock
Elite room upgrades are iffy; they try to sell upgrades.
Hotel website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/vcejw-jw-marriott-venice-resort-and-spa/
Hotel website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/vcejw-jw-marriott-venice-resort-and-spa/
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa (Venice, Italy) [Master Thread]
Jan 9, 2019, 2:04 am
#151
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That is nonsense. A very small area of Venice, generally the distance from St Marks Square that an overweight tourist can stagger. The remaining 90% of the city is quiet even at peak periods, as are the other islands of Murano, Burano etc. The lido is possibly the emptiest major Italian beach resort in August.
Jan 9, 2019, 10:14 am
#152
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That is nonsense. A very small area of Venice, generally the distance from St Marks Square that an overweight tourist can stagger. The remaining 90% of the city is quiet even at peak periods, as are the other islands of Murano, Burano etc. The lido is possibly the emptiest major Italian beach resort in August.
Murano definitely is not anywhere near empty. On the main drag along the main waterway it often is extremely crowded.
Oh if you are not aware there are 2 waterbus stations on Murano and dont know better to choose the one that is the first station on your way back to the Venice proper, be prepared either you would not be able to get on the boat at the 2nd station or standing all the way on the not so short passage.
Lido is much lesser known, and it is a bedroom community of Venice. Doubt very many visitors would ever venture there because its attraction is the beaches - no travelers go to Venice for the beach access that is fairly obvious, nor for a visit to Lido where you find the little apartments and residential areas... Who travel to Venice for that?
Though I would say after night falls, the city tends to quiet down a bit - BUT not on the nights when there are cruise ships overnighting! And that means from Mid May to Mid Sept...almost every other night is .... that if you know how to look up port schedules. On one of our TATL cruise several years ago (emphasis because now it is much worse), the ship started from Venice but had an overnight before setting sail. Passengers from the previous cruise ended at Venice, as well as the passengers like us who would sail with the ship back to US, would be all on the city on the same night. Talk about the crowds at St. Marks Sq. Or, actually, the paths were soooo congested between the water bus station to the Square and the sight of people's heads in front of us when we viewed from the small height of the bridge, we decided to turn around and took the water bus back to St. Lucia and then walked back to the ship.
Mar 6, 2019, 9:55 am
#154
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If there are any foodies staying at the property Sept 26-29, fyi...
https://news.marriott.com/2019/02/jw...a-serenissima/
https://news.marriott.com/2019/02/jw...a-serenissima/
Mar 7, 2019, 3:17 am
#155
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I posted in the Gritti Palace thread but got nothing, I am planning to take my wife and 18 month old to Gritti palace this june, do you not advise to ?
Mar 7, 2019, 5:24 am
#156
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Is June the only time you can go? Going in May or waiting until September or even October will get rid of half the crowd. June, July and August are the absolute worst times to go anywhere in Europe frequented by tourists.
Mar 7, 2019, 5:57 am
#157
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Is Venice any good for kids? and Is Gritti Palace any good for kids? I looked at JW Marriott and saw I can buy a day pass for 35 Euros for the pool etc so thought I could in theory get the best of both worlds but again I got no clue!!
Mar 7, 2019, 6:12 am
#158
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I have a booking for NYE at Gritti and at St Regis Rome (can't decide which) so in theroy I could do both of them at NYE time and leave this June trip to explore say the Amalfi coast, however I have been told thats not the easiest place with an 18 month old.
Is Venice any good for kids? and Is Gritti Palace any good for kids? I looked at JW Marriott and saw I can buy a day pass for 35 Euros for the pool etc so thought I could in theory get the best of both worlds but again I got no clue!!
Is Venice any good for kids? and Is Gritti Palace any good for kids? I looked at JW Marriott and saw I can buy a day pass for 35 Euros for the pool etc so thought I could in theory get the best of both worlds but again I got no clue!!
The water taxis from and to the airport are pricey but your kids will love it.
The JW is good for kids because of the pool, the kids playground, the little football pitch etc.
The Gritti is, I imagine, dreadful. My kids hate the whole of the main island, to be honest, and we tend to get a babysitter at the JW now and let them stay there whilst we have a day in the centre. We then do a day on the lido.
Apr 7, 2019, 2:12 am
#159
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Any recent experiences here? We are going for a long weekend in April wit the kids (both under 12). Quite frankly, just happy to relax at the resort, but considering their Resort+Spa packages, and using the free trips to Burano and Murano, as well as the wine and olive oil tasting. It seems reasonably priced.
Any other recent must's, or must not's?
Any other recent must's, or must not's?
Apr 7, 2019, 4:01 am
#160
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The Burano / Murano trips are sales trips where a glass maker picks you up and deposits you at their factory. You can walk out but it is embarrassing if you are the only guest, and the location may be suboptimal for seeing other stuff.
The wine and oil tastings are also just sales pitches. They should really pay you to go.
The wine and oil tastings are also just sales pitches. They should really pay you to go.
Apr 7, 2019, 9:23 am
#161
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The Burano / Murano trips are sales trips where a glass maker picks you up and deposits you at their factory. You can walk out but it is embarrassing if you are the only guest, and the location may be suboptimal for seeing other stuff.
The wine and oil tastings are also just sales pitches. They should really pay you to go.
The wine and oil tastings are also just sales pitches. They should really pay you to go.
Apr 7, 2019, 11:48 am
#162
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If you've got kids it's worth it, because it is far cheaper than paying rack rate for the kids club.
The rest is just embarrassing. I mean .... you are on a small island. The hotel has 10 bikes. Instead of just leaving them around to use, they are padlocked and you can't use one unless you pay $39 per day for the resort package. It's a joke.
This is, of course, the same hotel that puts a piece of paper on your breakfast table, with your name and room number on it, with a pencil and asks you to write in how much tip you want added to your bill for the breakfast buffet.
The rest is just embarrassing. I mean .... you are on a small island. The hotel has 10 bikes. Instead of just leaving them around to use, they are padlocked and you can't use one unless you pay $39 per day for the resort package. It's a joke.
This is, of course, the same hotel that puts a piece of paper on your breakfast table, with your name and room number on it, with a pencil and asks you to write in how much tip you want added to your bill for the breakfast buffet.
Apr 7, 2019, 8:19 pm
#163
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We're here now, just got in this afternoon after the transatlantic and a change a CDG. To be honest picked JWM because of a very good rate and was pre-upgraded a room with a private patio in a building away from the main hotel.. Nice comfortable very quiet modern room. If you’re looking for that feeing of Venice this isn’t but very good post flight.
The view from the top flor outdoor bar is really quite nice, the drink prices and apps/small plates were fine. It’s an impressive view to see one of the big Costa Line cruises ship appear to sail through the middle of the city from that vantage point.
To to be honest the highlight so far was the private water taxi from the airport it’s a bit expensive but I’d say worth it. Of course you can do this to all the Venice hotels, being a bit further it’s more expensive to JWM than other hotels also. But the Taxi pulls into its own canal/dock/lobby it’s very James Bondesque. The Mrs gave the “best cab ride ever' but this is her first time in Venice.
im not a huge fan of Venice, might be why I haven’t been in almost 20 years but for us this was a good choice at less than a third of the Gritti's rate.
The view from the top flor outdoor bar is really quite nice, the drink prices and apps/small plates were fine. It’s an impressive view to see one of the big Costa Line cruises ship appear to sail through the middle of the city from that vantage point.
To to be honest the highlight so far was the private water taxi from the airport it’s a bit expensive but I’d say worth it. Of course you can do this to all the Venice hotels, being a bit further it’s more expensive to JWM than other hotels also. But the Taxi pulls into its own canal/dock/lobby it’s very James Bondesque. The Mrs gave the “best cab ride ever' but this is her first time in Venice.
im not a huge fan of Venice, might be why I haven’t been in almost 20 years but for us this was a good choice at less than a third of the Gritti's rate.
Apr 9, 2019, 12:47 am
#164
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If you've got kids it's worth it, because it is far cheaper than paying rack rate for the kids club.
The rest is just embarrassing. I mean .... you are on a small island. The hotel has 10 bikes. Instead of just leaving them around to use, they are padlocked and you can't use one unless you pay $39 per day for the resort package. It's a joke.
This is, of course, the same hotel that puts a piece of paper on your breakfast table, with your name and room number on it, with a pencil and asks you to write in how much tip you want added to your bill for the breakfast buffet.
The rest is just embarrassing. I mean .... you are on a small island. The hotel has 10 bikes. Instead of just leaving them around to use, they are padlocked and you can't use one unless you pay $39 per day for the resort package. It's a joke.
This is, of course, the same hotel that puts a piece of paper on your breakfast table, with your name and room number on it, with a pencil and asks you to write in how much tip you want added to your bill for the breakfast buffet.
i really have those criticisms are unwarranted or really it seem you don’t like Marriott’s to be like Marriott. I dislike resort fees as much as anyone, the bikes are effectively part of the resort fee. Having the thermal area of the spa as an extra daily fee etc. but Marriott resorts, esp the international ones, pretty much exist because of group sales of conferences and company events. How often have you been to one of the resort properties where a large percentage of the guests don’t have name tags of some type. Areas of the property closed to guests for receptions. The resort extras are and fees are just a sales discount tool the group sales teams use to show how much a bargain bookings will be. The Marriott hotels perfected what Hilton began, providing and atmosphere to the traveling businessman that are familiar enough they are distracted from why they’re being paid to be in the location. The hotel not as an experience but as a comfortable business tool.
the JW Marriott Venice is just a glamorous location for a group event. We, as leisure guest, are just a sideline - using redemptions earned from others stay or points earnings as an in-effect discount to fill the extra room remaining after group sales months before have done their bookings. We really are not why the full services Marriotts exist
Apr 9, 2019, 2:28 pm
#165
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The resort fee is similar. They are illegal in Italy (and the UK, and probably most of Europe) if compulsory. I get an odd feeling that if I turned up waving a US passport, I would be effectively told it was going on my bill and not told it was optional. Again, the Europeans just laugh at this stuff.
I like this hotel - we've been four times. However, every time I think how great it would be if someone better took it over (and they found out where the wasps nests are).