First time in Miami, my plan was to stay a couple of nights in downtown and then one day at the South Beach. Unfortunately there happens to be a tropical storm during my visit, so the South Beach plan was cancelled.
Miami appears to be a good place to burn Marriott points, as there are a bunch of options in downtown between 20,000 and 40,000 points – in fact the Courtyard Coconut Grove costs only 18,000 points a night. After some research I went for the JW Marriott Marquis hotel, which is 40,000 points or $400.
It’s not to be confused with the other JW Marriott nearby, which from what I’ve gathered is an inferior property.
Interestingly, there’s another Marriott inside this hotel. Hotel Beaux Arts from the Autograph Collection occupies floor 38-40 and shares the facilities with the JW Marriott. I don’t assume their guests can access the club lounge though, so you are better off booking the JW Marriott if you have Platinum status or above.
The front desk is very generous to offer me an upgrade to the Executive Suite. Sadly I need a twin bed room, so he arranges us a Bay View Room on the high floor instead.
The room is located on the 35th floor and measures around 500-600 sqft.
The bathroom has both a shower and a bath tub.
Bay view:
And views from other spots in the hotel:
Elite breakfast is served on the second floor at the 345 Restaurant:
Many hotels in the US offer very limited free breakfast to elite members, and there’s Hilton who’s eliminated the benefit and only offers some credit instead. This JW Marriott is not fooling around though – it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a full English breakfast buffet.
Breakfast is served until 11am, and then the club lounge on the 36th floor opens.
Snacks and soft drinks are available throughout the day. Happy hour is hosted between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, with a few canapes both hot and cold.
Alcohols are not free.
Desserts are served between 7.30pm and 10pm.
The hotel has a very impressive sports centre, including a basketball court, ping pong tables and a bowling alley.
The gym is fairly big too.
There’s a rooftop swimming pool on the 19th floor.
A hot tub is also available.
Overall I’m very satisfied with this stay – hotels in the US are usually under par but this JW Marriott didn’t let me down. The room is spacious and functional, the breakfast and club lounge offerings are decent, and the swimming pool is stunning. My only complaint is the $25 destination fee, but I guess I should just get used to this con which is imposed by so many American hotels.
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