zagguru

Would you still say that even if I was able to use 5 1-5 certs for the JW and a confirmed suite into the Grand Ocean front Suit? I am also a Titanium member, where I have no status with Hyatt. It seems hard to justify spending 125k UR/Hyatt points for Ziva when I have all that going at the JW?

Are there any options for kids at the JW? How about at the Marriott Resort next door?

hhoope01

If you can get the upgrade to Oceanfront suite, I'd definitely take that over a regular room at the Hyatt Ziva. Note that as a Titanium, you'll get their Continental breakfast in the morning, but will have to cover any other meals/snacks yourself. At the Ziva, you'll have all your meals covered (assuming you don't go for any of the meal upgrades (lobster and similar.)

Personally, while the Ziva is nice, I still like the JW better. It has better pools and I like the beach at the JW more (softer sand). But if you want to minimize any out-of-pocket money spent, that will be easier at the Ziva than the JW.

zagguru

I wouldnt really benefit from an all inclusive because I have dietary restrictions. My only concern is the kids pool aspect. Doesnt seem like JW as much and I am going with an 18month old.
The hotel offered me $125 to upgrade to Club 91, which seems like way too much. I read a TR that said they were offered the upgrade for $30 a night a week before there reservation.

bknets88

How did you get a confirmed suite with free night certificates?

theOtherHolmes

Does anyone have a valid email address for this property? I booked 2 adults 1 child but the reservation became 3 adults on Marriott App. Wanna make sure they don’t charge me extra for the nonexistent 3rd adult in the same room (Club 91)

margarita girl

Did you try the one in the wiki?

theOtherHolmes

Duh, on my phone and didn’t see the wiki. Thanks!!!

Europeanexplorer

I must say that the JW Marriott Cancun is an absolute disgrace in terms of gaming the Bonvoy system:

1. Offering a cutdown version of breakfast as the Ambassador/Titanium/Platinum breakfast benefit.
2. Claiming that the lounge is a "boutique hotel in a hotel" and Ambassadors/Titaniums/Platinums therefore do not have access.
3. Claiming that a "Premium" Deluxe Room is an upgrade over the Deluxe Room when both are, in effect, the same. Not offering proper upgrades for a one night stay even though plenty of rooms, including suites, are showing as available.
4. Restricting Suite Night Awards to upgrades to "Premium" Deluxe Rooms (no suites at all). Not sure if this is a new thing as I could find old reports of people being able to select some suites.

A real shock to the system after the excellent Luxury Collection Haciendas in Campeche and Yucatan!

Adam1222

Resorts are explicitly excluded from lounge access, so it's not "gaming the system".

Europeanexplorer

I am not the one who came up with that excuse - it’s on the hotel’s website. Why not just say that instead of making up a rubbish excuse?

In any event, that is besides the point, as it’s the breakfast and room shenanigans which are more egregious.

Adam1222

​​​​​​How were breakfast shenanigans? Again, properties are not required to provide you with a breakfast buffet, and this is hardly the only property that gives a continental breakfast as the elite free breakfast. It seems you may have not properly researched the benefits you were entitled to and should reasonably expect before your stay.

hhoope01

As mentioned, serving only a continental breakfast for top elites fits within the T&Cs. So for breakfast, the issue is that they don't go above and beyond the T&Cs.

For the difference between the a Deluxe Oceanview and Deluxe Premium Oceanview room, my understanding is the base room (Deluxe Oceanview) are rooms on the lower floors. The Premium Oceanview rooms are the same rooms on higher floors. And the hotel saying that moving someone from the base to the Premium view is an upgrade, all I can say there is for some random dates over Jan/Feb the hotel seems to charge about $40/night extra for that Premium view. So I can see where they would consider it an upgrade as someone could reserve the Premium view room if one were willing to pay for it (or reserve the base room and hope for an upgrade).

For the SNAs, as of a little over a month ago, they were still showing suites in the SNA pool. I made a reservation there for this month (since cancelled in favor of trying out the Hyatt Ziva instead) and was able to select the Caribbean and Grand suites. So unless they made a very recent change, suites are still in the SNA pool (though whether you will actually get one or not is a different story.)

Based on my stays here, if someone is looking for a hotel that tends to go above and beyond the base required elite benefits, then this isn't the best place to stay. They seem to adhere to specifically what they are supposed to and that is it.

Kacee

That is a very generous phrasing. There is nothing in the T&C that explicitly allows a property to provide elites a "breakfast" that has been deliberately minimized below the basic buffet. That is certainly not what a reading of Bonvoy marketing indicates you will get. Further, the brand-specific exclusion of certain properties from certain benefit requirements has been frequently and justly criticized as unreasonably confusing and misleading, particularly given that Marriott has over 30 brands.

As for the lack of upgrade, properties are required to upgrade to the best available room, including suites, and this property's apparent policy of providing a maximum one category upgrade is not consistent with either the letter or spirit of the T&C.

One may certainly choose to stay at this property for other reasons, despite its poor treatment of elites, but I find it very difficult to understand why anyone (outside of Marriott) would defend these policies.

Adam1222

We are not defending Marriott policies. We are defending the property from the false suggestion that this property is to blame or somehow an outlier for doing what, as is documented throughout Flyertalk, is quite standard.
As for why, complaints that baselessly accuse a property of "gaming" the system when it is acting like 100s of others in the Bonvoy program and acting squarely within the programs explicit terms drown out legitimate complaints. If you have an expectation of free breakfast buffets at all properties as an elite, or lounge access at resorts, the problem is your expectations, not this property. I would think if you are an elite at Marriott or Hilton, you have been to many properties that have had an upcharge for full breakfast for elites. I've personally been to dozens.

Europeanexplorer

The suites were definitely removed from the SNA upgrade pool when I checked two days ago. Furthermore, not giving suite upgrades to Ambassadors/Titaniums/Platinums when they are available goes against the Bonvoy T&Cs - that is quite clear.

As for the breakfast, it’s just poor form and I have never seen anything like it - perhaps I am spoilt by the properties in Europe and Asia.

I think when you add all these things up, it’s quite clear that this hotel does not care about Elites. Luckily, plenty of other options are available in Cancun.