Marriott Bonvoy hotels in Jordan
Feb 4, 2019, 12:43 pm
#91
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXPPLT, United 1K, *wood PLT, Delta Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Southwest A-list
Posts: 392
Has anyone recently stayed at the Marriott Dead Sea in Jordan? Trying to decide whether to stay there or Kempinski Ishtar. Ambassador level with Marriott, but worried that the Dead Sea property may be a bit dated. We are planning to stay in the 2 bedroom Duplex Suite so any insight on that room would be great. Thanks.
Feb 5, 2019, 10:36 am
#92
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA EP; WN CP;UA SILVER; MARRIOTT TITANIUM; HH DIAMOND; IHG PLAT; RADISSON PLAT; HYATT GLOBAL
Posts: 1,938
Has anyone recently stayed at the Marriott Dead Sea in Jordan? Trying to decide whether to stay there or Kempinski Ishtar. Ambassador level with Marriott, but worried that the Dead Sea property may be a bit dated. We are planning to stay in the 2 bedroom Duplex Suite so any insight on that room would be great. Thanks.
I did visit the Marriott and the common areas are not dated, but not modern new, more traditional decor. It does not have a lounge and I saw the breakfast buffet and it was very ample, no view. There were a lot of families and children in the multiple pools. The hilton also had a lot of families too, but in a segregated pool. The dead sea beach access was small at Marriott, the Hilton beach is way better. I did not see the rooms at the Marriott. The Marriott landscaping was perfect.
Overall, just by seeing the Kempinski photos online, I would stay there, it looks modern, more luxurious. But it depends on how much $, vs points you want to spend, etc
Fyi, all these hotels are next to each other in same area, they all have great pools and easy access to the dead sea which was the whole point of my visit.
I did stay at 2 other Marriotts in Jordan, top service, but those rooms were not modern but perfectly fine.
Feb 5, 2019, 11:16 am
#93
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXPPLT, United 1K, *wood PLT, Delta Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Southwest A-list
Posts: 392
I visited Jordan last spring, and I decided to stay at the Hilton next door (over the Marriott, even though I am Platinum P) since it was cheaper (points), newer and had a lounge (with free flowing Jordanian wine), plus rooms have better views, plenty of premium rooms for easy upgrades.
I did visit the Marriott and the common areas are not dated, but not modern new, more traditional decor. It does not have a lounge and I saw the breakfast buffet and it was very ample, no view. There were a lot of families and children in the multiple pools. The hilton also had a lot of families too, but in a segregated pool. The dead sea beach access was small at Marriott, the Hilton beach is way better. I did not see the rooms at the Marriott. The Marriott landscaping was perfect.
Overall, just by seeing the Kempinski photos online, I would stay there, it looks modern, more luxurious. But it depends on how much $, vs points you want to spend, etc
Fyi, all these hotels are next to each other in same area, they all have great pools and easy access to the dead sea which was the whole point of my visit.
I did stay at 2 other Marriotts in Jordan, top service, but those rooms were not modern but perfectly fine.
I did visit the Marriott and the common areas are not dated, but not modern new, more traditional decor. It does not have a lounge and I saw the breakfast buffet and it was very ample, no view. There were a lot of families and children in the multiple pools. The hilton also had a lot of families too, but in a segregated pool. The dead sea beach access was small at Marriott, the Hilton beach is way better. I did not see the rooms at the Marriott. The Marriott landscaping was perfect.
Overall, just by seeing the Kempinski photos online, I would stay there, it looks modern, more luxurious. But it depends on how much $, vs points you want to spend, etc
Fyi, all these hotels are next to each other in same area, they all have great pools and easy access to the dead sea which was the whole point of my visit.
I did stay at 2 other Marriotts in Jordan, top service, but those rooms were not modern but perfectly fine.
Mar 8, 2019, 8:35 am
#94
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 483
I go to Jordan quite frequently for work and pleasure and have stayed at the Sheraton and W in Amman, and the Dead Sea Marriott. Some feedback:
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil
W Amman
Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa
khabah
Sheraton Amman Al Nabil
- Stayed here four times, last stay at the end of February 2018.
- This hotel is an Amman classic; opened in 2001, hasn't been comprehensively renovated [some light touchups here and there] but classical in decor and holding up well.
- Always upgraded to a Junior or Executive Suite on the app [how I miss the old SPG app] and confirmed at check-in. Suites were nicely laid-out and spacious. Executive Suites really are just two standard connecting rooms with two full bathrooms each with one room turned into a living room, but the extra space is always appreciated.
- Plats get complimentary breakfast in the main restaurant, which has a huge spread with everything from live egg station and cold cuts to local specialties and pork.
- There is an Executive Lounge just off the reception with keycard access. Lunch spread is small bites, dinner more comprehensive with small plates of hummus, labneh and such as well as hot options [usually meat or chicken] and soup. Happy hour from 6 to 8 PM with a selection of liquors or Jordanian red/white wines. Self-serve or ask the waiters for something.
- There is a seasonal outdoor pool as well as an indoor pool; this gets really busy throughout the day as a lot of city residents have memberships at the health club. Huge gym, separate men's/women's changing areas with sauna and steam room. Plats get a discount on massages and treatments; 20 percent, if memory serves.
- Service is great across the board, with professional staff and delightful hosts at breakfast.
- Overall: recommended.
W Amman
- Stayed here three times, last stay at the end of September 2018.
- The W is less than a year old and a bit out of the way in Abdali, a newly-built area consisting of offices, residences, a mall and an outdoor promenade. The area feels a little synthetic and is clearly designed with visitors from the Gulf in mind [keep an eye out for all the Saudi and Kuwaiti license plates], but it's nice to walk through and stretch your legs regardless.
- Always upgraded to a suite on an upper floor [the hotel occupies the first 30 floors; the top 7 are condos]. Decor is all-white and space-age with curved furnitures and surfaces, the suite is spacious and the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows are stunning. Full-sized Bliss amenities in the bathroom are a nice touch.
- Plats used to get the standard choice of breakfast, points or local gift [stylish little Arabic coffee cups], but since there's a WIP Lounge coming up [more on that later], breakfast was included for me on my last stay. The breakfast spread is awesome with lots of options [cheeses, breads, fresh pastries, local options, veggies] as well as complimentary Prosecco/mimosas and Bloody Marys. I didn't see those out on the buffet on my last stay, but was told they were still offered on a complimentary basis and partook in a bit of mimosa indulgence served at my table.
- The hotel is planning to launch a WIP Lounge later this year or early next in the same vein as those in Doha and Guangzhou [are there others?] for guests staying in Mega Rooms and above as well as Plats. It should include breakfast, snacks during the day and a more comprehensive dinner spread with happy hour in the evenings. I love these as they're not a W brand standard, but it [among other things] keeps me coming back to the W Doha. Looking forward to the one at W Amman.
- Lovely seasonal outdoor pool that turns into a bar at night. Spa is pricey but the treatments are wonderful and the staff there excellent. Book one of the signature treatments [I did the Local on my last stay - Dead Sea scrubs, massage, etc. over the course of 2.5 hours] and they throw in a small bottle of champagne!
- Service is PHENOMENAL. Staff is predominantly young Jordanians who are enthusiastic and peppy, but the management is wonderful; Pedro, the rooms manager and Esra, the GM, are stars.
- Overall: this is my new go-to in the city.
Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa
- Stayed here four times, last stay at the end of September 2018.
- The Marriott is an institution and one of many hotels lined up along the Dead Sea. It's a self-contained complex and you really don't have to leave unless you're inclined to visit the small Samarah Mall next door or venture north to the Baptism Site.
- Upgrades varied from an executive suite one time, a superior room in the new extension the next to a larger pool-view room [same as the one mentioned by Rasheed above], but I used SNAs on my last stay for a duplex suite. Pretty sure it falls outside the standard upgrade pool, but the suite was fantastic with a huge living room, two bedrooms [king and twin], 2.5 bathrooms and two balconies directly facing the Dead Sea. Decor is old but holding up well; I've been told a renovation is in the offing and should transform the hotel into something more contemporary while retaining the Marriott brand.
- Welcome gift for Plats is the same as mentioned above - food and beverage option of 1/2 bottle of Jordanian red/white wine or juice/sparkling water and a fruit or cheese platter. The cheese platter is excellent and always generous.
- Breakfast was always included in my rate, and I always book the standard one; I was told it's free for Plats. Huge spread with everything you can imagine. All other meals are on you [except if you book the half-board rate], but the main buffet restaurant is faultless with its bountiful options and great quality. The Italian is decent; never tried the sports bar.
- The hotel has a few outdoor pools including one for adults [but the boom-boom music they play there all day ruins the mood when you're there or down by the Dead Sea as the sound travels]. Indoor pool in the spa in addition to a small pool with Dead Sea water for those not inclined to make the trek or golf cart drive down. It kills me that the Dead Sea is receding, but the Marriott relocated their beach and it's now far friendlier to access than the old setup. Decent amount of loungers, water booties provided [absolutely mandatory as the shore is ROCKY] in addition to water and towels.
- Amazing staff in the buffet restaurant, housekeeping and across the board.
- Overall: recommended. The Hilton might be the newest kid on the block and the Kempinski the fanciest, but the Marriott is a well-run classic that should only get better after its planned renovation.
khabah
Any experience on this?
Thanks.
Mar 8, 2019, 8:54 am
#95
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kuwait (KW)
Programs: Qatar Airways, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 2,712
Hope this helps.
khabah
Mar 8, 2019, 9:25 am
#96
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 483
I don’t get what you’re asking - is your question property-specific? In any case, if you’re a Platinum/Titanium/Ambassador Elite, you can select breakfast as your welcome amenity instead of points at these brands if you didn’t book a rate inclusive of breakfast. I haven’t stayed at the Sheraton since the Bonvoy launch, but as a Plat was always offered breakfast in addition to my welcome points. The W offers elite guests WIP Lounge access which includes breakfast, so until the lounge formally opens this year breakfast is included in the main restaurant in addition to your welcome points [when the lounge opens, you have to give your points up for the restaurant’s breakfast]. At the Dead Sea Marriott, I believe breakfast is included in most, of not all rates.
Hope this helps.
khabah
Mar 8, 2019, 10:48 am
#97
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXPPLT, United 1K, *wood PLT, Delta Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Southwest A-list
Posts: 392
does your wife or anyone have any photos of the 2 bedroom deluxe suite? Was curious what it looks like. The photo online makes it hard to tell.
Jul 30, 2020, 5:30 pm
#98
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5
Jordan hotels
Looking to the future when we can travel... We are taking a land tour of Israel and Jordan and want to add a few days of relaxation at the end. I can't find anything about the Marriott Dead Sea Resort (near Amman where the tour ends) or Al Manara in Aqaba (we can fly for @ $100). Id appreciate any information or suggestions from anyone who has stayed at either.
Mar 23, 2023, 1:28 am
#100
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: USA
Programs: MB Ambassador, WOH Globalist, HH Diamond (Aspire), AA Gold, UA (*G) Gold
Posts: 5,152
After completing 5 nights in Amman, I'll go ahead and provide my subjective rankings - as always, full reviews with photos are in the respective master threads:
- Sheraton Amman - amazing service attitudes, great breakfast, very comfortable, great value
- Ritz-Carlton Amman - pretty, very comfortable, fancy design, much more expensive than the Sheraton (which is why it wasn't #1), have to pay for breakfast
- W Amman - friendly staff, tasty breakfast, comfortable, more wear-and-tear than I would expect
- St. Regis - some positives and some negatives with service, bed and shower were both great, more wear-and-tear and build quality concerns than I would expect
- Amman Marriott - lovely Royal Suite upgrade, very comfortable bed, shower never really got hot
Mar 24, 2023, 6:48 pm
#101
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Toronto, Ont., Canada
Programs: Aeroplan; Marriott Platinum; IHG Platinum; Best Western Diamond
Posts: 2,165
In 2022 Oct-Nov, we stayed in Jordan. I'm Plat.
* Sheraton Al Nabil: Excellent. Lounge open for Plats and up. Breakfast buffet in main dining room, lots of choices, and lots of dessert. Indoor pool and whirlpool. At night the lounge food/drink was very good.
* Marriott Dead Sea: Excellent. They upgraded us to a 2-bdm suite. But it was on 2-levels, meaning we'd have to carry our heavy suitcase upstairs to the bedroom (which we only needed one). The stairs was narrow. Ocean view was nice. Next time we'd decline the 2-level suite, one level is good enough. The resort is big, actually huge. Multi-level pools, with view of Dead Sea.
They have golf cart to take you down to Dead sea shore. They offer plastic shoe. We brought our own crocs and that was good enough. They also had a bucket of mud you can use to spread on your body, supposed to have some healing power. Dead sea has a lot of rocks. It was interesting to float, you cannot sink. My wife is still afraid of the water. We then enjoyed the spa -- free for plats and up. There is a small pool of dead sea water, so my wife used that to float -- with me standing beside her. She is that afraid of water. There's also sauna.
No lounge. Complimentary breakfast buffet. At the same restaurant we paid to have buffet dinner. Nice food, but at times birds would fly in. Don't eat outside, birds would fly on your food.
* Marriott Petra: Nice. No lounge. Complimentary buffet breakfast. It's paid buffet dinner at the same restaurant. After coming back from so much walking in Petra, we didn't go around the facility, didn't try the outdoor pool and it would've been too cool anyway. The view was ok, kind of barren mountain and rocks.
* Sheraton Al Nabil: Excellent. Lounge open for Plats and up. Breakfast buffet in main dining room, lots of choices, and lots of dessert. Indoor pool and whirlpool. At night the lounge food/drink was very good.
* Marriott Dead Sea: Excellent. They upgraded us to a 2-bdm suite. But it was on 2-levels, meaning we'd have to carry our heavy suitcase upstairs to the bedroom (which we only needed one). The stairs was narrow. Ocean view was nice. Next time we'd decline the 2-level suite, one level is good enough. The resort is big, actually huge. Multi-level pools, with view of Dead Sea.
They have golf cart to take you down to Dead sea shore. They offer plastic shoe. We brought our own crocs and that was good enough. They also had a bucket of mud you can use to spread on your body, supposed to have some healing power. Dead sea has a lot of rocks. It was interesting to float, you cannot sink. My wife is still afraid of the water. We then enjoyed the spa -- free for plats and up. There is a small pool of dead sea water, so my wife used that to float -- with me standing beside her. She is that afraid of water. There's also sauna.
No lounge. Complimentary breakfast buffet. At the same restaurant we paid to have buffet dinner. Nice food, but at times birds would fly in. Don't eat outside, birds would fly on your food.
* Marriott Petra: Nice. No lounge. Complimentary buffet breakfast. It's paid buffet dinner at the same restaurant. After coming back from so much walking in Petra, we didn't go around the facility, didn't try the outdoor pool and it would've been too cool anyway. The view was ok, kind of barren mountain and rocks.