drzoidberg

I'm currently staying at the new JW Marriott Beijing Central, which just opened on June 26. Was told at checkin that they only had 150 rooms available (of which they had 60-70% occupancy) and were unable to offer a Platinum an upgrade, even to a higher floor (?!). Some notes below.

- Presently staying in a standard Executive Deluxe twin room.
- The standard room is opulently appointed with the most comfortable beds/showers to date that I have experienced on this trip (compared to Hilton Wangfujing and Park Plaza Wangfujing).
- However, our room has experienced teething/break-in problems.
- The 1,150 RMB/room price is an introductory price for the month of August only.

- Neighborhood seems up and coming.
- Only one restaurant so far, "JW Kitchen", which is serving lunch/dinner, but not breakfast. Full service available in September.
- Breakfast is served in the 15th floor Executive Lounge instead.
- The gym is open 24/7, and is located on the 19th floor.
- The pool is open until 11pm at night, and is located on the 19th floor. It appears to be a heated (28 degree C) indoor Infinity pool, and I was tempted to swim in it until I saw another guest clearing his throat into it...

- Executive lounge is beautifully designed.
- Excellent service from staff in the executive lounge.
- Evening hors d'oeuvres were plentiful, although I'd have to give higher marks to the Hilton Wangfujing for breakfast (they had hand pulled noodles and an omelette station).
- Breakfast is from 6:30 to 10:30am, afternoon tea is from 2-4pm, hors d'oeuvres are from 5:30 to 7:30, and dessert is from 7:30 to 9pm.

drzoidberg

Side of hotel/main entrance


Driveway


Hotel lobby


Hotel elevators


Glossy hotel elevator interior


Interior room hallway

drzoidberg

Gym:


Cardio machines:


Swimming pool:

drzoidberg

Bedroom


Bathroom


Shower stall
The design looks nice, but was poorly thought out. Clearly they didn't design it with tall people in mind. It's difficult for a tall person to sit down without hitting his head on the glass shower stall wall in front of him.

drzoidberg

The 15th floor Executive Lounge is stunning to say the least. The space is enormous.
At most a dozen guests each night. Lounge service is very attentive, and staff are very warm (especially if you speak Mandarin). At least 3-4 chefs prepping food for the EL. Food is a mix of Western/Chinese.


Upper level of the executive lounge


Dining area

drzoidberg

Food options
For evening happy hour/heavy hors d'oeuvres, they have 2 dim sum options and 4-5 heated options, in addition to several salads, breads, cheese board, desserts, etc..


Cold-cuts, smoked fish


Various sandwiches


The chef was also preparing beef tartare that night


Beef tartare in a quenelle


Sample desserts (yum!) from happy hour

SkiAdcock

Thanks for the trip report & pictures! Much appreciated.

Cheers.

drzoidberg

Some negative thoughts about the hotel;

- The entire hotel is exceptionally dimly lit, but maybe that's the motif most modern hotels are going with?

- Strong smell of new paint/building materials upon entering the lobby.

- Elevators cleaned with industrial strength/acetone smelling chemicals.

- I think the breakfast isn't quite up to par with the Hilton Wangfujing, but I'll give them a few more months until the JW Kitchen opens downstairs for full service breakfast. The EL is a bit limited in terms of real estate.

Some positive thoughts;

- Service ppl, e.g. housekeepers, maintenance, bellboys, etc.. were warm and very friendly.

- Management very capable.

moondog

The pool looks terribly disappointing in comparison to the other Marriott pools in town (even the Courtyard and the former Chaoyang Ren).

kcdude

I stayed here 2 weeks ago.
Again, there is no upgrade available for me as a platinum too. Stayed alone and could not even provide me a king size room and gave me a twin room. That seemed dumb. I booked the hotel more than 2 months in advance and my profile says King. I even asked at check in and they said no king room available.
Other than that, the hotel is good.

SkiAdcock

Guaranteed Room Type
When making a reservation, be sure to note both your Marriott Rewards membership number and room/bed preferences. At locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, we'll always honor your bed type request. Outside U.S. and Canada, smoking/nonsmoking preferences are honored based on availability; exact bed sizes may vary. If guarantee is not met, guest compensation applies. [GOLD/PLATINUM]

JW compensation is $100 (paid in local currency outside the US)

kcdude

How do I ask for compensation? Is it too late now that I checked out or can I still reach out to the hotel?

SkiAdcock

I think it has to be done before you check out. Some have reported (not at this property but others) that when they ask for the guarantee their requested room type suddenly becomes available. If you encounter the problem again, it might be good to have the benefits page printed out so that you can point to it as back-up documentation.

Cheers.

socalterp

Thoughts on comparisons between the two JWs in Beijing? MR Gold, will be in BJ in early January at the tail end of an Asian vacation…3 nights, traveling with a 6 year old who wants to see the sights, namely the GW and Forbidden City.

Currently booked on points at the older JW, but open to other options and perhaps paying $ instead of using points.

sammyindc

Thanks for the pics. Looks much nicer than the other JW in Beijing.