What, specifically, is the difference between a "JW" and a regular Marriott?
 

Just finished a weekend stay at the JW Marriott in downtown DC. Nice place, nice room with a great view, weekend C-lounge, no complaints.

But it got me to thinking...what, exactly, makes a hotel a "JW" Marriott instead of a regular Marriott? Since some Marriotts have weekend lounges and some JW's don't even have lounges, I don't think that's it. The quality of the room and of the C-lounge was on-par with a nice Marriott or Renaissance. But nowhere near a Ritz in terms of atmosphere, luxury, quality, or whatever. Just a nice hotel, like I'd expect from a good Marriott or Renaissance.

So...did I miss something? I will certainly return to this particular hotel again, but if it weren't for the weekend lounge, I wouldn't pay *extra* to return (over another Mar/Ren) because of the JW designation.

Is the intent that Marriott designates 1 hotel in a city - whichever one they feel is the nicest - as the JW? Some big cities don't have any hotels with "JW" on them. What gives?

Well there aren't that many JW around the globe, 20 to be exact; 12 overseas and 8 within the U.S..

IIRC from my required reading of the good Marriott book, wasn't the designation given to some of the more luxurious locations as a seal of approval from JW once he'd stepped away from the top job. That part I'm less sure about.

The few international JW locations I've stayed at seemed little different than their Marriott counterparts and all things considered not sure I'd pay more just for the brand, but that's just me.

I have stayed in 8 of the 20 JW properties, all in the Americas. IMHO they are more upscale than a typical Marriott or REN, but not the same as most Ritz which I usually find a bit stuffy. Typically the rates are higher than the same area's competing Marriott properties, but in some cases well worth it (eg Cancun, Orlando, Santa Monica come to mind). Others such as Atlanta and Houston, not sure what the big deal is beside location...

I can't specifically answer the question, but in my experience the JW Marriotts offer a little "extra" than the regular Marriott properties. Most of my "JW" experience is at the Desert Ridge property in Phoenix, which boasts two very nice golf courses, several on-property dining choices, including a Roy's (which is good, but not great), and a host of other amenities.

In my opinion, these properites fall somewhere between the "regular" Marriotts and a Ritz Carlton, though I would argue that the JW Marriott Desert Ridge is superior to the Ritz Carlton Phoenix.

Marriott is the king of market segmentation; this is one of many examples in the company.

JW's have a bit more upscale finishes (stone, tile, carpet, wood, etc.) and I believe that they all have spas IIRC.

Before the acquisition of Ritz-Carlton, I believe that JW was meant to directly compete with RC. But once RC was acquired, it obviated that market need.

Now, I think that JWs are probably built in market locations where the research shows that you can sustain a higher ADR than you would normally get with an MHRS property.

Of the dozens of Marriott's i've stayed in, the same pink/green/ivory thread color and pattern in the carpeting, bed spreads and wallpaper often makes me forget which city i'm in. I've only stayed in 3 JW's, but none of their decor actually looked like another.

I have to agree with the assessment about the Atlanta JW. There's just not that much to recommend it, unless you absolutely have to stay in that area for some reason.

How about looking at it this way--there are some crappy fs Marriotts out there...hotels that have gotten a bit tired and aren't in great locations.

If its a JW, you know that's going to be a good property in a good location. You know that at least, its going to be the equivalent of a very nice fs Marriott.

The JW DC definitely makes me scratch my head and wonder what truly sets it apart from the other full-service properties in the District.

Now the JW in Seoul... THERE'S a hotel that sets itself apart!

The "JW Marriott" designation is quite specific and the standards required of service and the condition and quality of the property to recieve the JW Marriott brand are quite rigorous. There are very high metrics for staff service. Also, in order to meet the JW Marriott standards, the rooms need to be a certain color scheme.

I loove the JW Ihalini on Oahu - fabulous property, wonderful staff.

I am nheading there tomorrow, and am literally counting the minutes.

Okay, now that I think about it, there were some subtle differences at this property. They did three things of note:

(1) The front desk person thanked me for being a Gold member. Okay, I know this isn't really that big of a deal, but nobody at any hotel or airline has ever thanked me for being a frequent guest. Sure, they give me nice perks and stuff, but never really thanks...

(2) The same front desk person offered me a variety of rooms to choose from, and showed me the floor layout as she did so. Since there were four of us, she wanted to offer both a "prime view" room and a larger corner room that didn't have as much of a view. She took time to explain the pros/cons of the rooms - including which ones got very hot in the afternoon (something that has been pointed out on this board about this hotel several times). I thought it was a nice touch: none of the rooms were huge upgrades (I don't get the sense that the hotel has many huge upgrades to give), but she took the time to make sure we got the room we wanted.

(3) The guy in the C-level was always around and keeping things stocked. Sodas were there throughout the day. At breakfast and happy hour, when the lounge was busy, he kept the place clean and organized. That's a bit different from some other lounges, where you arrive later in the breakfast period or happy hour period and the food is gone and the lounge is trashed.

I'm not sure I agree with that assessment. I stayed at the JW in New Orleans thinking that it would be more special than the Ren or Marriott but it was not so. In fact I think the Ren Pere Marquette is a much nicer property and only a block or 2 away so its not location either.

I'm in agreement with others here and think its marketing and that people will pay more per night just because.

Are JW's required to have Spas? I just stayed at the JW in Cancun, and that place was absolutely gorgeous as far as Marriott properties go. Would definitely go back.

Jw or Metro in DC
 

Which is better in DC -- Metro or JW?
rooms?
staff?
location?
room service