JW Marriott Madrid, Spain [Master Thread]
Jun 7, 2023, 1:24 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 14
JW Marriott Madrid, Spain [Master Thread]
So just finished up 3 nights in this hotel as a Platinum.
Status Specifics
Managed to snag pretty decent redemption rate at 144k for all (44k, 44k & 56k). This was for a deluxe balcony room in Jun’23 and booked around Mar'23 so prior to their official opening. Searching now, the points floor appears to be 50k for the rest of the year and up to 80k. I applied x3 SNA’s and there was a decent selection in the SNA pool, specifically (Premium Deluxe Balcony, Premium Deluxe Corner City View, Deluxe Terrace &Terrace Junior Suite). So only their named top suites not included in the options – Puerta del Sol, Old Town View & Canalejas. Which I think is fair, I’ve been to other hotels where the only SNA options were a higher floor room.
5 days before check-in, I got the award pending email (“can’t process your upgrade but we’ll keep looking”). Checking the hotel booking had a lot of the unique suites not available to book and lots of ‘last room’ on the lower tiers so indications that they were quite busy. Then the next day (4 days before), I got the confirmation that we’d been upgraded to a Terrace Junior suite for the three nights. Very happy as this was the top choice I’d picked.
We checked in 2 hours early as the room was ready. I didn’t ask about the late checkout as not needed. As they have no lounge, they proactively gave us free breakfast in their restaurant.
There was a nice hand written note and some chocolates & local sweets when we got back to the room the evening of check-in.
Review
Being brand new, the hotel was spotless and all looked and worked great. The upgraded suite was very impressive on the top floor (7th) with a nice view over the city. Shower was massive with great water pressure alongside a standalone bath & separate toilet enclave.
The location was great being right in the centre of a bustling area of Madrid and within a few blocks of the Metro stations. Loads of nice restaurants and bars in the immediate vicinity and we were happy to walk to most places (museums, shops etc).
The breakfast was very impressive. But I’d expect so when I heard the rack rate of €55pp (it was included with my Platinum status for the both of us). Great spread of what you’d expect fruit, pastries, cereals, fish and breads. Along with the small menu of cook to order eggs, eggs Benedict etc. But what set it apart was the cheese & meat stall. They had a staff member there to talk you through their selection of cold meats and cheeses and would prepare an individual platter for your table from what you picked. There were about 10 different cheeses and similar number of cold meats.
Staff were very attentive and helpful. A great stay overall. This was our first time in Madrid so can’t compare to the other hotels in the area. But would be very happy to stay here again.
Status Specifics
Managed to snag pretty decent redemption rate at 144k for all (44k, 44k & 56k). This was for a deluxe balcony room in Jun’23 and booked around Mar'23 so prior to their official opening. Searching now, the points floor appears to be 50k for the rest of the year and up to 80k. I applied x3 SNA’s and there was a decent selection in the SNA pool, specifically (Premium Deluxe Balcony, Premium Deluxe Corner City View, Deluxe Terrace &Terrace Junior Suite). So only their named top suites not included in the options – Puerta del Sol, Old Town View & Canalejas. Which I think is fair, I’ve been to other hotels where the only SNA options were a higher floor room.
5 days before check-in, I got the award pending email (“can’t process your upgrade but we’ll keep looking”). Checking the hotel booking had a lot of the unique suites not available to book and lots of ‘last room’ on the lower tiers so indications that they were quite busy. Then the next day (4 days before), I got the confirmation that we’d been upgraded to a Terrace Junior suite for the three nights. Very happy as this was the top choice I’d picked.
We checked in 2 hours early as the room was ready. I didn’t ask about the late checkout as not needed. As they have no lounge, they proactively gave us free breakfast in their restaurant.
There was a nice hand written note and some chocolates & local sweets when we got back to the room the evening of check-in.
Review
Being brand new, the hotel was spotless and all looked and worked great. The upgraded suite was very impressive on the top floor (7th) with a nice view over the city. Shower was massive with great water pressure alongside a standalone bath & separate toilet enclave.
The location was great being right in the centre of a bustling area of Madrid and within a few blocks of the Metro stations. Loads of nice restaurants and bars in the immediate vicinity and we were happy to walk to most places (museums, shops etc).
The breakfast was very impressive. But I’d expect so when I heard the rack rate of €55pp (it was included with my Platinum status for the both of us). Great spread of what you’d expect fruit, pastries, cereals, fish and breads. Along with the small menu of cook to order eggs, eggs Benedict etc. But what set it apart was the cheese & meat stall. They had a staff member there to talk you through their selection of cold meats and cheeses and would prepare an individual platter for your table from what you picked. There were about 10 different cheeses and similar number of cold meats.
Staff were very attentive and helpful. A great stay overall. This was our first time in Madrid so can’t compare to the other hotels in the area. But would be very happy to stay here again.
Last edited by Clseeper; Jun 10, 2023 at 2:00 am Reason: Typos, grammar
Jun 7, 2023, 9:16 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NYC, FLL
Programs: UA PP 1MM, Marriott Bonvoy LTTE, BA Gold
Posts: 6,324
Great review. There are lots of amazing hotels in Madrid. The JW Marriott (and Four Seasons) are very near where my favorite parts of Madrid are, and so central. Some other discussion about JW is buried here.
Jun 16, 2023, 8:31 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: YOW
Programs: AC Altitude E50K;HH Gold, Hertz Gold, Amex Plat, Prio Pass Marriott Bonvoy Plat, Avis President Club
Posts: 120
I am still weighing between JW or the Westin Palace in Marc 2024 for two nights. JW is 55K/night whereas the Westin Palace is 44K/night. I tend to lean more toward the Westin because it is located in the center of Madrid, but your review sway me a bit toward the JW, hmmm!
Jul 20, 2023, 2:39 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2018
Programs: BA Gold, KLM Platinum, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 27
New hotel - still needs to improve
Had two recent stays on points, as the redemption pricing was below the hotels where I normally stay in Madrid (Santo Mauro, Westin, Palacio del Retiro).
Hotel is new and rooms are spotless. SNA for a junior suite did not clear on either of the stays. As a platinum I got an unnoticeable upgrade on one ocasión (exterior room) and an upgrade to a junior suite on the other stay (more spacious, with a bath tube and a small terrace). Some issues with the air conditioning which was loud and impossible to turn off (hotel had to kill it from reception but then I could not turn it on when it got hot again).
Breakfast is excellent, and included for platinum members. I also got 1,000 points (could have chosen a $10 credit instead).
Location is not as nice as the other hotels I mentioned below, but pretty good. More central / noisy if that is the vibe you like.
Service is where the newness of the hotel was obvious. I experienced several issues (breakfast card was not picked up overnight, dry cleaning could not be found, reception not answering the phone when issues came up). Nobody at the hotel seemed particularly concerned about any of these and I assume these are not unusual at this stage.
I would avoid it for business or busy trips (going without breakfast on a busy day because nobody picked up the card is not be nice) but if you plan to stay inside the hotel and have time to deal with service issues / delays it is a good option for redemptions as it is priced cheaper on points than the other 5 * Marriott hotels in Madrid.
Hotel is new and rooms are spotless. SNA for a junior suite did not clear on either of the stays. As a platinum I got an unnoticeable upgrade on one ocasión (exterior room) and an upgrade to a junior suite on the other stay (more spacious, with a bath tube and a small terrace). Some issues with the air conditioning which was loud and impossible to turn off (hotel had to kill it from reception but then I could not turn it on when it got hot again).
Breakfast is excellent, and included for platinum members. I also got 1,000 points (could have chosen a $10 credit instead).
Location is not as nice as the other hotels I mentioned below, but pretty good. More central / noisy if that is the vibe you like.
Service is where the newness of the hotel was obvious. I experienced several issues (breakfast card was not picked up overnight, dry cleaning could not be found, reception not answering the phone when issues came up). Nobody at the hotel seemed particularly concerned about any of these and I assume these are not unusual at this stage.
I would avoid it for business or busy trips (going without breakfast on a busy day because nobody picked up the card is not be nice) but if you plan to stay inside the hotel and have time to deal with service issues / delays it is a good option for redemptions as it is priced cheaper on points than the other 5 * Marriott hotels in Madrid.
Nov 12, 2023, 3:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: BCN
Programs: AA EXP, Marriott Titanium & LT Gold
Posts: 126
Just booked two nights on points for this upcoming weekend and I applied two SNAs. Initially only selected a Terrace Junior Suite, but will likely add the Deluxe Terrace room if the suite hasn't cleared by Wed. (My situation seems similar to Clseeper, but Ltraveller's didn't clear, so not sure what to make of the two DPs). I'm traveling with a friend who only stays in shared-room hostels (and I've got all my SNA's still left for 2023) so I'm hoping something clears - it'd be a fun experience for him! Any recent SNA DP's or tips for the property are appreciated.
Edit: SNA cleared to a Deluxe Terrace, but FD said they had no Deluxe Terrace or suites left and they would return the SNAs. Spa is treatments only with a very small hot tub that I didn't visit as you need to pay if you're not getting a treatment. Staff was friendly, albeit common areas of the property felt small compared to the FS across the street. Breakfast spread was good.
Edit: SNA cleared to a Deluxe Terrace, but FD said they had no Deluxe Terrace or suites left and they would return the SNAs. Spa is treatments only with a very small hot tub that I didn't visit as you need to pay if you're not getting a treatment. Staff was friendly, albeit common areas of the property felt small compared to the FS across the street. Breakfast spread was good.
Last edited by fmisle; Jan 14, 2024 at 11:07 am Reason: Update on SNA
Feb 5, 2024, 9:07 am
#7
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: MB Ambassador, WOH Globalist, HH Diamond (Aspire), AA Gold, UA (*G) Gold
Posts: 5,188
This was a nice hotel with one of the best breakfasts I have had at a Marriott hotel globally in terms of taste and quality. Here are my impressions:
I would definitely return.
Photos:
- Only upgraded from a Deluxe Balcony to a Premium Deluxe (not sure of difference) before arrival - asked at check-in, and they offered a Junior Suite after checking with someone behind a wall
- Junior Suite on the top floor has very small windows in the bedroom, but the room still gets enough natural light from windows in the other parts of the room
- Bed is comfortable, but firm mattress - pillows are plush, covers are plush-ish (fluffier than Westin at this time)
- Shower pressure from the rainfall head is nice and strong
- Really pretty views of the Four Seasons and sunsets
- Comfortable couch
- TVs had YouTube app
- Motion sensors that turn off power are a bit sensitive, but AC did actually work once you turned it on (not turned off for winter)
- No issue with 3 PM late checkout I requested
- Brought up welcome gift of cava, chocolate and lemon tarts, and fruit - chocolate tart was very good - associate who brought it up was the same as hosting and serving during breakfast and was very friendly
- Breakfast for Elites is so delicious - small buffet with a super delicious donut - a la carte selections with really good eggs Benedict and Royale and some absolutely delicious and fresh pancakes
- For some reason, they charged my pre-auth amount twice without my physical card - not sure why, but they said both did show up in their system, which is at least partially reassuring
I would definitely return.
Photos:
Apr 10, 2024, 12:28 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,710
I stayed here recently for one night on arrival to Spain and it was a decent night's stay though I'll echo the prior comments on rough around the edges service in a bit (and I am not one to usually complain about service). I used an 85k cert from the Bonvoy Brilliant to book the room and applied an SNA not because I really cared about a suite upgrade but given my stays at Marriott this year it was one of the few places it was even worth using. The SNA didn't clear. But when I arrived at the hotel it was upgraded to corner room with a balcony which was honestly great. It had a nice view and there was wonderful street singer down below (seriously she had a fantastic voice) that was nice to listen to while out on the balcony. Also the internet here was quite fast better than the other hotels I have stayed at so far where it is barely passable and that is only because I am on vacation.
I got room service that night as I was jet lagged (basically a pizza and beer) and the pizza was honestly not that great even by standards of room service. In the morning I went to breakfast (free as a plat). The breakfast area was mostly empty with one other group of four the only other ones present (it was relatively early on a Saturday). The guy manning the front stand took my room number and indicated for me to take any table I wanted. No other guidance was given. I picked a table and then went over the buffet which was somewhat limited and I was a little disappointed that seemingly this was all that breakfast was. Anyway I grab some stuff and take it to my table. For about 20 mins I am seated at the table eating from the buffet and with staff coming and going and nobody asks if I want a coffee. Keep in mind there were 3-4 staff and a grand total of 5 patrons. Finally I wave one down and ask for a coffee. This person asks have you seen the menu, and I am like what menu? They go up to the front stand and grab one and give it to me. Turns out there is a made to order menu after all. So I ordered some pancakes which were decent though honestly I found the breakfast here pretty average for this level of hotel. In the end it worked out but seriously in a 5* hotel when they aren't even a little busy that shouldn't happen.
The tl;dr. Decent stay especially using a cert but service is rough around the edges.
I got room service that night as I was jet lagged (basically a pizza and beer) and the pizza was honestly not that great even by standards of room service. In the morning I went to breakfast (free as a plat). The breakfast area was mostly empty with one other group of four the only other ones present (it was relatively early on a Saturday). The guy manning the front stand took my room number and indicated for me to take any table I wanted. No other guidance was given. I picked a table and then went over the buffet which was somewhat limited and I was a little disappointed that seemingly this was all that breakfast was. Anyway I grab some stuff and take it to my table. For about 20 mins I am seated at the table eating from the buffet and with staff coming and going and nobody asks if I want a coffee. Keep in mind there were 3-4 staff and a grand total of 5 patrons. Finally I wave one down and ask for a coffee. This person asks have you seen the menu, and I am like what menu? They go up to the front stand and grab one and give it to me. Turns out there is a made to order menu after all. So I ordered some pancakes which were decent though honestly I found the breakfast here pretty average for this level of hotel. In the end it worked out but seriously in a 5* hotel when they aren't even a little busy that shouldn't happen.
The tl;dr. Decent stay especially using a cert but service is rough around the edges.