JW Marriott Las Vegas [Master Thread]
Nov 8, 2015, 9:44 am
#152
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,103
Cheers.
Aug 13, 2016, 9:51 am
#154
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Programs: UALifetimePremierGold, Marriott LifetimeTitanium
Posts: 71,103
Aug 14, 2016, 6:26 pm
#155
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 1,752
This is going to be a long review, but I think the journey may be worth your while. So sit down, buckle in and go for the ride.
Too long, didn't read: Nice property, would not stay here again, valet damaged car and left crack pipe in it.
Since we are talking Vegas, let's make sure we understand my perception on it. Everyone wants something different for their Vegas trip, and it's important to understand what you are looking for. Me, I live in San Francisco, where its consistently foggy and 62 degrees. So let's spend the weekend in Vegas with sunshine and 112 degree temps. The "WooHoo Party" part of Vegas is not my scene, and about 20% of this trip was to be "sit by the pool and bake" while the other 80% was "Go hiking on Mt. Charleston". To understand this review, you also need to know I lived in Vegas, and I am very familiar with its varying degrees of Tourist and Locals casinos.
Now let's talk expectations. I often can have some high expectations, and I am aware of this. I try to make sure my expectations are not too high, and that I am not being a "snob". Just because I think that fairy elves should carry my luggage to my room, does not mean that is a realistic expectation.
So, off to Vegas for the weekend, last minute trip, limited time to plan, and I am Marriott brands loyal, and a Platinum guest. On the strip, the Cosmo is expensive, and if I want to sit by the pool, well, what a mess. Hiking at Mt. Charleston is on the west side, so is the JW Marriott, its "relatively" cheap (compared to the Cosmo, not compared to a Fairfield), book that, done. I called and spoke with the concierge, told them I was arriving at midnight, and asked for a room with a balcony. She said they were full, so she could not upgrade me to a suite, but for sure she could get me a nice balcony room. Arrival and check in was fine, Valet for the car is free, off to the room. Balcony, check. Overlooking the parking lot. And the balconies are narrow, no furniture on them. The room is "nice". The bathroom is large, big Jacuzzi tub, large walk in shower, two sinks, separate toilet room. Walk in closet. Ok.
This is probably the only JW Marriott that has a 24-hour restaurant that has $2.22 Midnight food specials. The Casino is a low end locals focus. It's not that nice. Expectations from me, but I was thinking it was going to be a small, and resort focused, similar to what Casino Monte Lago used to be at Lake Las Vegas. It's not. Its more like Palace Station. Sams Town is nicer. In the casino area there is the 24 hour café, Starbucks, the required Irish Pub, and a couple other places. Nothing stands out.
The grounds are nice, waterfalls, koi pond. The interior courtyard + pool area is small, but there is some deck chairs and such. Back in the hotel proper there is a restaurant with outdoor seating. The pool area is nice, lots of room, and deck chairs, pool party food options. All of this is "nice". The casino, and casino area really reflects poorly on the JW Marriott brand name. I keep coming back to, its "nice". Nothing wrong, but it does not stand out in any way. When I come back, if I want to stay in Summerlin, if I want a limited service maybe the Courtyard, or a resort, I'll stay at Red Rocks. Honestly, Red Rocks is a much better property than this place. Bottom line, it's nice, but I would not choose to stay here again. Red Rocks has a better pool, better restaurants, better casino, and other amenities.
Now that that part is done, let's talk about my personal experience that was really bad.
Valet parked the car Friday night, picked it up on Saturday. When walking by the front tire after I parked at my next destination I noticed a major scratch on the (rental) car rim, and a CHUNCK of the sidewall missing. For those not familiar with cars, this means they hit a curb at a pretty high rate of speed, 30 ish MPH or more. I am not that concerned because I know that Hertz won't notice or hold me responsible. So I valet park the car again Saturday afternoon after hiking and pick it up later for dinner. After dinner, we notice that there is a large, 12inch long crack pipe on the floor of the rental car. The car was locked at dinner, and I self-parked, so I know it got there between when we dropped it off and picked it up for dinner. We didn't notice when we picked it up, but it was dark. After dinner it was in a well lit parking lot. I threw the crack pipe away and self-parked that night.
I talked to the Manager on duty the next morning, and told him about both incidents with the Valet. He was at first was shocked, and then seemed concerned, and listened. He indicated all employees were drug tested. We then told the story to security, and they started to ask if we checked the car when we rented it. That stopped me there. Of course I didn't. But we were in the car all day Saturday, this thing was to big to fit under the seat, we would have noticed it. They had me make a report with security, who later took pictures of the damage to the vehicle. They asked me to fill out a report, and that I should call on Monday to follow up.
Something bothered me about the whole incident, and I could not put my finger on it until after we had left. I probably would have ignored the rim/tire damage, but finding a crack pipe in your car is a big deal. So I report it. Not because I want anything, not because I want them to "do something about it", but because I am sure this is not the first time, and it's indicative of the quality of the property and the staff. It's a bad thing. Fix the bad thing. Here is the part that I could not get until later; "I don't want to file a report. I want YOU to listen to me and to make a report. I don't want to call back on Monday, I want YOU to call me for any necessary follow up." There is a big difference there, and the difference between a small hotel and a luxury 5-star resort. I don't care if your employees are drug tested, one of them left a 12inch glass crack pipe in my rental car. This is the only thing that matters.
I am probably going to reach out to Marriott corporate as well, I am not sure exactly who to contact, or even what to say. I am interested to see if the property contacts me back, and what they say. Thanks for reading this long review.
Too long, didn't read: Nice property, would not stay here again, valet damaged car and left crack pipe in it.
Since we are talking Vegas, let's make sure we understand my perception on it. Everyone wants something different for their Vegas trip, and it's important to understand what you are looking for. Me, I live in San Francisco, where its consistently foggy and 62 degrees. So let's spend the weekend in Vegas with sunshine and 112 degree temps. The "WooHoo Party" part of Vegas is not my scene, and about 20% of this trip was to be "sit by the pool and bake" while the other 80% was "Go hiking on Mt. Charleston". To understand this review, you also need to know I lived in Vegas, and I am very familiar with its varying degrees of Tourist and Locals casinos.
Now let's talk expectations. I often can have some high expectations, and I am aware of this. I try to make sure my expectations are not too high, and that I am not being a "snob". Just because I think that fairy elves should carry my luggage to my room, does not mean that is a realistic expectation.
So, off to Vegas for the weekend, last minute trip, limited time to plan, and I am Marriott brands loyal, and a Platinum guest. On the strip, the Cosmo is expensive, and if I want to sit by the pool, well, what a mess. Hiking at Mt. Charleston is on the west side, so is the JW Marriott, its "relatively" cheap (compared to the Cosmo, not compared to a Fairfield), book that, done. I called and spoke with the concierge, told them I was arriving at midnight, and asked for a room with a balcony. She said they were full, so she could not upgrade me to a suite, but for sure she could get me a nice balcony room. Arrival and check in was fine, Valet for the car is free, off to the room. Balcony, check. Overlooking the parking lot. And the balconies are narrow, no furniture on them. The room is "nice". The bathroom is large, big Jacuzzi tub, large walk in shower, two sinks, separate toilet room. Walk in closet. Ok.
This is probably the only JW Marriott that has a 24-hour restaurant that has $2.22 Midnight food specials. The Casino is a low end locals focus. It's not that nice. Expectations from me, but I was thinking it was going to be a small, and resort focused, similar to what Casino Monte Lago used to be at Lake Las Vegas. It's not. Its more like Palace Station. Sams Town is nicer. In the casino area there is the 24 hour café, Starbucks, the required Irish Pub, and a couple other places. Nothing stands out.
The grounds are nice, waterfalls, koi pond. The interior courtyard + pool area is small, but there is some deck chairs and such. Back in the hotel proper there is a restaurant with outdoor seating. The pool area is nice, lots of room, and deck chairs, pool party food options. All of this is "nice". The casino, and casino area really reflects poorly on the JW Marriott brand name. I keep coming back to, its "nice". Nothing wrong, but it does not stand out in any way. When I come back, if I want to stay in Summerlin, if I want a limited service maybe the Courtyard, or a resort, I'll stay at Red Rocks. Honestly, Red Rocks is a much better property than this place. Bottom line, it's nice, but I would not choose to stay here again. Red Rocks has a better pool, better restaurants, better casino, and other amenities.
Now that that part is done, let's talk about my personal experience that was really bad.
Valet parked the car Friday night, picked it up on Saturday. When walking by the front tire after I parked at my next destination I noticed a major scratch on the (rental) car rim, and a CHUNCK of the sidewall missing. For those not familiar with cars, this means they hit a curb at a pretty high rate of speed, 30 ish MPH or more. I am not that concerned because I know that Hertz won't notice or hold me responsible. So I valet park the car again Saturday afternoon after hiking and pick it up later for dinner. After dinner, we notice that there is a large, 12inch long crack pipe on the floor of the rental car. The car was locked at dinner, and I self-parked, so I know it got there between when we dropped it off and picked it up for dinner. We didn't notice when we picked it up, but it was dark. After dinner it was in a well lit parking lot. I threw the crack pipe away and self-parked that night.
I talked to the Manager on duty the next morning, and told him about both incidents with the Valet. He was at first was shocked, and then seemed concerned, and listened. He indicated all employees were drug tested. We then told the story to security, and they started to ask if we checked the car when we rented it. That stopped me there. Of course I didn't. But we were in the car all day Saturday, this thing was to big to fit under the seat, we would have noticed it. They had me make a report with security, who later took pictures of the damage to the vehicle. They asked me to fill out a report, and that I should call on Monday to follow up.
Something bothered me about the whole incident, and I could not put my finger on it until after we had left. I probably would have ignored the rim/tire damage, but finding a crack pipe in your car is a big deal. So I report it. Not because I want anything, not because I want them to "do something about it", but because I am sure this is not the first time, and it's indicative of the quality of the property and the staff. It's a bad thing. Fix the bad thing. Here is the part that I could not get until later; "I don't want to file a report. I want YOU to listen to me and to make a report. I don't want to call back on Monday, I want YOU to call me for any necessary follow up." There is a big difference there, and the difference between a small hotel and a luxury 5-star resort. I don't care if your employees are drug tested, one of them left a 12inch glass crack pipe in my rental car. This is the only thing that matters.
I am probably going to reach out to Marriott corporate as well, I am not sure exactly who to contact, or even what to say. I am interested to see if the property contacts me back, and what they say. Thanks for reading this long review.
Last edited by returnoftheyeti; Aug 14, 2016 at 6:46 pm Reason: Formating
Sep 11, 2016, 12:41 pm
#157
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: SFO
Posts: 1,752
Just stayed there. Didnt get any decent upgrades.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27064850-post141.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/27064850-post141.html
Jul 16, 2017, 7:36 pm
#160
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,710
Well, I'm here now and checking out tomorrow, and probably won't be back. That's a shame, as I saw an earlier post of mine (13 years earlier, I believe) where I had a wonderful stay. But I think the JW Marriott Las Vegas has gone downhill fast over that time, and is probably not even worth the JW Marriott title any longer.
I won't post a long review, but will pick and choose from others above mine. One posted described the place as "fine". I guess that's as good a word as any; maybe I would instead use "okay". Housekeeping is okay (cursory service, dust everywhere, forgetting to replace towels, etc.), the casino crowd is definitely downmarket from what you'd expect attached to a supposedly high-end resort, and the restaurants (with one major exception) have deteriorated.
That exception is Spiedini, which is still a wonderful Italian restaurant that truly glows now because it has been maintained in excellent condition and the staff shines in comparison to the rest of the resort.
Oh, well. Our stay at The Cosmopolitan just before this was so incredibly, over-the-top amazing that I don't think I'll miss the JW at all.
I won't post a long review, but will pick and choose from others above mine. One posted described the place as "fine". I guess that's as good a word as any; maybe I would instead use "okay". Housekeeping is okay (cursory service, dust everywhere, forgetting to replace towels, etc.), the casino crowd is definitely downmarket from what you'd expect attached to a supposedly high-end resort, and the restaurants (with one major exception) have deteriorated.
That exception is Spiedini, which is still a wonderful Italian restaurant that truly glows now because it has been maintained in excellent condition and the staff shines in comparison to the rest of the resort.
Oh, well. Our stay at The Cosmopolitan just before this was so incredibly, over-the-top amazing that I don't think I'll miss the JW at all.
Jun 17, 2018, 8:53 am
#161
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Delta DM, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond, National EE, AS MVP Gold 75K, AC 75K
Posts: 997
Anyone stayed here recently? I forgot what the perks were for Platinum.... was it just half off resort fee? (I might have it mixed up with Orlando)....