It's no secret that your hotel choice can make or break your holiday experience. That's why I am introducing accommodation reviews in my blog posts. The purpose of these reviews is to give my honest opinion about my stay at different hotels, villas, resorts etc during my travels. As I am not receiving any compensation for staying at these locations, you can be sure you are getting an unbiased review. So, let's get into it!
Today, I am going to be giving you guys a review of my stay at the JW Marriott Marquis in Doha, Qatar.
JW Marriott Marquis Doha is a 5-star luxury hotel located in the heart of Doha's city centre in Qatar. The hotel has a combination of accommodation options including rooms, suites and apartments.
Why did I decide to stay at JW Marriott Marquis Doha?
Good question. There is no magical reason for this besides the simple fact that a destination event that I planned was being held at JW Marriott Marquis Doha, As I was flying into Qatar about 24 hours before the event, I thought it would be efficient to stay at the hotel so that I didn't have to worry about getting to and from the event venue.
Having said that though, other factors that played a role in my deciding to stay at the hotel was it's proximity to the city centre. I wanted to stay at a central location where I could easily get around and JW Marriott Marquis ticked that box quite nicely.
First Impressions
I arrived in Doha around 5:30am and being summer over there, it was already daylight. I got a cab from the airport with the drive to the hotel being about 20 minutes.
On arrival at the hotel, a concierge came out to help with my luggage. Their timing was perfect as my travel card plus bank card was not connecting to the EFTPOS machine in the cab which was making the cab driver irritated while I was wondering what the heck was going on with my cards. The concierge was great and offered to sort it out with the cab fare charged to my hotel room. I was impressed with how quickly he stepped in and got the cab driver to calm down as his irritation was getting more and more obvious. While they were trying to sort it out, I jumped on my bank app again, reset my card PIN, tried again on the cab's EFTPOS machine and viola! it worked this time. (Note to self: Always carry local currency when travelling to avoid situations like this).
Customer Service
That initial customer service from the concierge left a positive impression and I was like, "OK, I like this hotel already." The second thing that left another positive impression was the flexibility from the front desk staff with check-in times. Most hotels check-in time is usually 3:00pm. In some instances, they might allow an early check-in for 12noon. But when you have been flying for 10 hours and arrive at your hotel around 6:00am, the last thing on your mind is to wait for a 12noon check-in.
So, I asked the front desk staff if I could check-in earlier as I was knackered and needed to rest and freshen up before my first meeting. He was very kind and arranged an early check-in but I had to pay about half a night's charge. At this point, I was too tired to negotiate so I rolled with it.
Throughout my stay, the customer service was impeccable. From the housekeeping staff to my dedicated concierge who came by twice a day to check that I was well-looked after to the room service staff, to the front desk team, it was truly a world-class customer service experience from check-in to check-out. The attention to detail by the turn-down service staff is worth mentioning. When I came back to my room in the evenings, my bed was prepped for sleep, the lights dimmed with a small treat waiting.
Room Review
Upon getting to my room, I was like, "Now we're talking". I booked a Deluxe King Room via the Marriott Bonvoy app and it met my expectations. The room was spacious (approx. 46sqm), had a living area, workspace with floor to ceiling windows.
The first thing I inspect when I step into my hotel room is the bathroom. If the bathroom did not meet my expectations in terms of cleanliness and amenities, then I just feel like nothing else in the hotel will. But my bathroom was luxuriously perfect with modern amenities, bath, shower, bathrobe, ample towels, toiletries etc. I then did an inspection of the rest of my room and once I was satisfied, I had a shower and went straight to sleep.
Dining Experience
By the time I woke up, it was afternoon which meant too early to head down for dinner and I already missed breakfast. I decided to order lunch and again, the customer service impressed me. The room service staff were polite and efficient and lunch was up in no time. I ordered the biryani and it was one of the best I have had. After lunch, I noticed there was chocolate and cake on the workspace desk - I must have missed it in my tiredness when I arrived. By now, I was too full from lunch to eat it so I decided to save it for later. After lunch, I freshened up and went down to meet the hotel staff that would be my contact for my event.
Side note: I deliberately excluded breakfast in my booking as I knew I might sleep in (due to jet lag) plus I wanted to explore Doha's breakfast/brunch spots so I paid for my breakfast as required on the mornings I ate at the hotel.
The next day, I had breakfast at the Sridan restaurant at the hotel and boy, was the spread mouthwatering or what. Normally, I am a porridge or granola with coffee kinda breakfast girl so having a wide array of food to choose felt a bit overwhelming initially. A waitstaff must have noticed me looking overwhelmed and they very kindly talked me through the different food stations, sorted out my coffee order and showed me to a nice spot that allowed me eat quietly while still taking in the beautiful Doha scenery.
Like I said, I'm not a big breakfast person so I didn't eat much but I was happy with my choices which consisted of omelette, toast and some middle eastern bread which was just so yum!
As I mentioned, my business was hosting an event at the hotel that I planned so I had done extensive research on the hotel and its offerings. I was responsible for selecting the menu and wine for my client's event and JW Marriott Marquis delivered. The guests at the event commented on how good the food was from the entree to the mains and finally the desserts. I might do a separate post on my event planning experience at the hotel later. But suffice to say, it was perfectly seamless.
Amenities and Facilities
As I was in Doha for business, I didn't really have a lot of extra time to explore the amenities the hotel but judging from the amenities I spotted (the pool and spa), they met my expectation for what I would expect from a luxury hotel.
Value for Money
JW Marriott Marquis is a 5-star luxury hotel and as such, comes with a premium price tag. But, I can tell you this, you will get value for your money. The customer service is truly impeccable. The accommodation is spacious, comfortable and elegant with well-appointed amenities. The location is a huge plus too as it gives you easy access to the city centre and commercial district. The hotel is also connected to a big shopping mall if you want to do a quick shopping without venturing too far away from your hotel.
Rating
Based on my experience, I would rate JW Marriott Marquis as an excellent choice if you are looking for a luxurious accommodation experience in Doha. If you are travelling for business as I was, the hotel will tick all your boxes in terms of location, accessibility, facilities and value for money. If you are travelling with family, the hotel is very family friendly and I met a couple of families on staycation as it was a long weekend in Qatar while I was there. It also works nicely for large groups and I met a large group from the US who were on their way back from Asia and had a stop over in Qatar. JW Marriott Marquis works for all traveller groups.
Will I stay there again? Absolutely! If I find myself in Doha in future, JW Marriott Marquis will definitely be at the top of my list of luxury hotel options.
Recommendations:
Feeling peckish and wanting some afternoon tea or evening dessert? Head downstairs to La Maison Martinez for some mouthwatering delicious treats.
Wanting to try out some Asian cuisine? Head to the Shanghai Club for a gastronomic experience while taking in the amazing views from the 43rd floor of the hotel.
I hope this review was helpful. If you would like to book, I would recommended using the Marriott Bonvoy App which is what I used for my booking or you can book directly with the hotel by visiting their website here.
You can see a recap of my stay on the Wanderlust By Design Instagram page here.
Have you stayed at the JW Marriott Marquis Doha before? If yes, I'd love to hear about your experience.
Be well,
JJ
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