We had very high hopes for this hotel. But there were some downfalls. On the positive side, the bar and staff are terrific. The flatbread at the bar is just enough to get you going for a good evening. The beds are very comfortable. But, we had problems. First, the shower head was a little clogged and there is very little water pressure. We stayed on the executive floor. Waste of money. The lounge is cramped. Breakfast ended at 10, while many other places go longer… especially on Sunday. We made it in about ten minutes before it ended. There were only six sausage links left and a few pieces of fruit. Coffee machine is terrible. I’d probably stay here again but would try the Amway first.
I returned to the JW Marriott for the first time since the pandemic when the hotel was operating at a standard more on par with a Holiday Inn. For the most part, everything across all departments was much improved and very close to the expected JW Marriott standard. I received a pre-arrival email, although a reply to their email went unanswered for 4 days. Upon arrival, a valet attendant greeted me and took my car. However, there was no bellman or doorman to assist with luggage. The front desk never offered to help with luggage. As a Bonvoy Ambassador, I didn't receive a welcome letter or any personalized note. There was no hotel directory in my room. So I had no information about amenities or services. There also wasn't a room service menu. I later learned that the hotel doesn't offer all-day room service, which you expect at a JW Marriott hotel or any hotel with a 4-Diamond rating from AAA. So if you want lunch between 2 and 5 pm when the restaurant and lobby bar are closed, it's impossible. I don't understand why the lobby bar isn't at least open. The club lounge is open during the day for pop and coffee and again at night with some light food. The wine being offered isn't complimentary, which is fine. But if I'm going to pay for wine it should be good wine and not cheap grocery store wine. At least offer some of the same wines as the lobby bar and restaurant. Breakfast isn't served in the club lounge, which some business travelers may find inconvenient. The restaurant opens at 7 am for breakfast, which consists of a mediocre buffet and a menu with ala carte options. If the buffet was being served in the club lounge it would be acceptable, but I didn't think the range or quality was what you expect for an upscale restaurant buffet. No smoked salmon, no cheeses, no freshly made cereals or granola, no fruit preserves, and no English muffins. Also, 7 am is a little late for a downtown hotel on weekdays. It would be nice if there was an option to at least get coffee or tea at 6 am without having to leave the hotel. Robes and slippers were provided as was daily housekeeping. No turndown service was provided. My room had a gorgeous river view, which was very much appreciated. While the room was comfortable and mostly clean (the carpet under the nightstands had peanuts from a past guest), the room itself was a little outdated. Some of the furniture was scuffed, scratched and otherwise showing visible wear-and-year. The entire decor looked very 2005-2007 ish. While there were electrical outlets, the only USB outlet was on the alarm clock. All things considered, the JW Marriott has improved considerably since the pandemic and is close to the pre-pandemic standard. However, there is still room to improve, especially considering the rates.…
Let me start with I have never written a review on here before, nor have I ever complained about a property publicly or in person. I am a loyal Marriott Lifetime traveler, and in general am treated outstanding at every property I stay. I have only previously written notes of praise for staff & propoerties. So this is a first. Upon checking in, I was questioned on a discount I receive at every other property I stay. To set the scene, the lobby was packed, and I was exhausted from a day of travel. The last thing I want is a hassle checking in. I will also mention I'm Titanium Elite & Lifetime Gold status with Marriott. I don't mention this to boast as much as generally they almost throw rose petals at your feet when you arrive. This experience was far different. She questioned me like I was a child in front of other patrons. I asked "do you want me to just leave?" She finally begrudgingly allowed me to check in, and I went up to my room to decompress, however I could not. The whole experience bothered me, and I did not sleep well. I couldnt believe how she treated me. The next morning I wake up, and try to shake off the experience only to find a note outside my door for all to see that "if I do not produce an ID for discount, I will be charged full amount." I go down to see the manager about the note, and guess who? It's the same person that had ZERO bedside manner the day before. I went about my day of working with my employee in the area, and decided "No way I'm staying there another night". Not with her there. I chose to drive 5 hours back home rather than stay another night. I also want to mention the property was far from capacity. I barely saw anyone my entire stay & the restaurant was empty. There was no reason for her to run someone off as there were plenty of vacancies. The night I satyed there I had also planned on entertaining customers & personel at Margaux the hotel restaurant. After that experience I wasn't giving that property any more $ than I had to so we went & spent $1000 at MDRD in the Amway Building. It was fantastic. If you are in the area highly recommend. Bottom line is this person is costing this property $$$$. I have left a message for the hotel GM, and when I called to request her have been misdirected by staff. I will not stay at this propoerty going forward. Traveling for 27 years professionally I have had some intersting experiences. Shady hotels, rooms I slept on top of the sheets with my clothes on, bathrooms that were terrifying, but this was by far the worst experience I've ever encountered as a traveler.…
We booked 4 rooms (including a suite) on the executive level of the JW Marriott downtown Grand Rapids. For this "quality" of a hotel, I was surprised there was no concierge to assist in making reservations at restaurants, help with questions/advise, The front desk said they would answer questions, but they really didn't. When I asked for walking directions, they were vague, when I asked for any family appropriate restaurants to go to after show at Van Andel, they said they all closed at 10 (including their restaurant and yeah that's a bummer - people complain about that but you can order pizza). (Note: I FOUND Uccello's Italian Restaurant stays open until 11 pm). When we returned to the hotel, after an evening out, we called the front desk to locate a soda. The front desk said that room service had ended at 10, they had nothing open, and there are no vending machines. So nothing available until morning. What???? So my daughter and I ventured back out and found a party store to get the items that should have been available in a vending machine within the hotel. The executive lounge was average, nothing that really made it worth an additional $90 per night. (Note: we were told you can add the executive lounge to a regular room for $25 but doublecheck that). Valet service was good ($39) but the valet area was very tight with empty cars parked so pulling in and departing was a tad difficult. When we went down for breakfast at the hotel restaurant, they said there was no seating available, but we could sit at the bar. While eating breakfast, we observed many tables that were empty the entire time we ate plus they were seating people in the lounge area just outside the restaurant and serving them, so I don't understand why we were instructed to sit at the bar. Upside, the bartender was fun. This is supposed to be a French restaurant, but the Eggs Benedict were nothing special. The English muffin was tough, the hollandaise sauce was blah but the eggs were good and the coffee was good. No croissants on the menu that I saw. My daughter-in-law commented that they may say they are a French restaurant, but they are not. On the upside, my son really liked the avocado toast, a good amount of avocado. Overall, the hotel is OK, location is good for downtown activities, the rooms were clean and comfortable. Bring your own snacks and sodas, etc. for late night. Do not expect any real info from the front desk. I would probably say, save your money and stay in a regular room as opposed to the executive level. For the price, I expected a bit more convenience, and the nice extras that are not available at other hotels. Those things appear to be gone, NOT even a vending machine for a late-night snack.…
Very disappointed! We have a large family with 4 kids ranging in age from 2-13, so we booked 2 rooms. We arrived at 4::00 to check-in but neither room was ready or available. We kept busy for a little over an hour and finally 1 room was ready. The second room was not ready until over 2 hours past the check-in time! We has paid more for both room so we could have the Concierge Level. Wen. We arrived for appetizers they only had out a very small plate of cheese and whip that about 15 crackers and some carrot sticks! So disappointed and not worth the money at all! Be warned! Not with the expense. Stay next store at the Amway instead!
Hotel is grossly understaffed. It impacts front desk, restaurant, and housekeeping. We were happy to be patient with the long line at check-in. We were patient with the shortage of servers (saw only two the first morning). We were surprised by the deliberate practice of “no housekeeping on the weekends” and not being informed of such. We are environmentally very conscientious and almost always reuse sheets, bath towels and the like. However, my wife was feeling unwell when we checked in and when she showered the next morning. We put both bath towels in the tub to make it obvious we desired fresh. When we returned late that evening, we were surprised our room was untouched. I called Guest Services and was only then informed of no housekeeping on weekends. The next day I spoke with a front desk manager and was informed I should have been informed of no-housekeeping when I made our reservation and by the front desk staff when we checked in. No such communication was given us. We felt misled. Shockingly, when I asked if we were being charged the same rate for no-service days vs partial/full service days, I was told we were. That is unethical. We should have been informed in-advance so we could adjust expectations, or make other arrangements. I left a message for the GM and I sent her an email sharing my concerns of the hotel’s deliberate practice that misled us and treated us in an unethical manner. No return call or email reply was received. To us, it was blatantly obvious the almighty dollar was the first, second, and third priority for the GM and upper management. Transparency in guest communication and ethical business practices is not a priority.…
From arrival to departure this hotel did not disappoint. The valet and bell service was on point, very friendly and helpful. Front desk staff was efficient and friendly. No hot tub in pool area, so we were a bit disappointed about that. Bathroom was beautiful with separate shower and tub, but the sink and counter area were small. Plenty of storage underneath tho for your toiletries. Kuerig coffee maker and refrigerator worked perfectly. Great location within walking to everything downtown has to offer.
You pay JW prices but you are staying at a property that is more like a Courtyard. The world has moved on and yet this hotel is still operating at pre/during pandemic level. They won't make up your room, the lounge has nothing to offer other than water, to get a table for breakfast you will wait 15+ minutes.. all that with an attitude from most staff membesr. Sad to say it (as a Bonvoy Titanium elite members), do yourself a favor and stay at a different hotel until they have figured things out.
We had a pretty terrible experience at this hotel, primarily due to the staff, who are either stretched because there are too few valets, front desk, or housekeeping workers, or who treat guests' requests with a shrug instead of an eager attempt to provide exceptional service. By paying a premium price for a 4-star hotel, I expect much better, and I have had much better, in many other cities and hotels. Here are a few of the things I experienced during my three-night stay: - The room I was initially given had a water leak in the closet, which would have damaged hanging clothes if I had not spotted it early. When I asked for a new room, it took them 45 minutes to send up a staff member to help move luggage and give me keys to the new room. - It regularly took the valet upwards of 30 minutes to get my car from the garage when I requested. Even when I called down 30 minutes before I needed to leave for a dinner, I still had to wait an additional 30 minutes for the valet. There were only one or two valets working at any given time. - Housekeeping was non-existent. I requested towels and new sheets, and found a pile of sheets on the sofa and towels left on the floor of the bathroom. My dirty towels had also been left on the bathroom floor - apparently they did not want to collect them. - Breakfast room service began only at 7am. When I called down at 6:45am to put in an order, I was told to call back at 7am because they couldn't access the system to enter the order before then. At any other hotel, a helpful staff member would write down my order and make sure it was ready as soon as possible, knowing that my time while traveling is valuable.…
PROS - Room available at 9:30 a.m. - Given a corner room with two walls of windows, and great views (Titanium Elite) - Friendly staff - Complimentary breakfast + bonus points - Lounge access - Comfortable bed - Quiet, spotless room. Very dark at night. Could control the temperature - Enjoyed my dinner at Margaux (have the asparagus appetizer) - Onsite Starbucks - Close to restaurants, museums, river walk - Very hot water in the shower CONS - $35 parking
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