Review: W Muscat (Wow Suite)

Nightly rate (incl. taxes/fees)	35k points
Length of stay	1 night
Date of stay	November 2022
Membership level	Titanium Elite (Marriott Bonvoy)

What benefits to expect when you stay at W Muscat as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum or Titanium Elite member?

This beachfront hotel opened in 2019 with a total of 279 rooms.

You will typically need 30,000 to 45,000 points per night for award stays

Location

The hotel is located along the Shatti Al Qurum beachfront, a little East of Muscat city center.

• 10 mins drive to central Muscat
• 25 mins drive to Muscat International Airport (MCT)
• 4 hrs 45 mins drive to Dubai

Arrival

Upon arrival, we were assisted with our luggages before being directed to the reception.

I had booked the Wonderful room (base room) and used a Suite Night Award for the Marvelous Suite. I also got in touch with the hotel to request for a Wow Suite, if it is available during my stay.

To my pleasant surprise, I got upgraded to the hotel’s one and only Wow Suite at check in! Pretty incredible Titanium member recognition as this suite costs about 8 times more that the base room that I originally booked. I was also granted 4pm late checkout!

Room upgrade tip: While you shouldn’t expect to receive amazing upgrades all the time, you can increase your chances by staying during low seasons, not arriving too early and by getting in touch with the hotel in advance to place the kind (not demanding) request. It also helps if you are celebrating a special occasion (e.g. birthday, honeymoon etc.).

I also got to pick a welcome gift through a lucky draw of cards and received a complimentary coconut drink voucher for 2, that can be redeemed at Wet Deck pool bar.

Wow Suite

Room 436 is 160 sq m/1,722 sq ft in size.

Wow. When it comes to design, colours and impracticality uniqueness, no hotel brand surprises me more than W Hotels.

From the huge square bathtub, to the dimly-lit kitchen, to the black walls, to the television hidden right at the corner of the suite, I enjoyed how the brand breaks all the rules for a “good” hotel room.

While I can’t see myself living in W Hotels for more than a week, it really is a fun, special brand for short stays, especially in Asia.

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

Internet speed

The WiFi speed was very good during my stay.

Breakfast

Platinum members and above receive complimentary breakfast at Harvest restaurant.

Food quality from the wide buffet was very good and there is even a made-to-order egg and dosa station.

Other facilities

Swimming pool

The swimming pool is huge for a hotel of this size and I like that there are trees and pillars at the sides for better privacy.

The Wow Suite looks like it is the size of 4 normal rooms!

Beach

With a key card, guests can access the beach from the gate near the pool.

My partner and I truly enjoyed our peaceful sunset stroll by the beach as there are no touts waiting to pounce on hotel guests, like what you would experience in W Bali – Seminyak.

We found a cute cat near the beach! We call it MusCat, of course. 😸

Gym

The gym has a lot of pillars and felt like it was an afterthought in the property’s design process.

I’ve previously shared about the lack of ride-hailing apps in Muscat and how the taxi drivers here still play the “oh no, the meter is not working” games.

For that reason, it is good to have some cash ready. Unfortunately, this property does not have an ATM but there is one in InterContinental Muscat hotel next door, about 10 minutes’ walk away.

My ratings

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

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

Bottom line

It was a really enjoyable stay at W Muscat, made even better by the generous upgrade to the beautiful Wow Suite, with an unblocked view of the Gulf of Oman. 35k points well spent!