Centrally located in One Pacific Place, JW Marriott Hongkong offers classic luxury with good service and excellent connections. The Executive Lounge impresses with its culinary options, but is very busy. Rooms with panoramic views, round-the-clock gym – but not a real highlight for families with children.
Review #67
Content
Disclaimer:
Unfortunately, between our stay at the hotel and this publication, our laptop and our external database containing all pictures were stolen during a break-in. Fortunately, we had already backed up all the videos on another computer.
Therefore, for this article we unfortunately have no choice but to work with screenshots from these videos. Accordingly, we apologize for the quality, which does not meet our standards and cannot keep up with the level of our other reviews. Nevertheless, we didn’t want to withhold this review from you.
Thank you for your understanding & have fun reading and discovering!
Location
The JW Marriott Hongkong is located directly in One Pacific Place in Admiralty, a well-known business and shopping complex. Its proximity to Central, the Star Ferry, Hong Kong Park and the MTR make the hotel the ideal base for business trips and city stays.
Arrival
Most guests at the JW Marriott Hongkong will certainly arrive by plane. Otherwise, you can of course also arrive at the city by bus or car – there are nevertheless exciting cities such as Macau and Shenzhen in the nearby surrounding area. From mainland China, there is of course also the very convenient option of arriving by train.
We came from our short stay in Bali and flew the four and a half hours with Hong Kong Airlines on a relatively disastrous flight to get to the city.
How to get to the hotel
We took the Airport Express Train starting directly at the airport to get to the city. The train departs right outside the terminal and has stops in Kowloon and Hong Kong. Departing about every 10 minutes it takes a good 20 minutes to get to Central and you can get your first fantastic views of this great city during the journey. You can easily buy tickets right at the entrance to the station at the Terminal. At the time of our stay, a one-way ticket cost around 25 euros.
A short change to the MTR takes you directly to Admiralty station and from there there is direct access to the hotel via the mall – all barrier-free and convenient.
Of course, you can also arrive by cab, grab or bus. But the connection with the AirPort Express Train and the MTR is actually the option that is not so insanely expensive, but relatively convenient. Of course, there are also parking facilities for cars at the JW Marriott Hongkong.
Check-in
As mentioned, we arrived at the JW Marriott Hongkong on foot and were already warmly welcomed at the door, our luggage was stored and check-in was quick and uncomplicated. As Marriott Bonvoy Titanium members, we were upgraded to an Executive room on a high floor- unfortunately, all suites were fully booked due to a convention. After a few minutes, we already had our room card in hand and were on our way upstairs. Our suitcases were delivered to the room directly later.
JW Marriott Hongkong at a glance
JW Marriott Hongkong was opened in 1989 and features 608 rooms, including 27 suites. In this 50-storey building, the hotel only uses the lowest 35 floors – the top 15 floors are used by another hotel.
Similar to the JW Marriott Berlin, the hotel here in Hong Kong was given a makeover light in 2018, during which the floors and wallpaper were replaced and some new furniture was put in the rooms. But most of it is old and from the 90s. Meaning it urgently needs a complete makeover.
As part of One Pacific Place, the hotel is ideally located for exploring the city and is also very well connected to public transport. The nearest station for the famous DingDing is also within walking distance.
The lobby is located on the 4th floor together with several restaurants and of course the entrance. Below this are further restaurants, as well as the gym and of course the underground parking garage. On the 5th floor is the Executive Lounge with further restaurants and the 7th floor is mainly reserved for the pool and the surrounding restaurants. The guest rooms are located above this up to the 35th floor.
Room
We had booked an Executive Room here at the JW Marriott Hongkong and due to our status we were upgraded to an Executive Room on a high floor with a harbor view.
Our room on floor 33 looked well-kept, even if it wasn’t quite up to date. It seemed to be a classic standard room without many extras that was getting on in years , but with a great view and also featuring club access.
So room no. 3307 will be ours for the night.
Welcome
Unfortunately, there was neither a welcome letter nor a welcome gift waiting for us in our room at the JW Marriott Hongkong. Only the information letter about all the lounge features and opening times was laid out for us. To be honest, we were quite disappointed, considering the really great welcome gift we got at the JW Marriott Berlin.
Livingroom and bedroom
When you step through the room door, you will find yourself in a very small hallway with the bathroom off to the left. On the right is a wall cupboard containing slippers, bathrobes, shoehorns, everything you need for dry cleaning and an iron and ironing board. Right next to it is a small sideboard with a built-in minibar. On the sideboard you will find the kettle, the capsule coffee machine and everything you need to prepare yourself a cup of coffee and tea. Free bottles of water are available for you in the minibar.
Continuing straight ahead and you walk into the bedroom with work area. The very comfortable king-size bed offers each a firmer and a softer pillow of the same size for both sleepers. You also cover yourselves with a wonderfully cozy comforter. On the left-hand bedside table is a telephone and a pen and paper for notes. The one on the right has a clock radio.
Straight ahead on the right wall of the room is a sideboard on which the TV is placed which can of course be turned towards the bed so that you can watch TV more comfortably. Opposite, next to the window, is a desk with another telephone and all the plugs and sockets needed to work properly. There is also an armchair with a stool and a small side table with a floor lamp in front of the window.
Bathroom
To the left, the bathroom has a washstand with one washbasin and all kinds of amenities, not all of which you are allowed to take with you, of course, but which you can purchase.
Opposite is a bathtub, followed by a shower with Aromatherapy care products. The toilet is at the back left. The whole room is okay, but really not in particularly good condition. Considering that the JW Marriott Hongkong is a genuine 5-star hotel, I find the bathroom to be well below average.
Turndown
Of course, the JW Marriott Hongkong also offers a turndown service, where the comforter is folded back, a rug and slippers are laid out and a small scent aerosol is placed on the bed as a memento – a charming gesture that we last experienced at the wonderful Pimalai Resort on Koh Lanta.
View
The view from the 33rd floor was great, of course – typical for Hong Kong. The skyline, the green hills – impressive. We could see as far as the harbor from our room, but the hotel is not built in the first row and so the view is somewhat obstructed by some high-rise buildings.
Lounge
The JW Executive Lounge is located on the 5th floor at the rear of Flint restaurant. With the restaurant area also being used for Lounge breakfast and during tea time. The whole system is a bit strange and quite funny, as in: when the restaurant is open and running occupying the front area in the evening all guests that want to go and sit at the lounge have to always walk through the entire restaurant to get there.
Guests who have access to the lounge (guests with Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status always get this) can enjoy breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails here free of charge. Coffee, tea and soft drinks are available throughout the day, as well as small snacks.
The offer was actually quite good, but the occupancy rate was quite high, at least at the time of our stay, which meant that it was actually rather packed basically all the time.
At afternoon tea, classic English scones pay homage to Hong Kong’s history and English citizens can feel quite at home here.
And for the evening cocktails starting from 5:00 p.m. – which, incidentally, are called Cocktails & hors d’ouvres – you can order cocktails or alcoholic beverages from a menu which is laid out on the tables. There is also a buffet with salads, sandwiches, a handful of hot options as well as some desserts. We had a glass of wine here and snacked a little before heading out into the city for dinner!
Hotel activities
Pool
The heated outdoor pool of the JW Marriott Hongkong is located on the roof terrace on the 7th floor and, in addition to the main pool, also offers a Jacuzzi with a view of the surrounding skyscrapers. Unfortunately, both were closed for maintenance during our stay.
Gym
The hotel gym in the basement is open 24/7 and well equipped, but quite small considering the size of the hotel. In addition to some cardio machines, there is a free weights area and a multifunctional tower.
Spa
Whether you want to believe it or not. But the JW Marriott Hongkong does not offer a spa. Crazy, isn’t it! Normally we just leave out features that are not available at the individual hotels, but this is worth a mention. Don’t you agree?
Restaurants
The JW Marriott Hongkong offers a number of outlets and has an impressive total of 7 restaurants on offer. In addition to sightseeing and sleeping, we were unfortunately unable to try them all during our 24 hours at the hotel. So here is a selection for you. The Deli Dolce 88, the Bar Q88, The Flint Restaurant, JW Café and the Man Ho Chinese Restaurant will not be described further here.
The Lounge
This outlet is located on lobby level and offers a buffet for lunch and dinner, as well as afternoon tea and Sunday brunch. The view is really great through the huge window front, but the ambience is really more lobby-like and not necessarily cozy, in keeping with the location.
Above The Lounge, on a kind of balcony, is the JW Café, which mainly offers seafood in buffet form.
Fish Bar
This restaurant is located on the 7th floor directly by the pool and offers open-air seating and again mainly seafood. Opposite is the Pool Lounge, which offers popular poolside food for the whole family to enjoy.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in the lounge for status guests at the JW Marriott Hongkong, not at the main restaurant as usual. The actual lounge area is extended in the morning to include the restaurant area of The Flint right beside it, in order to provide sufficient space for all guests with lounge access. In fact, this is an absolutely necessity, as the additional seating is urgently needed.
As is usually the case, coffee is ordered and served at your seat, but the rest is arranged in buffet form. For egg dishes, there is a separate egg station where you can choose your desired shape with a slip of paper and pick it up once it´s prepared. The selection is okay and the food and drinks are delicious, but nothing really special or memorable.
Check-out
We were asked already at check-in if we wanted a late check-out, but we declined with thanks. Accordingly, we checked out shortly before 12:00, it was immediately our turn, everything was perfectly prepared, the reception staff were super friendly and we were on our way to the next hotel in no time. That’s how it should be, don´t you agree?!
Costs
We paid HKD 2,382 for this one night at an Executive room at the JW Marriott Hongkong , which was about 296 euros at the time of our stay.
Onward journey
For us, this short Hong Kong trip took us straight to the W Hong Kong. The MTR took us from Admiralty to Kowloon Station in a good 20 minutes, from where we were at the hotel in 5 minutes. Simple, fast and unproblematic.
Conclusion
The JW Marriott Hongkong is a good hotel from which you can explore Hong Kong Island. The focus here is definitely on business travelers and guests who want to experience the city.
However, the hotel is really not up to date and the bathrooms in particular are in urgent need of a proper update. The rooms are – as is usual for Hong Kong – quite small and the view of the harbor is only partly available as it is a bit obstructed. However, the price is all the higher. In addition, the positioning of the lounge areas behind a restaurant is really questionable and it certainly could do good to be larger.
Recommendation
Business travelers, couples and solo travelers will most likely feel at home here. However, the JW Marriott Hongkong is rather unsuitable for families with children – there is simply no child-friendly infrastructure and even the Executive Rooms have very little space. It is rather a mystery to me where an extra bed is supposed to be put.
Hotel Homepage
Rating
We award the JW Marriott Hongkong solid 8 out of 10 possible points.
Two points get deducted because we were not informed in advance that the pool could not be used and we would have opted for another hotel if in doubt. In addition, the lounge was really overcrowded at peak times and the whole hotel was outdated in large parts.
Go there?
Yes, you can, but as I said, it’s really more for business travelers and city explorers.
YouTube Review
If you’re in the mood for more, I recommend you check out Fabi’s YouTube review. Have fun watching it!
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