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Given how long it has been since we last published a review of the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London (6+ years), a fresh visit seemed in order, and as I had an expiring Marriott free night certificate that needed using up, I had an economical way with which to book a stay.
In this review
- The admin
- Getting there/location
- Pre-arrival upgrade
- Arrival & check-in
- King Bed Superior Suite
- Executive lounge
- Dining
- Bars
- The gym
- Final thoughts
- Conclusion
Click on any of the above to jump to that section.
The admin
- Length of stay: 1 night
- Actual cost of stay: 1 x Free Night Certificate worth up to 85,000 points*
- Points cost of the booking (had I paid with points): 76,000 points
- Cash cost of the booking (had I booked with cash): $644 (inc. taxes)
- Elite status at time of stay: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (details)
- Points earned from the booking: 1,000 (welcome gift)
- Upgrade instruments used: None
- Room booked: 1 King Bed, Superior Guest Room
- Room received: 1 King Bed, Superior Suite
- Upgraded: Yes
*This is the same certificate as the one offered by the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
Getting there/location
The JW Marriott Grosvenor House London is located right in the center of London and on the edge one of the more expensive areas of the city – Mayfair.
It sits overlooking Park Lane (although the main entrance is on Park St), and its location puts it within a short walk of the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square and the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane (both of which are inferior properties to the JW).
If you’re arriving from Heathrow and using public transport, one of the cheapest ways to get to the hotel would be to take the Underground (subway) Piccadilly Line to Hyde Park Corner (no changes required) and to then walk to the property (approx. 13 minutes).
The quickest way to the property from Heathrow (using public transport) is to take the Elizabeth Line to Bond Street (no changes required) and to then walk to the property (approx. 13 minutes).
If you’re arriving from Gatwick and using public transport, one of the easier ways to get to the hotel would be to take the Thameslink service to London’s Farringdon station, change there to the Elizabeth Line and travel to Bond Street Station from where you’ll have a ~13-minute walk to the hotel.
If you’re traveling with suitcases, a taxi/Uber/Bolt may be your best option.
Location-wise, the Grosvenor House scores highly.
Yes, it can take between 12 and 15 minutes to walk to the nearest Underground (subway) station (which can be inconvenient when it’s raining), but the two closest stations will give you easy access to most of London’s major attractions, and for those who enjoy a walk, Hyde Park is on the doorstep, Mayfair can be a nice place for a stroll, and Bond Street (high-end shopping), Oxford Street (regular shopping), and Piccadilly are within easy reach.
Pre-arrival upgrade
One of the benefits of the Bonvoy Titanium status that I hold is that I’m eligible for a complimentary upgrade at check-in, and the rooms that I am eligible to be upgraded into include select suites.
As usual, I booked one of the two entry-level room types when I made the reservation, and in the days leading up to our arrival, the Marriott app showed that we had been upgraded to an Executive Room.
As the name suggests, Executive Rooms come with Executive Lounge access, but as I already get lounge access courtesy of my Bonvoy status (regardless of the room-type I book), this wasn’t an upgrade for me.
What was an upgrade was the guarantee that the room wouldn’t be smaller than 35sqm/377sqft (Superior Rooms at the Grosvenor House range between 23sqm/247sqft and 35sqm/377sqft while Executive Rooms range between 35sqm/377sqft and 40sqm/430sqft).
Arrival & check-in
We arrived via the main entrance on Park Street a couple of hours ahead of the hotel’s official check-in time (there’s a second entrance on Park Lane but the Park Street entrance is large, relatively traffic free, and it deposits you right in front of the check-in desks).
There were no other guests in the lobby so we were attended to immediately.
Very quickly, the friendly front desk agent noted my Bonvoy status and informed us that she had upgraded us to a Superior Suite with a King Bed.
The fact that we were only staying a single night probably made getting this upgrade easier, but it was still gratefully received, and after a short orientation (location of the lounge, the lounge hours, location of the gym, etc…), we were on our way to the suite.
King Bed Superior Suite
The hallways on the room levels of the property are well lit and feature light-colored carpeting and light-colored walls all of which combine well to give a good feeling of space.
The decor is elegant and even a little modern (which can be a surprise in a building as old as this one).
The King Bed Superior Suites are between 48sqm/516sqft and 50sqm/538sqft in size, and in my experience, most have a very similar layout.
As you open the door to the suite, the bathroom sits directly ahead of you, the sitting area sits to the left, and the bedroom sits to the right.
The bedroom is spacious and it’s where the bulk of the suite’s square footage is to be found.
A US-size king bed sits against a wall in the center of the room with a nightstand on either side.
Opposite the bed, is a cabinet with a large flat screen TV perched on top of it, a desk & chair pairing and, in the corner, an armchair, a small table, and a lamp.
The desk is a good size and a good height, and that makes it a comfortable place to get some work done should you need to.
The desk also has good access to power with a mix of UK-style, US-style, and European-style outlets sitting on the wall behind it.
Both sides of the bed have access to some or all of the room’s light switches, but there are no power outlets and only one side of the bed has access to USB ports/cordless charging.
The suite’s only closets are by the door to the bedroom and include a double closet with hanging space only, and a single closet with three drawers, some shelves and the in-room safe.
It’s not exactly an overwhelming amount of storage space for a room with a suite designation (it definitely doesn’t compare to the amount of closet space in the Terrace Suite I had at the Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale), but for most people, this will probably suffice.
Finally (in the bedroom), the mini-bar is located in the cabinet upon which the flat screen TV sits and it comes with the usual astronomical pricing.
Be aware that this type of mini bar will charge you the moment you remove an item from one of the shelves, so don’t be tempted to start taking things out to see what’s available unless you’re happy to pay for them (or engage in a debate with the front desk).
Across the entrance hallway from the bedroom is a small sitting room furnished with a sofa (it’s not a sofa bed), an armchair, a couple of lamps, and a cabinet (which supports a second large flat screen TV).
Readers should note that I’ve used a wide-angle lens to take some of the photos of this area and because of that, this room looks a little bigger than it really is.
Between the sitting area and the bedroom is the en suite bathroom which has a little too much patterned marble for my liking.
It’s also not in the slightest bit spacious.
As you walk in, a large shower cubicle sits on the right (partly) behind the bathroom door (there’s no bathtub in this bathroom).
And the shower has just one shower head (there’s no rain shower).
On the wall opposite the shower are some towel rails. One these is heated and, as it’s hotter than the surface of the sun, it’s a towel rail on which it’s very easy to get burned if you’re not careful (you have been warned).
Past the shower and next to the toilet is a solitary sink with a small shelf for a guest’s toiletries.
As is to be expected, the toiletries in the bathroom now come in full-size bottles and at the time of this stay, they were by a brand called Aromatherapy Associates.
This isn’t a brand I know, but a quick look on the brand’s website shows that a 250ml body wash starts from £28/$38 which prices it as a mid- to upper-market brand.
On my last stay here (in 2022), the toiletries were still of the miniature variety and were by Bulgari.
The last thing that needs mentioning here is that while the suite does get good amount of natural light (when the skies aren’t overcast and full of rain), the view from each of the windows isn’t one that’s going to get many “wows”.
Even down on the 3rd floor (where this particular suite is located) the amount of light coming down into this central courtyard is quite good, but that’s just about the only positive I can offer up here.
Ok. That’s the brief tour of the suite taken care of, so now for some thoughts.
The bed, bedding, and the general furnishings are all very comfortable, the bedroom feels spacious, the curtains do a great job of keeping out the light (good news if you’re trying to overcome a bad case of jet-lag), and the inner courtyard-facing location of the suite means that the room doesn’t get much external noise (the machinery in the central courtyard doesn’t make enough noise to breach the window seals).
That’s where the good news ends because I don’t see the point of this suite.
The bathroom is narrow, it feels cramped, and despite the effort made to make it feel upscale (by the excessive use of patterned marble), it doesn’t feel high-end.
There’s no space, there’s no good-size bathtub, there’s just a single (small) sink, and there’s that heated towel rail that can give you an unpleasant burn.
There’s not much to like here.
In the sitting area (the area of the room that makes this a suite and not just a regular room), there’s also no real feeling of space.
If anything, the sitting area can feel a little confining, and I can’t think of many reasons why someone would want to spend much time in here.
Yes, it could be a good place to watch some TV or to read a book if you’re jet-lagged, it’s the middle of the night, you can’t sleep, and you don’t want to disturb a partner who’s sleeping in the bedroom.
It may also be a good place to make a phone/video call while a partner is in the bedroom (or to escape from a phone/video call a partner is making in the bedroom), but other than in these very specific scenarios, I’m struggling to come up with any other reasons to spend time here.
It’s not an inviting room, so assuming no one is letting their kid(s) run riot in the Executive Lounge, the lounge would probably feel like a much nicer place to relax, and that seems to defeat the object of booking a suite in the first place.
If you’re not going to use the sitting area and are going to use the Executive Lounge instead, why not just book an Executive Room for a lot less?
Whoever designed this suite was clearly more interested in creating a space that the hotel could call a suite (and so sell at a premium) rather that being focused on making a genuinely good room, and that’s a shame because the space could have been used so much better.
Overall, and when you consider that this suite can cost over £800 (~$1,075) per night midweek in the middle of November (not exactly peak season in London), all of this means that this is a suite I cannot recommend. In fact, I would advise avoiding it.
Whether paying with cash or points, I would never willingly/knowingly book this suite because it’s just not worth the cost.
Based on the property’s website, a lot of other rooms at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London look like they may offer better accommodations than this suite, and as most of those rooms seem to come in at a lower price point, that’s where I suggest you place you focus if you don’t absolutely have to have a suite.
If you’re set on booking a suite, the Deluxe Suite (one room category down from this Superior Suite) looks to be better than the Superior Suite, but if you can afford to splash out, consider booking an Executive Suite (one room category up from this Superior Suite) as that will offer a much, much better experience.
Here’s what an Executive Suite looked like back in 2022 (the decor may look a little different now, but the layout won’t have changed).
The Executive Suites start at 50sqm/538sqft (around the same size as the Superior Suites) and they go up to 70sqm/753sqft and they are better than the Superior Suite in just about every way.
Sure, the bathroom is still covered in overly patterned marble, but the layout of the suite is better and even in the smallest Executive suites, there’s a nice feeling of space.
Naturally, this is how things should be as there is usually a (very) big difference in price between a Superior Suite and an Executive Suite, but that doesn’t excuse the poor layout of the Superior Suite.
In summary:
If you don’t really need a suite, avoid the Superior Suite and just book a standard room.
If you really need/want a suite, avoid the Superior Suite and save a little bit of money by booking a Deluxe Suite (which also comes with lounge access).
If you really need/want a suite and can afford to splash out, avoid the Superior Suite and book an Executive Suite as that’s a vastly better room.
The Executive Lounge
The entrance to Executive Lounge at the JW Marriott London is located next to the elevators, and across the lobby from the front desk, and it’s open between 06:00 and 23:00 daily.
The space is divided into a number of partially separated seating areas.
The first area that you may notice is a TV viewing area which is on the left as you enter the lounge.
This is the most enclosed area of the lounge (presumably to ensure the noise from the TV doesn’t flow through to the rest of the lounge), with the remaining areas being more open and offering a wider variety of seating options.
Throughout the lounge, you’ll find areas in which to relax and to work, and because the lounge also acts as a dining facility for those who have access, it offers quite a few dining tables and chairs mixed in with armchairs and sofas.
At different times of the day, you’ll find the lounge offering a selection of food & drink options.
Guests with lounge access but who don’t have breakfast included in their room rate, can enjoy a complimentary “continental” breakfast buffet in here between 06:30 and 11:00 Monday to Friday and between 07:00 and 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.
It should be noted, however, that despite the lounge invitation (which you’re given at check-in) calling the breakfast “continental”, a number of hot items are also offered.
On this visit, this was the menu:
Hot breakfast
- Lincolnshire pork sausage
- Chicken and apricot sausage
- Streaky bacon
- Clarence court scrambled eggs
- Scott’s porridge oats
Cold breakfast
- Selection of yoghurts
- Yoghurts with fruit compote and housemade granola
- Seasonal fruits selection
- Farmhouse cheeses
- Smoked salmon and charcuterie selection
From the bakery
- White and wholemeal sliced bread rolls and rustic sourdough loaf
- Selection of freshly baked pastries
- Assorted muffins
- Assorted cereals and housemade granola
The images above don’t really do the buffet justice – there was more to it than the pictures may suggest, but it was hard to get any clear pictures with a lot of other guests swarming around.
The key things to take away from here are that the food was of an acceptable quality, it was refreshed frequently, there was a reasonable selection, and it was considerably better than what, on a separate review trip, I found served in the lounge at the London Marriott Grosvenor Square which is just a short walk away.
Outside of the times when breakfast is being served, the lounge also offers a few other dining options.
Afternoon “light bites” are served daily between 13:30 and 16:30, and on this visit they included the following:
Afternoon #1
- Plain and raisin buttermilk scones served with Devonshire clotted cream and a selection of British preserves.
- A selection of house baked goods:
- Almond cookies
- Palmiers (a thin French pastry).
- Fruit tarts.
- Red velvet cake.
Afternoon #2
- Plain and raisin buttermilk scones served with Devonshire clotted cream and a selection of British preserves.
- A selection of house baked goods:
- Shortbread
- Florentines
- Cherry frangipane
- Banoffee pie
These all go alongside the items that the lounge offers throughout the afternoon:
- Selection of popcorn
- Selection of nuts
- Rice crackers
- Pretzels (mini variety)
- Assorted sweets (candy)
- Hot beverages
- Selection of cold beverages
Canapés are served between 18:00 and 20:00 and on this visit, they included the following:
Cold selection
- Assorted crudites with:
- Gochujang mayo
- Miso aubergine (eggplant) dip
- Wakame salad with sesame and pickled ginger
- Thai mango salad
- Edamame with sea salt
Hot selection
- Teriyaki chicken
- Vegetable and tofu stir fry
- Kimchi fried rice
- Prawn crackers
Selection of artisanal cheeses
- Westcombe cheddar
- Somerset brie
- Stilton
The above was accompanied by a selection of artisanal breads.
Finally, a selection of alcoholic drinks is offered between 17:30 and 21:30 daily.
Spirits
- Beefeater gin
- Absolute blue vodka
- Appleton estate rum
- Bacardi carta blanca
- Johnnie Walker black label
- Jack Daniels
- Maker’s Mark
Beers
- Camden Hells lager (draught)
- Meantime Pale Ale (can)
Wine
The producers from which these are sourced changes frequently, but these are the grape varieties on offer:
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
Sparkling
- Codorniu Cava
Soft drinks/sodas are also available, as are mixers and juices (on request).
As Executive Lounges go, this one is good. Not excellent (that’s really only an adjective to be used when discussing lounges in Asia), but it’s solid and it’s a lot better than most lounges you’ll find in the US and better than quite a few of the other lounges in London.
There’s nothing amazing about the space or the food on offer, but the seating is comfortable, the food is acceptable, the alcoholic drinks are fine (even if they’re not premium), and the staff are all friendly and helpful, so there’s not much to complain about.
Sure, during parts of the day (usually when there are food and drinks on offer) the lounge can get very busy, but that’s to be expected when you’re visiting a property with almost 500 rooms and suites.
Most other times of the day, however, the lounge is usually very quiet and that can make it a good place to get some work done if you’ve had enough of looking at your room’s four walls.
Dining
There are a number of dining options in (or attached to) this JW Marriott, but as I was having a night in a city with an incredible number of fantastic places to eat, I couldn’t bring myself to eat in-house. That would have depressed me!
Nevertheless, I should point out that all of the main eateries on offer score very well in the online ratings, so if you don’t feel like going out, you may be pleasantly surprised by what’s on offer (but expect the prices to be high!)
Here are your in-house choices.
The JW Steakhouse
This is the property’s main restaurant located on the ground floor (1st floor if you’re American) and it’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days of the week.
Breakfast is served between 06:30 and 11:00 Monday to Friday and between 07:00 and 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays.
At the time of this visit, there was an option of a buffet breakfast (continental @ £28/$38 and “full English @ £35/$47) alongside an à la carte menu, but the buffets aren’t showing on the latest menu (here) so they may no longer be offered.
Lunch is served between 12:00 and 17:00 daily with salads, streaks, chops, burgers, sandwiches, and quite a bit more on offer (link to latest menu).
At the time of writing, the average price of a starter is around £18/$24, the average price of the burgers and sandwiches is around £25/$34 and the average price of the steak/chop selection is somewhere around £65/$87 (that’s without sides).
Dinner is served between 17:00 and 23:00 daily, and the offering follows along much the same lines as the lunch menu, but with a few more options (link to latest menu).
A few other menus are on offer as well as the main ones outlined above (e.g. a tasting menu, a dessert menu, and a Sunday roast menu among others) and you find all the menus currently available here.
In better weather, guests can choose to dine outside in the “JW Garden” which is open the same hours as the restaurant.
The Park Room
The Park Room is open daily between 11:30 and 00:00 is is best known for being where the Grosvenor House serves its traditional British afternoon tea (link to menus).
Breakfast (a basic a la carte menu) and all day dining can also be enjoyed here alongside an impressive cocktail list and Champagne trolley.
Amusingly, the property describes the Park Room as “[b]oasting magnificent views of Hyde Park”, but what it doesn’t mention is that the Park Room is on the ground floor of the property and is separated from Hyde Park by five or six lanes of traffic which, in turn, are separated by a sizeable central reservation comprised of well developed trees which will almost certainly block the view of the park for most of the year.
Corrigan’s Mayfair
Corrigan’s is the most upscale restaurant attached to the JW Marriott and is run by (and named after) Michelin-starred chef Richard Corrigan.
Serving “British and Irish classics with unexpected twists”, and “seasonal European fusions” this restaurant “focuses on the finest ingredients from land, sea and air, crafting stunning menus from each day’s arrivals”.
Lunch and Dinner can be enjoyed here (12:00 – 15:00 and 17:00 to 23:00 Tuesday to Saturday) and you’ll find a mixture of a la carte, tasting and prix fixe menus on offer.
Bars
There are two bars at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House – the Bourbon Bar and Red Bar.
The Bourbon Bar
This is attached to the JW Steakhouse and is open daily between 12:00 and 23:00.
As the bar’s name suggests, Bourbon is what this place specialises in and with over 500 of them on offer, there should be something to suit everyone’s palate (and wallet).
Red Bar
Red Bar is to be found next to the Park Room and as soon as you walk through the door, you’ll notice that the bar is well named.
The bar is open between 17:00 and 00:00 daily, but it’s a popular venue for private functions so you may find that it’s not open to guests on one or more nights of your stay.
Personally, I found this space to be too dark and “moody” for my liking, but that may just be yet another sign that I’m getting old (I suspect that this is a bar aimed at a younger clientele).
The JW’s website suggests that the bar “overlooks Hyde Park”, but given that it’s on the ground floor and, just like the Park Room, is separated from the park by multiple lanes of traffic as well a tree lined central reservation, I would advise anyone who plans to visit not to expect much of a view (I never even noticed a window as I, very briefly, took a look around).
Coffee shop & snacks
Just by the Park Lane entrance to the hotel, you’ll find a small coffee shop called “Park Lane Market” which is open between 07:00 and 22:00 daily.
Essentially, this is a mini-Starbucks (Starbucks coffee is served), but with a broader selection of products from a broader range of suppliers.
Customers can choose to have their items to go, or they can choose to enjoy them in house while making use of the small seating area across the hallway from the shop.
The gym/fitness center
The gym/fitness center sits one floor above ground level and that means that some natural light can make its way inside.
I wouldn’t say that there’s an abundance of natural light as the gym faces an interior courtyard and the windows are frosted, but this is still better than what you’ll find in a lot of city center hotel gyms (most of which are located underground).
For a city center hotel gym, this one is of a reasonable size and is well equipped.
With Hyde Park just a short walk away, I’d urge anyone in the need of a run to make the most of that rather than using the treadmills here, but if the weather is being particularly British, these machines should do just fine.
Overall, there’s more than enough equipment in here to satisfy most people’s workout needs and as this gym never seems to get busy (I’ve never seen more that 3 people in here and I’m counting myself as one of the 3), you should find that it feels spacious and reasonably bright.
Final thoughts
The JW Marriott Grosvenor House London is one of those hotels that you’ll either love or that you’ll hate. I don’t think there’s a middle ground.
Leaving aside the disappointing Superior Suite for a moment, I think that there are three aspects of this property that really need to be emphasised.
Firstly, it’s location is very good if you want to be based in central London as even though it’s a 13-minute walk to the nearest Underground station, it’s situated across the road from Hyde Park, its on the edge of one of London’s most upmarket districts and it’s in a very walkable part of town.
Secondly, this is a very, very big property and there’s no hiding that fact. It feels big and impersonal, and that can be off putting if that’s not what you’re expecting.
It’s not big in the way that Las Vegas properties are big, but it’s big by central London standards.
To give you an idea of what I mean, consider that this is a property which has more rooms than the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square and the London Marriott Hotel County Hall combined.
Consider also that it’s a property with 165 more rooms than the next biggest Marriott Bonvoy property in central London (St Ermin’s), and that makes the JW Marriott Grosvenor House approximately 50% larger than the next biggest London Marriott.
Thirdly, once you’re inside the hotel you could be anywhere in the world.
There’s nothing particularly British or English about it (although the Afternoon Tea in the Park Room would give most people a very good hint as to where in the world they are) and in a lot of ways, the property feels quite American (USDA beef promoted on the steakhouse menu and Bourbon promoted in the main bar).
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you’re looking for or expecting, but if you’re in town to visit and get the feel of London, you’re not really going to get a London-vibe from this property.
As far as the rest goes …
The Superior Suite is very disappointing and had I paid for it with my own money, I would not have been happy.
That being said, I know that a lot of the other room types at the JW are just fine (I can recommend an Executive Suite!), so I don’t think you should allow my intense dislike of the Superior Suite to dominate your thoughts if you’re deciding whether or not to stay here.
The Executive Lounge is a good size, the food and drinks offerings are quite good (although not as good as they were three years ago), and the staff in the lounge are friendly and helpful, so I’d rank this as one of the better (possibly even the best) Marriott lounge in London.
Elite recognition is also reliably good here (at least it has been for me) with upgrades usually available at check-in and benefits honored without issues.
Conclusion
The JW Marriott Grosvenor House London is one of the better Marriott Bonvoy properties in London, but it’s a property that I find hard to love.
Yes, the staff are great and the location is very good, but the hotel feels too big and a little soulless, and for the prices that it charges (for rooms, food, and drinks), I’d like a little more.
For Marriott enthusiasts, this can be a good place to burn some points or a Free Night Certificate or two, but in a city as full of good hotels as London is, I can think of quite a few other properties at which I’d prefer to stay and at which I wouldn’t have to pay any more, and that makes the JW a hard property to recommend.
Related (other London reviews):
- Review: Park Hyatt London River Thames (a high-end Hyatt in the wrong location)
- Review: Park Hyatt London River Thames – Park Suite River View Deluxe (I was right!)
- Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill (Regency Suite) review – updated for 2025
- Hyatt Regency London Blackfriars review
- Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment review
- Great Scotland Yard Hotel London review (Hyatt Unbound Collection)
- Hyatt Place London Heathrow Airport review
- London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square review
- Review: London Marriott Hotel Canary Wharf
- Lincoln Plaza London (Hilton Curio Collection) review
- Hilton London Canary Wharf review
