Review: Why the JW Marriott resort in Venice continues to frustrate, and why we return (Part 2)

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This is the second part of my review of the JW Marriott hotel in Venice.

Part 1 of my JW Marriott Venice review, which covers the location, rooms, kids club and pool, can be found here.

Up on the roof

The JW Marriott Venice roof terrace in the main building is the most successful part of the hotel. But, yet again, they score an own goal.

On the roof is a pool with great views towards Venice. You can see how deep it is here:

After May, at which point the hotel believes that the main pool is warm enough for kids, children are banned from this pool. Yes, kids are banned from a pool that is about 2 feet deep and are forced into the ‘family’ pool which is about 5 feet deep.

There used to a restaurant and bar on the roof. The wasp invasion has basically forced them to abandon this now. A new bar has been built inside the restaurant and everyone now eats inside.

I have to say that the meal we had here was the most accomplished I had in over two weeks in Italy. But … come on …. the hotels adds an €8 per person ‘cover charge’ to your bill and doesn’t even provide any bread.

And, when your bill comes, you are asked to tick a box for an extra tip (service is included) with the options running to 18% …..

Everything else …..

There is a lot to see on the island and, to be fair, we didn’t experience it all because of the children.

Here is the lobby bar. Again, I was very impressed by the design:

Dispensa is the hotel cafe. Here is one improvement over previous years. Dispensa used to open very late to effectively force you to pay for the €35 hotel restaurant breakfast. It now opens at 6.30am so if you can survive on a coffee and a pastry then you can make a decent saving here.

Breakfast in the restaurant is OK although it is certainly not outstanding. It is what you’d expect from a four star hotel.

Yet again, they manage to annoy you. Once you have sat down, a member of staff comes along and places a card and pencil on your table. The card says “Room number: [filled in for you]” and underneath “Tip: [left blank for you to fill in]”. I mean ….

I popped into the JW Marriott Venice spa briefly. It is classy but expensive and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the best option in the city. It has a small indoor and outdoor plunge pool which looks good. Entrance is €35.

This is the garden of one of the suites in the cottages in the grounds:

There is a fine dining restaurant in the grounds which has a Michelin star, although we have never managed to eat there:

The JW Marriott Venice hotel shuttle boat runs every 30 minutes without a break until after midnight. I had a look at the timetables for the Kempinski and the Excelsior hotels and they run a worse schedule. The boats have a capacity of around 35 but were never full. We went to the opera one evening and were grateful for the late finishing time.

Conclusion

Venice is a great place to come in August. You don’t need to spend much time in the centre with the cruise ship crowds. You can happily pass your days at the JW Marriott or take a taxi across to the Lido where the beach is impressive, and then pop into the city for a couple of hours in the early evening when it quietens down.

There are a lot of things about the JW Marriott Venice I like. The design and furnishings are very well done – this is probably the thing that swings it for me. The grounds are large and well tendered. The rooftop bar and restaurant is cool. The spa looks great and there is a fine dining option. The Junior Suites work really well, either for a couple or for a family with two children. The shuttle service to St Marks was always punctual. Breakfast isn’t bad.

It just falls down around the edges. Spurious extra charges. Demands for ludicrous tips. €11 for a can of coke by the pool. The wasp infestation. The lack of upgrades for status members. €118 to rent a bike for 10 minutes. €8 restaurant cover charges which don’t even get you any bread.

For 40,000 Marriott Rewards points (now 50,000 points, and to be 60,000 points on peak nights from 2019) plus €200 per night for a €500+ junior suite, the JW Marriott in Venice was a very good deal. I doubt I would come back and pay full price – I would like to try the Cipriani or Kempinski, and the Excelsior on the Lido should be good when refurbished – but it is a good points option.

The hotel website is here if you want to find out more.

PS. We had lunch on the Grand Canal-side terrace at Marriott’s Gritti Palace one day. I do recommend this. It gives you an excuse to have a poke around the astonishing interior of the Gritti and, on a sunny day with the hotel’s Riva speedboat parked up next to your table, it is a lovely place to eat. It clearly isn’t cheap but the food is not too fancy and you are a world away from the crowds.

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (December 2021)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card usually comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card? It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold and MeliaRewards Gold status. We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn American Express Membership Rewards points with American Express Gold (20,000 bonus points), the American Express Rewards Credit Card (5,000 bonus points) and – for small business owners – American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus points) and Business Platinum (40,000 bonus points).

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

(Want to earn more hotel points? Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)