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JW Marriott Grosvenor House London Review

I had a terrific one night stay at the Marriott JW Grosvenor House London. The hotel has a fabulous location. Opposite Hyde Park. Basically the best spot in London.

We were upgraded to a room with lounge access. Due to my Marriott Platinum Status. The breakfast was high quality and the décor was luxury. The service was hugely impressive too.

I stayed at the hotel, as we were hosting my daughter’s birthday at the venue. If you’re looking for a luxury hotel in London, then this hotel is a good bet.

This article is a detailed guide. So you’ll know exactly what to expect when you visit. I took loads of photos. Each photo can be clicked, to open out the full slideshow.

I also give a number of techniques to save money when you book.

If you’re new to my blog, then hello! It’s great to have you here. You can sign up to my email list on this page. Get notified of my new content. Find out about the best travel deals.

What I Liked

  • Amazing location
  • Breakfast exceeded expectations
  • Impressive elite benefits
  • Good service
  • Nice Executive Lounge
  • Stunning decor

What Could be improved

  • No swimming pool
  • No in room Coffee machine

The Booking

I booked one night at the hotel with Marriott Bonvoy Points. I used 66,000 Points to book my room. The cash rate for the room was £860. This was an excellent deal.

There’s loads of way to earn Marriott Bonvoy Points. I provide a few below.

You can buy Marriott Bonvoy Points from Marriott themselves. From this webpage. It costs £484 to buy 66,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points. That’s a 44% discount on the cash rate. Marriott have frequent promotions when you buy points, so the price may vary.

If you don’t have an account with Marriott Bonvoy, then you can signup with this link. If you use my link, then you get 2,000 bonus points. For each of your first 5 bookings.

Another way to earn easy Marriott Bonvoy Points, is via Marriott Timeshare. They have an offer. You can book a ‘preview package’ at their resort in Marbella.

You stay for 3 nights, at a cost of €349 for 3 nights. You’ll receive 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points as a welcome gift. You also get free car hire.

You’ll need to sit through 1 hour timeshare presentation. Where you’ll learn about the program. There’s no obligation to buy anything.

If you want to book up a preview, then email me. Tell me your name, email address, telephone number (including country code) and the city that you live in. The packages are popular. If you want to book one, I wouldn’t hang around.

Full disclosure. I’m a happy owner with Marriott Timeshare and have a bunch of reviews on my blog. Playa Andaluza is a resort in Marbella. It’s right on the beach. There’s loads of activities. Including football, giant chess, crazy golf, racketball, shuffleboard and much more.

Marriott Crystal Shores is an EPIC resort on the golf coast of Florida. I was upgraded to a top floor apartment, with amazing sea view. Marriott Waikoloa Ocean Club is located in Big Island, Hawaii. It’s right on the beach. I stayed in a 1 bed apartment with sea view.

The final way to earn Marriott Bonvoy Points is with their co-branded credit cards. There’s a number of cards available in the US, Canada and the UK. You can apply for the UK card from this link. If you use my link, then you get an enhanced signup bonus of 23,000 points.

Once you click my link. Then click “View all Cards with a Referral Offer.” You’ll then see the offer for the Marriott Bonvoy Card. Screenshots are below.


 

The Location

The location of the Marriott JW Grosvenor House London is terrific. Sitting on Park Lane, directly opposite Hyde Park. Park Lane is the most expensive location to buy property in the United Kingdom. As locations go, this is as good as it gets.

You’re walking distance from Oxford Street, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and tons of other famous landmarks. The location is the major selling point of the hotel. If you visit London on vacation, it’s an excellent base to sightsee from.

Oxford Street is 10 minutes walk away. Buckingham Palace is 1 mile away. Trafalgar Square is 1.5 miles away.

The Best Activities in London

The Marriott JW Grosvenor House London is a great base to explore London. There’s so many activities in London. Below are some of my favourites.

The most popular tour in London is the hop-on hop-off bus tour. It’s a great way to hit the sights in one day. You can book a Bus Tour and River Cruise for £40.50. Book here and get free cancellation. The bus ticket is valid for 24 or 48 hours. A Thames River Cruise is included with the ticket.

One of the most popular attractions is the London Eye. It’s a giant Ferris Wheel on the Thames River. Amazing views of London. You can buy an upgraded ticket for £58 per person. Book here. You get fast track boarding. You also get provided with champagne, as you look out on to London.

One of the coolest tours in London, is in a private black taxi. You can book a private 4 hour tour. For a group of 6. It costs £379, and there’s free cancellation. Book here. It comes highly rated. 5* from 989 reviews.

Visit Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus and London Bridge. Your taxi driver is also your guide, as you fly through London. The Black Taxi is an iconic London institution. What better way to view the city?

London is home to cuisine from around the world. The highest rated food tour has 5* from 191 reviews. It’s a private food tour of Borough Market, Soho and the East End of London. Meals, snacks and alcohol are included. Book here for £160 with free cancellation.

London is famous for its afternoon tea. Nothing could be more English! The highest rated one is at Rubens at the Palace Hotel. Which overlooks Buckingham Palace. Rated at 4.6* from 148 reviews. It always sells out. It comes with tea, sandwiches, cakes, scones and clotted cream. You can also upgrade to include champagne. Book here for £80.

The Hotel

The Marriott JW Grosvenor House London is a luxury hotel in a luxury location. It has the following facilities:

  • Luxurious lobby
  • Multiple restaurants
  • Starbucks café
  • Executive Lounge


The hotel has a large lobby on the ground floor. The design was stunning. It’s a luxurious lobby with beautiful furnishings. Classical furniture, grand piano and glass chandeliers.

The hotel has a number of restaurants.

The main restaurant is Corrigan's Mayfair. Which is run by celebrity chef, Richard Corrigan. The other restaurants include The Park Room, The Red Bar, The Bourbon Bar, The Park Lane Market, The JW Garden and Ruya London. There’s also a Starbucks café on the Ground Floor.

The hotel doesn’t contain a swimming pool. I was disappointed by this. But it’s a common feature in expensive city centre hotels. Room rates are expensive. So they don’t want to waste space with a swimming pool.

The JW Marriott is one of Marriott’s most luxury brands. Alongside St Regis and Ritz Carlton. I’ve stayed in JW Marriotts a few times now. I’ve had good experiences each time.

The Service and Elite Benefits

One area where the hotel stood out was with the service. I’ve stayed in a few luxury hotels recently. And been underwhelmed by the service. My stay at the Marriott JW Grosvenor House London made a welcome change.

We were hosting my daughter’s birthday at the hotel. I requested to check-in at 8.30am. This request was provided, even though the hotel was busy. Due to the early check-in, I was able to get breakfast on both days at the hotel. The hotel didn’t charge extra and I was impressed.

I received breakfast for free, as I’m a Marriott Platinum. I have lifetime Marriott Platinum status, as I’m an owner with Marriott Timeshare. Breakfast for two days would have cost £174 for three people.

As a Marriott Platinum, I’m also entitled to a late checkout. On the morning of checkout, I requested a 2pm checkout. This was provided without fuss.

I had access to the executive lounge during my stay. This was another benefit of being a Marriott Platinum. There was a meal and drinks service in the evening. A breakfast service in the morning. And tea/coffee throughout the day.

When I arrived in my bedroom, there was a welcome gift for myself and my wife. A small cake for us to share.

As a package, I was happy with my treatment as a Marriott elite. Elite treatment makes a big difference to me. It makes it far more likely that I stay at the hotel in the future.

 

The Room

I booked a King room. I stayed in room 335 and the room was large. About 400 square foot. It had the following features

  • Large double bed
  • Marble bathroom
  • Basic tea and coffee facilities. No coffee machine
  • Bvlgari toiletries
  • Large desk
  • Room with street view


The room felt big. There was lots of floor space and wardrobe space. It’s an excellent size for London.

I was pleased to get a room facing the street. When I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, we got a room facing the interior of the hotel. It made for an ugly view.

At the Marriott JW Grosvenor House London, my room was facing a side street. View the photo below. The rooms at the front of the hotel are facing Hyde Park, but sadly my room didn’t have that view.

 





There were basic tea and coffee facilities. A kettle with instant coffee. No coffee machine here. This was a little disappointing. Given that the hotel is expensive, they should provide a coffee machine.

The bathroom contained a shower rather a bath. This is one of my pet hates. I do like a bath! I’ve complained a lot about luxury hotels that don’t have a bathtub. This is normally done to save space. It means the hotel can fit in more rooms.

In this instance, I’m able to give the JW Marriott a pass. The bathroom was luxurious and made out of marble. There were also high class Bvlgari toiletries to use. While I would have preferred a bathtub, I was impressed with the overall experience.




The Breakfast

As a Marriott Platinum, we were provided with free breakfast. This was served in the main restaurant, rather than the lounge.

There were 3 of staying in our room. The hotel charges £29 per buffet breakfast. So I saved £87 for breakfast. Over two days, we saved £174 for two breakfasts.

I was impressed with breakfast. It contained the following options:

  • English Breakfast
  • Cereals. Including homemade ones
  • Cook to order porridge
  • Cook to order pancakes and waffles
  • Avocado on toast
  • Pastries
  • Fresh fruit
  • Fresh juices
  • Breads
  • Tea and coffee


The breakfast was high quality. Better than most other 5* hotels I’ve stayed at. There were a range of fresh juices. Made from high quality ingredients like carrot, fennel, mint and pineapple. I tried the juices and enjoyed them a lot.



The fresh fruit was also high quality. There were exotic fruits, including mangos and kiwi fruit. Fresh fruit is an area where hotels try to save money. Fresh fruit is expensive and goes bad fast. So Kudos to the Marriott JW Grosvenor House London.

During my stay, I tried sautéed potatoes, toast and mushrooms from the buffet. These items were pretty good. The mushrooms were large field mushrooms. They were cooked well and flavoursome.

I also had pancakes and porridge from the cook to order menu. Both were excellent.

This definitely wasn’t the best breakfast I’ve ever had. That accolade goes to the Conrad Maldives. That breakfast was spectacular! There were 7 counters of fresh food. Some of the best fruit I’ve ever tasted. Chinese, Indian and Western options too.

The Executive Lounge

The executive lounge was located on the ground floor. There was no natural light. This isn’t ideal. I prefer lounges when they’re on higher floors. It adds to the feeling of luxury.

That being said, the lounge was pretty good. They had the following services

  • Tea, coffee and cold drinks in the day
  • Breakfast
  • An evening service with small buffet and full bar


I visited briefly during the evening service. There was a full bar with beer, wine and spirits. There were also some hot dishes. Roast potatoes, meatballs and pasta. I had some potatoes and a Johnny Walker Black Label whisky. The quality was half decent, but not amazing.

This is to be expected. If they provided restaurant quality food, nobody would go to their restaurants!

I liked the ambience of the lounge. It was a decent size and not busy during my stay. There were also some nice touches. There was a fireplace and lounge seating.

Conclusion

I was impressed by my stay at the Marriott JW Grosvenor House London. It’s an excellent 5* hotel in a prime London Location. The room was spacious, the breakfast was excellent and the service was very good. If you’ve got a trip to London planned, I would consider to stay here.

I recently stayed at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand. Review here. It’s IHG’s flagship hotel in Paris. The hotel design is stunning. Full of old world, Parisian charm. It also has an amazing location, next to Paris Opera. That being said, I was disappointed with a couple of aspects of the hotel.

I flew in Virgin Atlantic Business Class from London to Mumbai. Review here. The flight was a mixed bag. I got an excellent deal by using air miles. The service was good and the food was tasty. However, I didn’t like the seat. Which lacked privacy.

I’ve also reviewed British Airways Business Class. I flew from London to Los Angeles. I had a pretty good flight. The meals were good, the crew were friendly and the seat was comfortable.

My favourite flight has to be Singapore Airlines First Class. On the A380. Review here. It had a 50 foot apartment in the sky. With separate armchair and bed. There were two TV screens and a closet. The champagne was by Krug.

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