Hotel Review: JW Marriott Auckland (Deluxe Room) - Reflagged Property on Queen Street with Potential

The Four Points by Sheraton Auckland is my property of choice when visiting Auckland as it offers fantastic value at a reasonable price - it is also located on Upper Queen Street which I prefer since that is closer to restaurants as well as fitness studios that I frequent. While the Four Points used to be the only Marriott property in Auckland, the JW Marriott Auckland opened in December 2022 (reflagged from the previous Stamford Plaza Auckland) on Albert Street which is just adjacent to Queen Street. If you are visiting Auckland for the first time, it is worth noting that the JW Marriott Auckland is also a lot closer to the Downtown Terminal and waterfront where all the nicer and fancier restaurants are congregated. 

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JW Lounge and Bar (Hotel Lobby)
JW Marriott Auckland

While the JW Marriott Auckland has been in operation since December 2022, it is still undergoing phase one of its refurbishment project. The property is home to 286 rooms and suites and as far as I know, the property has unveiled 40 newly-refurbished guest rooms in late February 2024 - the new design by O37 Design Studio draws inspiration from the natural elements of Aotearoa with a colour theme that is influenced by natural elements.

Welcome Drink
JW Marriott Auckland

I stayed at the JW Marriott Auckland back in November 2023 and I have been debating whether or not to write this review (since it may be irrelevant once the transformation is complete) but seeing how slowly the first phase of refurbishment is going, I have decided that it might still be a good idea to write a quick review of the rooms while the rest of it is underway. 

As mentioned previously, I typically stay at the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland but on this trip, I came from the Park Hyatt Auckland where I spent my time in a gorgeous Park Suite - a review of this to come soon! The JW Marriott Auckland does not have a club lounge at the moment (even though there are talks that one is in the works) so my check-in was processed at the front desk where I was also given a welcome beverage (non-alcoholic) - a nice touch! I was also informed that in the absence of a club lounge, elite members are invited to an Evening Meaning Moment at the JW Lounge and Bar - each registered guest (up to a maximum of two guests) will enjoy one (yes, just one) complimentary beverage from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Minibar
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

As a Titanium Elite member, I was not given any upgrades for my one-night stay (which was understandable since most of the rooms were closed for refurbishment) but I was somehow accorded a corner room with an interesting layout. It is worth noting that the Stamford Plaza Auckland was built back in 1984 and even though it was renovated in 2015, the hotel still looks and feels dated. The lobby area is quite nicely renovated and the lobby bar is rather nice (even though it lacks exclusivity) but man are the corridors old.

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The first thing I noticed upon entering the room is just how dated everything looks but with that being said, I do appreciate a well-stocked minibar and a Nespresso coffee machine, complete with four coffee capsules which are replenished daily. According to the welcome letter, the room will be serviced daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (which means there will be no evening turndown service) and in the month of November, guests (who were staying for more than two nights) were offered a dining credit of NZD 15 per day if they opt out of housekeeping service. I am not entirely convinced that this is a sustainability initiative but I guess having an option is always good.

Bedroom
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

As my assigned room for this stay was in the corner, it had a pretty interesting layout due to the structure of the building. This is obviously an incredibly challenging task to furnish due to dead space caused by empty corners, but I guess the JW Marriott Auckland did a decent job at it (or maybe they just inherited the layout from the previous Stamford Plaza Auckland. The TV is located on the far end of the bedroom and there was a good selection of cable and satellite channels.

Bedroom
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

The room is naturally very bright in the day (especially if you have all the window shades drawn up) but it also creates an issue with privacy. Due to the structure of the building, you can look into other guest rooms very easily so you should definitely keep the day blinds drawn at the very least. While I typically do enjoy the natural daylight, I guess there is such a thing as having way too many windows - you currently have to lower the blinds for each window panel manually but hopefully, we will see some kind of motorised blind with the upcoming refurbishments.

King-size Bed
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

Even though the Deluxe Room that I stayed in at the JW Marriott Auckland has not undergone refurbishment, there were some slight changes to the product when it was reflagged as a JW Marriott property. The most prominent difference has got to be the bedding change - all of the beds in the property have been replaced with the signature JW Marriott bedding and it was a dream to sleep in. While the rest of the room looks like something from the previous decade, the bed was actually my favourite aspect of the entire room.

Bedside Clock
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

Do note that even though there is a bedside alarm clock, you will not find any universal power outlets or USB charging ports in the bedroom. In fact, universal power outlets are not at all common in hotels in this city - none of the hotels that I have stayed in Auckland have a universal power outlet so make sure you pack a travel adapter in your bag with you. I am honestly quite curious to see how this room in particular would turn out after the refurbishment as the angular living space makes it a real challenge for interior design.

Work Desk
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

The work desks in the Deluxe Rooms are also quite small especially when you factor in the size of the guest rooms - the lead-in room category offers at least 36sqm of living space. Even though it was sufficient for me (since I typically work on my laptop only), it was a little bit strange for me to face another guest room so I ended up lowering the blind which I thought made it even weirder since it felt as if I was facing a wall. I personally thing that the work desk should be inward facing but let’s see what happens to this room eventually.

Bottled Water
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

For a hotel that tries to be sustainable, the JW Marriott Auckland provides quite a few bottles of drinking water each day. Now, I am not complaining since I consume a lot of water daily and I tend to bring a bottle out with me on my workouts but four bottles seem like a lot - especially since they are offering dining credit for guests who opt out of daily housekeeping in the name of sustainability. It is also worth noting that there was no welcome letter or amenity for a Titanium Elite member on this stay.

View from Room
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

The other side of the bedroom faces out to a building across the road. It is worth noting that the JW Marriott Auckland is not exactly a tall building so if you are staying on one of the lower floors, you will certainly have to deal with the issue of people looking into your room potentially - not a big issue for me. Still, I know people who will definitely be affected by this. In other words, even though the corner room that I stayed in at the JW Marriott Auckland comes with plenty of windows and natural daylight, there is a high chance that you will end up closing the blinds for privacy after all.

Wardrobe
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

The bathroom is located towards the end of the bedroom is a separate corner where you will also find a small dressing area and a standalone wardrobe that is not custom-built into the space. I do appreciate the fact that the dressing area is directly outside the bathroom but once again, this feels a little awkward but I guess the regular rooms will probably not have this issue.

Bathroom
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

For what it is worth, the bathroom is actually pretty spacious with a bathtub, as well as a separate shower area. Even though no work has been done to this space yet, the maintenance of the bathroom was actually pretty impressive - everything also works well with great water pressure. I am not sure whether the bathrooms will be refurbished as well but with a $25 million budget set aside for the refurbishment of rooms and suites, it works out to $90,000 per room which I guess can go a pretty long way.

Bathroom
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

The toilet is located on the furthest end of the bathroom but it can feel pretty claustrophobic with the door closed. Other personal amenities like disposable toothbrushes, cotton pads, cotton buds, and disposable razor can also be found next to the sink if you require them. A lot of hotels have started to do away with these amenities by default (even though they are usually available upon request at nicer properties) but I do appreciate them being readily available without having to ask for it.

Bath Amenities
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

Consistent to the brand standards of JW Marriott, bath amenities at the JW Marriott Auckland are provided by Aromatherapy Associates - I personally love these and I also appreciate the fact that bulk-sized bottles are placed in the bathroom for the convenience of hotel guests. Since these bottles are not mounted to the wall, it is also easy to grab them from the shower area if you are planning to draw a bath instead.

Breakfast
JW Kitchen - JW Marriott Auckland

As a Titanium Elite member, the full buffet breakfast JW Kitchen is complimentary for me and this is where it gets a little bit perplexing - now as I have mentioned earlier, I spent the last couple of days at the Park Hyatt Auckland where the made-to-order a la carte breakfast is fantastic but I am also aware that I should not be comparing the JW Marriott Auckland to that standard (especially since the Park Hyatt usually costs at least two times as much). After reading good things online about the buffet breakfast at the JW Marriott Auckland, I was honestly surprised to find out that the buffet spread not only lacks variety but also quality during my stay.

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While the breakfast at the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland does not change much on a daily basis, it has been consistently good but the spread and quality at the JW Kitchen was pretty disappointing and I dare say it was significantly worse than the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland. I am not sure whether this has been improved since my last visit back in November 2023 but most of the trays were empty (and not refilled), the food was cold, and I don’t think I have seen a thinner slice of papaya on the buffet table in my entire life.

Bedroom
Deluxe Room - JW Marriott Auckland

The JW Marriott Auckland enjoys a fantastic location in the city, making it easy to walk to the beautiful Viaduct Harbour, Commercial Bay, and even Wynyard Quarter if you are up for a nice stroll. The hotel is right next to Queen Street and there are plenty of great restaurants and shopping (read: cheap lululemon) in the vicinity but unfortunately, I cannot see myself staying here again - especially when the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland is offering so much more bang for the buck. While the newly-refurbished Superior Rooms at the JW Marriott Auckland look pretty nice, I am still not convinced that the JW Kitchen can deliver a breakfast experience that can rival the Four Points by Sheraton Auckland (which has a smaller spread but everything is done well at the very least). According to what I read online, the entire refurbishment is expected to complete by the end of November 2024, so I guess I might try to stay here again if I visit Auckland in the Summer, or perhaps early next year - even if the hard product is ready, the soft product still needs work.

JW Marriott Auckland
22-26 Albert Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
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