i'm going to try to reach out on social media to marriott. really want to use my two free nights there in Nov.

I'm going on holiday to China and will be in Beijing in a months time. I am redeeming and my choice was between the Ren Wangfujing and the JW Central both of which were Cat3s and had open availability. I eventually plumped for the Ren, but it is curious that the JW appears to have shut down all redemptions recently.

Did you ever find out why?
I see no redemption available for my trip this year as well.

This JW is abet weird on redemption, seems to be a seasonal thing. I just did stay there 2 nights, one paid & the 2nd night free with the Mrt Chase Anv. night. (Jan. 19-21) The Redemption stay posted already, but the paid stay night + points has not. But they did email me the folio !.
BTW- this EL will be closed for 3 nights of the CNY holiday in Feb. A typical EL holiday closing in China- ( Golden week + CNY)

I've booked 5 nights here at the end of the month with my wife & son. She's worried about the water in China, can anyone confirm that the lounge provides bottled water? I can't imagine it wouldn't, but would be great to reassure her.

Yes, and there will be free water in the rooms too that is restocked regularly likely twice daily if you allow housekeeping to do a turndown service.
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Your wife is right to avoid Chinese water, it isn't potable and even showering with it for long periods will likely cause more skin irritations However for a week you'll be just fine. Enjoy your stay.

Depends on arrival time & how much luggage you have. The JW 'Central' is about 200 meters from the intersection of subway lines 2 & 4, thus do to transfers you would not want a lot of luggage. Depending on traffic its about an hour taxi ride through the city. Taxi cost of about 125 RMB. The taxi is the easiest, & for a first time visitor could be an interesting viewing trip of Beijing.
Previous thread posts have JW 'central' comments. Its a good, modern JW.

We stayed here early September using my points. We were very impressed with the service, the food and of course the upgrade to a residence suite. Wow! The suite was about 1500 sft with a full kitchen and a washer dryer combination machine. Needless to say the dishwasher, fridge etc were of very high quality.
We did use the hotels meet and greet service and although expensive the short line immigration they took us to, helped us get from the plane to the car in 30 minutes. The lounge itself was great but we had breakfast in the restaurant. That, too, was great

Can the forbidden city be seen from the hotel room / lounge?

As far as I remember no, it is too far away and hidden by other buildings, even though the whole area is pretty low rise. It isn't really walking distance either, but either a cheap cab or short metro (underground) ride after a bit of a walk.

All,

Just returned from a outstanding 9 night holiday stay at this property. As others have pointed out, the location is easy and super convenient to the metro. The physical hotel is nice.

What stands out is the awesome level of service from the team.

The Lounge team was simply fantastic. From welcoming us by name, to remembering what drinks we had, and bringing them to the table as soon as we sat down, to food requests, to preparing special treats, and some fantastic directions on non-touristy local things to do both attractions and restaurants. Great food spread quality and quantity, and variety of drinks. Totally class act! Of all the hotels I've ever stayed at, I've never seen this consistent professional level of execution - each day, among the whole team. Poetry in motion!

Be sure to enjoy of the full breakfast buffet in their 4th floor restaurant. In addition, to the amazing selection, the service level again was simply top-notch, warm and engaging.

We had some Tech issues, and again, the hotel staff sent their senior folks to do troubleshooting.

If you go, walk across the street and get lost in the hutong!

Enjoy!

Joel

I've stayed there multiple times. The only thing I would say is for some reason I would never get a suite upgrade from them, even if my app shows it's bookable. Their excuse is always "it's fully booked, sorry". However, besides that, it's a hotel that really provides great services top to bottom. From doorman to lobby greeter to concierge to Lounge staff (and house keeping), all are exceptionally friendly and does try their best to honor all of your reasonable requests.

The Mall next door is finally fully operational, and that is a big plus. Easy walking distance to subway station that's a couple of stops away from the main center of the city.

Yes, the lounge staff does try to remember your name and your drinks after awhile, so nice personal touch.

Overall, I would say it's a very nice hotel on the other side of the city that is not too far from the tourist spots, great surroundings, and close to subway stations.

I would also try their Man Ho restaurant on the 3rd floor, very tasty fusion Cantonese food. Do not try the roast duck thought, the person that does the cutting is so bad so much fat is left on the skin of the duck. Otherwise, all other dishes are pretty good.