Review: JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

By
Ziggy
-
a bed with white sheets and a lamp on a table
TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.

Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission which helps contribute to the running of the site – I’m very grateful to anyone who uses these links but their use is entirely optional. The compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site and does not impact reviews that are published.

Posts in this series:

As I mentioned in the introduction to this trip I chose to book the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur for a variety of reasons including price and convenience and, having done quite a bit of research on my options, I was looking forward to seeing what the property offered.

Location

The JW Marriott is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and is approximately 50 minutes drive from Kuala Lumpur International airport.

a map of a city

I used Uber to get too and from the airport and, although both trips took almost exactly the same length of time, the price difference was significant (in percentage terms).

The trip from the airport to the JW Marriott cost a little under 80 Malaysian Ringgits (approximately $19)…..

a screenshot of a phone

….while the return trip cost a little over 111 Ringgits (approximately $26):

a screenshot of a phone

Clearly there’s a premium for being picked up early in the morning.

First Impressions & Check-In

The JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur sits in an area dominated by upscale malls….in fact the hotel is actually part of a mall itself – the Starhill Gallery.

a white van outside of a buildingJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

Across the street are famously overpriced names like Fendi and Gucci….


a building with cars parked on the side of itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

….while inside are boutiques by Louis Vuitton and Dior:

a collage of a room with a painting on the wall

This is definitely not the cheap end of town!

The doormen at the hotel were very welcoming and, once inside the doors, it was just a short walk to reception…..

a reception desk in a hotelJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

…and to the concierge desk.

a lobby with a large rug and a large plantJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

Check in was smooth and swift and, as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I was upgraded (sort of) to a room on a high floor. I was also given a welcome letter which had details of the JW Lounge’s location, opening times and dining schedule:

a letter to a guestJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

The JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur was in the middle of an upgrade project when I visited but, fortunately, the room I was assigned was one of the newly renovated ones.

The Club Executive Room

My room was on the 23rd floor and as soon as I stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway it was obvious that I was on a redecorated floor.

a hallway with a table and lampJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

There were no signs of any wear and tear on the walls or the hallway furniture and the carpet was very soft and springy underfoot – it felt very new.

My room was just the right distance from the elevators in that it wasn’t close enough so that the noise coming from other guests would be bothersome but it also wasn’t a two day hike away either.

Here’s a brief video of the Club Executive room:

 

The room itself was a good size and laid out like most regular hotel room I’ve stayed in – there’s a small hallway as you enter……

a hallway with a bed and a couchJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

….a bathroom complete with toiletries off the hallway…..

a bathroom with a sink and mirrorJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a bathroom with a sink and toiletJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a bathroom with a glass shower and tubJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a bathroom with a bathtub and showerJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a group of bottles of shampoo and body washJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room Toiletries

….and the sleeping area straight ahead:

a hotel room with a bed and a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a bed in a hotel roomJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

The room featured a sofa and small table in the far corner……

a couch in a roomJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

…while next to this was a minibar along with with a slew of useful items including:

  • a coffee maker
  • a kettle
  • teas/coffee/milk
  • complimentary bottles of water
  • a room safe

Ahead of all this was table/desk and chair.

a room with a desk chair and a mirror on the wallJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a coffee maker and coffee pot on a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a box with tea bags and condimentsJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a group of water bottles and a container on a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a mini fridge with drinks insideJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a black safe in a wallJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

The table and chair were both comfortable but, if you happen to use an optical mouse when working, be aware that the reflective marble (or marble-like) surface of the table isn’t of great help.

a table and chair in a roomJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

Still, that’s a minor issue and it’s soon remedied by a mouse mat.

Lastly, at least with regards the sleeping area, there was a very large screen TV set into the wall opposite the bed.

a room with a tv on the wallJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

The closet (found in the hallway) had ample room for two people’s clothes and housed the usual JW Marriott bathrobes:

a closet with white robes and swingersJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

On the quality front the closet didn’t feel particularly sturdy and it had an IKEA-type feel to it……I was half-expecting to see an unpronounceable Swedish name when I opened it up 🙂

On a more positive note, the room passed a very important test of mine with flying colors – the power outlet test.

Far too often I find myself wondering why hotels make so little effort to ensure that they provide sufficient power outlets for their guests in an age where everyone seems to travel with at least three electronic devices.

No such issues at the JW Marriott KL.

On the wall by the side of the worktable (at table height) were three universal power outlets of which two were free (there was also an HDMI input for linking devices to the room’s TV):

a wall outlet with electrical outlets and a lampJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

Closer to floor level there were a further two power outlets….. although these only accepted UK-style 3-pin plugs:

a wall with a metal bar and outletJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

As if that wasn’t enough, both sides of the bed had a further two universal power outlets each.

a telephone and a pen on a deskJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

a alarm clock and a black alarm clock on a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room

Finding somewhere to plug in your devices is not an issue here.

The final aspect of the room was the view……

a city with many buildings and a cloudy skyJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Club Executive Room View

…which was better than a view of the dumpsters or the ventilation shafts but nothing really to get excited about.

Dining

As a Marriott Platinum member I had the option of having breakfast in the JW Lounge or the hotel’s restaurant…and I did both during my stay.

JW Lounge Breakfast

As lounge breakfasts go this one was pretty impressive and is served between 6am and 11am daily.

There was an omelette/egg station complete with smiling chef….

a chef standing behind a counterJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

…and the covered hot food next to him included hash browns, baked beans, chicken sausage and beef bacon – Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country so don’t expect to find pork on the menu.

The left of the chef’s station was a food island with more hot meal choices as well as a selection of cheeses.

a buffet table with food on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

a table with food on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

The hot options here included oatmeal, mushroom fricassee, flied mee hoon (fried rice vermicelli) and chicken congee.

a group of white rectangular bowls with spoons in themJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

a cutting board with different types of cheese on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

Behind the food island the lounge had further breakfast options including cereals…..

a group of glass jars with different types of foodJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

….cold meats and salad items…..

a table with different food items on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

… and fruit (including some very flavorful papaya).

a table with plates of fruit and utensilsJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

Along side all of these was a coffee machine and some pots with which guests could brew tea.

a coffee machine with a stack of white cups and platesJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

Lastly, and on the far side of the food area, there was a toaster alongside a selection of breads and conserves….

a table with food on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

….pastries, including donuts and pain au chocolat…..

a tray of pastries and pastries on a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

…and the ensemble was rounded off with croissants and muffins.

a table with food on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Breakfast

Restaurant Breakfast

The hotel’s restaurant is called “Shook!” and is located on the lower ground floor of the property.

The restaurant can be accessed via elevator or via escalator and it sits in an open atrium of the hotel so it offers a good feeling of space.

a group of people sitting at tables in a restaurantJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

Breakfast in the restaurant is one enormous buffet (I’m not exaggerating) and it offers food to satisfy the tastes of a variety of palettes.

There were waffle and pancake stations…..

a buffet with food on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

…pancake and waffle accompaniments…..

a table with bowls of food on itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

….cold meats and cheeses…..

a buffet line of foodJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

…..salad items….

a buffet line of bowls of foodJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

…and pastries:

a table with pastries and cups of jamJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

The buffet also offered the usual western breakfast items such as cereals, toast, eggs (there’s an egg station), hash browns, baked beans, chicken sausage and beef bacon  but I didn’t get any pictures of those.

For guests looking for more ethnic food there was a variety of middle eastern and asian dishes including things like Ful (a dish made from fava beans)….

a large pot with a brown liquid insideJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

….and a choice of curries, including Dhall and vegetable curry.

a group of large pots with food on a counterJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

Unsurprisingly there were dished local to the region too, including Nasi Lemak (a Malaysian coconut milk rice, served with sambal, fried crispy anchovies, toasted peanuts and cucumber) and various noodle dishes.

a buffet table with bowls of foodJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

Those looking for dishes from South East Asia and Japan were catered for too (at one point these seemed no end to this buffet!). A section of the buffet was given over to soba and miso soup, cha soba noodles…..

a kitchen with a chef standing in front of a counterJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

….and a selection of sushi.

a table with plates of foodJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

Coffee and tea were offered by servers who were very good at checking in regularly to make sure guests didn’t need anything else and the bar area of the buffet was home to a selection of chilled juices…..

a table with drinks and a signJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

…and freshly squeezed juices:

a tray of juices and orange juicesJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – Restaurant Breakfast

I really liked having all of those options and the fact that everything was offered as a buffet made it easy to try little bits of things that I wouldn’t ordinarily have for breakfast –  I’m a big fan of curry but I can’t say I’ve ever had it for breakfast before…..now I’m a convert! 🙂

Other Dining

As well as breakfast the JW lounge offers hors d’oeuvres between 5:30pm and 7:30pm (which I didn’t get a chance to try out) as well as light snacks during the “afternoon tea period” of 2:30pm to 5:00pm.

a table with plates of food and utensilsJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Afternoon Tea

Afternoon snacks included mini cakes……

a tray of desserts on a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Afternoon Tea

…..a choice of scones with clotted cream and jam (jelly)….

a plate of biscuits on a tableJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Afternoon Tea

….and a selection of mini-sandwiches including tuna croissants, egg mayo sandwiches and mini salmon burgers.

a table with different sandwiches and sandwichesJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur – JW Lounge Afternoon Tea

For some reason I can’t find my pictures of the rest of the lounge (it was pretty nice and very spacious) but I do recall there being coffee and tea on offer throughout the day as well as alcoholic beverages in the evening.

Other Hotel Amenities

The hotel has a spa and good sized gym…..although they were both under renovation when I visited so all I got to see were the remnants of what was once there:

a room with a large windowJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

The renovations were scheduled to end on 31 May so they should be all done by now and, during the renovations, guests had access to the spa and gym ant the nearby Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The hotel has a very large pool area for a city centre property and I could just about see down to it from my room:

a pool in a buildingJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

The pool area is open between 6:30am and 10:00pm daily but there’s no attendant on duty after 8:00pm.

On the day I went to check the pool out it was early and beautifully deserted so the pictures should give you a good idea of what it’s like.

a pool with tables and chairsJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a swimming pool with chairs and a building in the backgroundJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a group of lounge chairs and umbrellas on a patioJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a pool with a pergola over itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a pool with chairs and umbrellasJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a swimming pool with a large building in the backgroundJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a pool with umbrellas and tablesJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

a table and chairs in a roomJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Pool Area

The property also offers  a tennis court with an astroturf base…..

a green fence with a white line in the middle of itJW Marriott Kuala Lumpur –  Tennis Court

…although it looks like it’s seen better days.

Thoughts

Positives:

  • The few staff I interacted with were friendly, helpful and polite….but then that’s how I found everybody to be on my visit to KL.
  • The room was a good size and very well equipped for those with a lot of electronic devices.
  • The lounge was one of the better Marriott lounges I’ve visited and the choices for breakfast and afternoon tea were very nice.
  • The breakfast buffet in the main restaurant was huge and it would take a truly fussy eater not to find something there that suited their palette.

Negatives:

  • As I’ve discussed in a separate blog post, the room upgrade wasn’t much of an upgrade…especially considering the hotel didn’t appear to have very many guests. Perhaps the renovation limited the choices for an upgrade?
  • 2 of the 6 elevators leading up to the rooms were being serviced during my visit and the remaining 4 were sometimes painfully slow.
  • Some of the furniture in the room felt less than premium and that shouldn’t be the case with a property branded as a JW Marriott.
  • The hotel didn’t really have much of a bar area where you could socialise or where you could have a relaxing drink of an evening. There was a very small bar attached to the restaurant but it wasn’t somewhere you could relax with friends – if you don’t have lounge access this really limits your onsite options.
  • As a Platinum member I had access to a “super premium”internet connection but, at times, it felt more like a dial up connection than anything “super” or “premium”. The speeds could be very slow.

Bottom Line

I guess the main question would be would I visit again? to which the answer would probably be “yes….because it looks like you can book the hotel for quite reasonable rates at various times of the year”.

The lounge was excellent and worthy of a good JW property but there were bits (mentioned above) that made the hotel feel less upscale than it should have felt (the absence of a nice bar, cheap furniture etc…).

I’ve got at least two more stays at JW Marriott properties coming up this year so it will be interesting to see how they compare to the JW Kuala Lumpur….I’m expecting them to be better.

Overall I don’t really have any complaints as I knew about the refurbishment work when I booked, the staff were friendly, the room was fine and I got a pretty good rate but this JW Marriott isn’t a five star hotel as advertised….it’s a solid 4 star with aspirations.

Up Next: A Review of the Plaza Premium Lounge at Kuala Lumpur Airport (International Gates)

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

10 COMMENTS

Comments are closed.