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JW Marriott - Shenzhen [Master Thread]

JW Marriott - Shenzhen [Master Thread]

Old Mar 18, 2009, 11:02 pm
  #1  
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JW Marriott - Shenzhen [Master Thread]

I'm thinking of staying at the JW Marriott in Shenzhen soon. The hotel looks new... has anyone on this board stayed there? If so, what's it like? Where's it located relative to the train station crossing from Hong Kong?
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Old Apr 7, 2009, 12:47 pm
  #2  
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I just got back from a 5-day stay at the JW Marriott Shenzhen, China. I'll answer some of my own questions:

The hotel is located in the Futian district of Shenzhen. It is on the edge of a business district there and is about 3km west of the main city center in Luohu. It felt reasonably convenient to technology businesses based in Longgang and Nanshan.

The hotel is very new. This affects it in a number of ways, including the fact that most taxi and van drivers are not familiar with it. If you go, bring a card printed with the address (if you don't speak Chinese yourself) and also have the phone number handy, because even with the address most drivers will still say they don't know where it is until they're coached with directions. Once you get there, the hotel's name card includes a great little map that helps drivers a lot.

Rooms at the hotel feature high quality materials in earth tones -- dark wood, dark marble and granite, and light upholstery. My room had a king bed, two chairs with a small table, a wardrobe closet, and a generously sized work area. The bathroom was huge, with a shower room measuring 6' x 10'.

The executive lounge located on the 27th floor was open all day, including on the weekend. They have sodas and light snacks at all hours, plus a small selection of free alcohol from 5 to 9pm. Breakfast and evening hors d'oeuvres are published benefits of the lounge -- but aren't really ready yet. Instead, guests with executive lounge access are allowed free breakfast in the cafe downstairs, and are allowed to "order in" food to the lounge in the evening.

Hotel restaurants include a cafe, a Chinese restuarant, a Japanese restaurant, a bar, and a coffee stand. I ate breakfast at the cafe every morning. It had a great buffet selection of eastern and western foods. I also ate their dinner buffet once. The variety was still great, though the price was very dear. My favorite meal was dinner at the Japanese restaurant. Their grilled items were merely fine, but their sashimi was fantastic.

Service was a bit oddball. I figure that's a consequence of being new and catering largely to clientele from foreign cultures. The staff were all very eager to help with my every need, but they were often too eager. Many of the waiters are still learning the fine line between being just 5 steps away and seeming to hover. Two shook my hand vigorously to thank me for coming by. The bellhops swarmed me every evening when I returned via taxi. I always had at least 3 people rushing to help me with my nonexistent bags, opening the automatic door, and guiding me toward the front desk.

Another consequence of being new is that the hotel has few guests. That was great for me, as I enjoyed the uncrowded and relatively quiet restaurants and lounge. But it's a good hotel and it deserves to grow more popular.
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Old Jul 28, 2009, 12:22 pm
  #3  
 
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Recent stay report

Thanks for the detailed report/review of this property.
I stay here but 1 night, having flown very late on a delayed flight to SZX.
As experienced by prior poster, the cab driver did not know this place even I handed him a Chinese version of hotel address and phone #. He called 3 times.
Check-in at 2:00am. Only 1 person behind the counter. His English is spotty, but check-in was done right and swiftly. I was told if I need anything from the Exec Lounge, please call him.
Got an upgraded room on the Exec Floor. The set up is better than the JW in Hong Kong. Room size is larger and more luxurious.
The exec lounge is NOT 24 hours (closes at mid-night, but can call to assistance) and is not currently accessable by room key.
I concur everything that prior post said.
Further, the breakfast buffet in the Cafe Chinoise (2nd floor) is simply fabulous. It has a section for western food; and 1 section for Chinese food. Big selection with make-to-order. 2 chefs behind the counter on each section, ready to cook up something for you. Food quality is good to excellent. It free for us but a dummy bill came that indicated 441 RMB for 2 people.
Free internet was offered in room as well as in the Exec Lounge. The Exec lounge is very big, bigger than any I had been to. Partitioned into several sections and not jammed with tables and chairs. One corner with view is great for work by yourself or in small group. Internet connection (WiFi) seems fast. Soft music is blaring in another section. Service good and English for the most part marginal. An assistant manager on duty here came up to welcome me in the lounge. Lo-and-behold, I knew her from Shanghai.
Overall a great addition to the Shenzhen market, where a great deal of business travel evolved around the huge manufacturing base in the Pearl River Delta area.
For those who need to go to Hong Kong from here, use the Futian Border Crossing. It is a new facility, both China and HK custom/immigration under one roof. For less than 25 RMB cab ride and 15 minutes from hotel, you can cross the border in less than 10 minutes. On the Hong Kong side of the border, hop on the East Railways at Lok Ma Chau Station for destinations in Kowloon. For me, I was on way to the Renaissance Kowloon. The train brings me to TST East station, a 5 minute walk to my hotel.
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Old May 20, 2010, 7:34 am
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I just finished another stay at the JW Marriott Shenzhen, my 5th since the hotel opened slightly more than a year ago.

The growing pains I described in my original post have settled out. The staff seem more in tune with the expectations of Western travelers. Overall English skill has improved. Taxi drivers are generally familiar with the hotel now.

Service and amenities are as good as ever. Rooms are still beautiful, large, and comfortable. Complimentary breakfast for elite members is still served at Cafe Chinois on the 2nd floor. The buffet is huge and is the best I've found at a Marriott property. The offer a huge variety of foods designed to appeal to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, US, and EU tastes.

The order-in restaurant food at the CL in the evening has been replaced with an hors d'oeuvres buffet. This is a slight downgrade, but even so, the free buffet is still among the best I've experienced at Marriotts. The regular dinner buffet at Cafe Chinois on 2F is a tad pricey at around $40US but the selection and freshness are phenomenal.

The JW has become my go-to hotel in Shenzhen. When I'm headed out here, nearly 7000 miles from home, it's the one part of the trip I genuinely look forward to.
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Old May 20, 2010, 2:11 pm
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Thanks for the Update

Appreciate the JW update darthbimmer. I'm heading to Shenzhen next month and am debating between the JW and the Ritz. For whatever reason, the Ritz isn't that much more than the JW. So, I was wondering if you had ever checked out the Ritz and could compare an contrast the two properties in terms of service, rooms, executive lounges, and restaurants?

Thanks in advance!
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Old Nov 23, 2010, 3:42 pm
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Just completed a stay at the JW Marriott Shenzhen. As previously mentioned in this thread, most taxi drivers don't know about this hotel or where it is located so it is imperative to have the hotel's name card to give the taxi drivers.

I paid for an upgrade to a corner room suite an suite and it was magnificent. Beautiful marble bathroom and shower area, with a separate oversize tub to soak after a long day. Fitness center was nice too. Machines were all very new and nicely kept. Executive lounge was very spacious, but the food and wine selection were not great. I guess you can't/shouldn't complain when it's free. Staff was very accommodating and professional.

Overall, my stay was very good and I would definitely come back to his property. ^
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Old Nov 24, 2010, 9:07 pm
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Quick money

"most taxi and van drivers are not familiar" with the hotel address so they can make more money. It is very common in China, Vietnam, & Thailand (except Singapore, Japan, taiwan or Hongkong).
It does not cost too much but it wastes of time.
Even I speak Chinese & know the road, if I forget to pay attention they will make a quick circle to make more money.
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Old Jan 29, 2011, 2:55 pm
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Question: To get from the HK airport in the evening after long flight is there a good way to get to the Futian crossing to get to this Marriott hotel in Shenzhen?
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Old Jan 29, 2011, 8:07 pm
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Yes, after landing in Hong Kong just follow the sign to the Ferry to Shenzhen Shekou, then take a taxi to JW Marriott very easy.

http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/t...prd-ports.html
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Old Jan 30, 2011, 9:28 pm
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Originally Posted by ainsle
Question: To get from the HK airport in the evening after long flight is there a good way to get to the Futian crossing to get to this Marriott hotel in Shenzhen?
Another option besides the ferry is to take the bus (at arrival, look for Mainland Coach) to Lok Ma Chau. (NOTE: At this point, there can be many people at their respective ticket desks try to solicite you to go with them. I usually ask which is the earliest to leave and hop onto it. After you clear custom/immig, you are in Futian. ^Take a 15-min taxi ride rom here to the JW. Like many had said, the taxi driver may not know where the JW is, so it is a good idea to show him the address in Chinese. There are ATMs around, in case you need RMB. I recall I got cash last time from a store outside the terminal bldg, near the cabs stand.
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Old Jan 31, 2011, 4:24 am
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Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

IMHO bus is a way better option. Alternatively if you are on the comfort side, you can get a green (or red only?) taxi from HKIA going to Lok MA Chau Train station, which you hop off and walk across the boarder, change for mainland taxi and there you are!

Last edited by ChrisLi; Jan 31, 2011 at 9:35 am
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Old Jun 9, 2011, 8:44 am
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Originally Posted by bajong

I paid for an upgrade to a corner room suite an suite and it was magnificent. Beautiful marble bathroom and shower area, with a separate oversize tub to soak after a long day. Fitness center was nice too. Machines were all very new and nicely kept.^

How much did you have to pay for the upgrade to a suite?

Thanks.
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Old Nov 23, 2011, 4:16 pm
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Originally Posted by ChrisLi
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 4: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

IMHO bus is a way better option. Alternatively if you are on the comfort side, you can get a green (or red only?) taxi from HKIA going to Lok MA Chau Train station, which you hop off and walk across the boarder, change for mainland taxi and there you are!
How much did the Taxi ride set you back? I'll be going there late December, going from Skycity HK to JW Shenzhen. Thinking what would be the best way?
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Old Nov 23, 2011, 7:06 pm
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Originally Posted by SC Alum
How much did the Taxi ride set you back? I'll be going there late December, going from Skycity HK to JW Shenzhen. Thinking what would be the best way?
I will say around 300 (plus misc surcharge like luggage or bridge / tunnel fee)

Just a notice only "Red Cab" is available at skycity. If you want "Green Cab" it's only available at the terminal building, you do save 30 - 40 HKD though (not sure)

The taxi fee on ShenZhen side is negligible.
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Old Nov 24, 2011, 7:32 pm
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If you arrive at hkia take the shekou ferry. You only have to clear immigration on arrival. They reroute your bags to e ferry. Amazing, cheap, efficient. Wouldn't do it any other way. You book your ticket just befor exiting hkg immigration and wait at most 90 minutes to he next ferry run. If you carry no checked bag yu can be on the next ferry on 30 minutes.

Way back same thing in reverse. And you get your hkia departure fee back in cash!


Jw Shenzhen is amazing, they are generous with their platinum premier suite upgrades, and I used Marriott Thailand gold voucher rate for 50% off...
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