Review: JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur (Junior Suite)

Nightly rate	MYR 444 (US$97)
Length of stay	1 night
Date of stay	August 2022
Membership level	Titanium Elite (Marriott Bonvoy)

What benefits to expect when you stay at JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium or Platinum Elite member?

The hotel opened in 1997 and was last renovated in 2018. It has a total of 738 rooms.

This property usually requires 15,000 to 20,000 points per night for award stays.

I have booked and cancelled stays at this popular hotel many times in recent years, when I saw that all rooms, other than the base rooms, were sold out. This is because, there are plenty of great hotels in the city where I am pretty much guaranteed an upgrade!

My time to stay in this hotel finally came!

Location

The hotel is located in central Kuala Lumpur along the bustling shopping district of Bukit Bintang. The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur and The Westin Kuala Lumpur are also located very close by.

• 3 mins walk to Pavilion mall
• 10 mins drive to Petronas Twin Towers
• 45 mins drive to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL)

Arrival

I booked the base room and was upgraded to the Junior Suite 1 day prior to arrival, as a Titanium member recognition. Unlike most other properties, this hotel did not upgrade my stay automatically and I had to send a request via the Marriott Bonvoy chat function in the mobile app.

I chose 1,000 points as my welcome gift.

Junior Suite

Room 2222 is 71sqm / 764sqft in size.

The suite has modern furnishing but is oddly-shaped, with a long walkway from the entrance to the living room and a strangely-positioned bathtub in the bathroom.

There are also plenty of dim spots in the suite and little natural light.

Check out the video tour of this room on our Instagram page.

Executive Lounge

Platinum members and above have all-day access to the Executive Lounge.

During my stay, there were 2 sections of the lounge, a smaller area for Afternoon Snacks and a larger area for evening cocktail.

While the furnishing looks and feels luxurious, there is no view and natural light in the lounge, which makes it look really dull, much like Singapore Airlines First Class lounges in Singapore.

Afternoon Snacks

Afternoon snacks were served from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

On top of the usual coffee and tea, there were two types of cakes and some dry snacks available.

Evening Cocktail

Evening Cocktail was served from 5.30pm to 7.30pm with a good variety of food, including a live cooking station and some hot dishes.

Breakfast

Breakfast is complimentary for Platinum members and above. It was held as a buffet at Shook! restaurant.

Like the club lounge, the restaurant doesn’t have natural light too.

The buffet offers a very good variety but overall food quality was okay for a hotel at this price point. The pastries definitely need improvement.

Other facilities

The swimming pool is located on a low floor and I found it puzzling why it has a closing time as early as 6pm.

Wet Lounge

Here’s a little known fact: There is a Wet Lounge located within the spa, that is free for all guest to access! It has a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna and are separated into 2 areas, male and female.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my stay, after considering what I paid:

Breakfast	8/10
Service	8/10
Location	10/10
Room furnishing	9/10
View (from the room)	8/10
Peace & quiet	10/10
Club Lounge	9/10
Facilities	10/10
Elite member recognition	8/10
Value	8/10

Bottom line

JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur is a decent hotel in a great location, if shopping is the reason why you visit Kuala Lumpur.

Having now stayed in all 3 Marriott Bonvoy hotels in the Bukit Bintang area, I enjoyed The Westin the most, for its better club lounge, views, upgrade chances and overall value.

Don’t forget to visit the secret Wet Lounge when you are here!