Background:
I previously visited the rooftop bar, Parkestry, at the JW Marriott Anaheim with friends a year or so ago. Anaheim, California has added a lot of new hotels in the past decade, and the JW Marriott is one of the newest and fanciest additions to the area. On a recent trip to Disneyland, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to stay at the JW Marriott Anaheim and use it as a home base. The JW Marriott has been awarded the AAA 4 Diamond, and I think it’s well deserved. I would say it falls into the 4.5-star category.
The JW Marriott opened in 2020 and features 466 guest rooms, 19 of which are suites. Based on a current search online, rates for a standard room average between $250 and $400 before taxes and fees.
JW Marriott Anaheim Resort Takeoff Points:
Date of Stay: November 2023
Room Type: Executive Suite
Pros: Nice new hotel feel, excellent cleanliness, great executive lounge, and friendly staff.
Cons: Low showerhead pressure, some minor wear and tear.
Overall Takeoff Score: A-
Fora Travel Benefits at the JW Marriott Anaheim:
I work with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays. Fora is partnered with Marriott Stars & Luminous. With this, you can get special perks when booking with me. The JW Marriott Anaheim offers:
- Room upgrade upon availability on arrival
- Daily breakfast, for two guests
- $100 USD Food & Beverage Credit
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
If you are interested in getting these perks and want to stay at the JW Marriott Anaheim, feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel or fill out the contact form at the bottom of this post if you have any inquiries.
Arrival:
We were coming from the W in Los Angeles and had some afternoon excursions in the Orange County area. I thought if the room was ready we could drop off our bags at the hotel before exploring the were for the day, so I used the chat function in the app to see if it was possible. I also asked if there were any Marriott Bonvoy Platinum upgrades available, and to my delight both early check-in and a suite were available.
Lobby:
The lobby is essentially two stories. One entrance is to the reception level (2) which connects to the Anaheim GardenWalk Mall. This is where I entered, and you’ll see the front desk, plenty of seating options, and the lobby bar. I really enjoyed the decor of the lobby. We were quickly checked in by a friendly associate and proceeded to our room. Throughout the stay, via interactions with associates or messages through the chat function of the app, the service was prompt and friendly.
From street level (1), there is a smaller bell desk, JW Market grab-and-go, and conference space.
Elite Status Benefits:
I currently have Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Status from my AMEX Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card. Platinum Status and above gets you access to the Executive Lounge located on the 10th floor. And for your welcome gift, you get an extra 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points, since breakfast is already served in the lounge.
Executive Lounge:
The executive lounge is located on the 10th floor and is quite a large space with great views of the Disney parks. The top 2 floors, 10th and 11th, are the two dedicated executive floors, and there is a convenient staircase located near the lounge leading up to the 11th floor so you don’t have to take the elevator one floor. I thought that was a great design.
Hours of operation during my stay were:
- Breakfast: 6:30 AM-11 AM
- Hors d’oeuvres: 5 PM-7:30 PM
- Dessert: 8 PM-9 PM
- The bar is open from 5 PM-10 PM for drinks (for a charge)
And outside of those hours, there are still refreshments, tea, coffee, and some pre-packaged snacks available.
There were great views of Disneyland, and it is a perfect place to see the nighttime fireworks. Unfortunately, during our stay, there were high winds, so the fireworks shows were canceled.
Breakfast:
Breakfast for Platinum members and above were served here. For the two nights I stayed, they did change up the menu to keep things interesting which I liked. In terms of hot items, the first day had pancakes, eggs, a breakfast burrito, bacon, hash browns, and sausage, while the second day had had cheese roll, scrambled eggs with bacon, bacon, potatoes, and ham. Other items included some fruits and cheeses, as well as granola and a few pastries. I found the selection to be quite good for a US domestic lounge.
Other Snacks:
During hors d’oeuvres, there were some hot dishes like chicken nuggets, Mac & Cheese, and tater tots. Plus, some cold dishes like bruschetta. For dessert, they had some salty little bites like vegetable sticks & olives. And, for sweets, they had little cakes.
There is a bartender in the lounge starting in the evenings if you want to purchase alcohol. I do wish that they offered perhaps one or two complimentary alcoholic options.
Also, there seemed to always be someone working to clean up the lounge, so I appreciated that it was in tip-top shape. Overall, for a domestic US hotel lounge, it was probably one of the best I’ve been to.
The Suite:
Our Executive Suite was actually two rooms together, so there were two separate entrances. We were located on the top floor (11th). One was a Deluxe King Room that connected to a suite that contained a large living room, dining room, and grand bathroom. Online it says that the Executive Suite is 755 square feet but I believe that is just for the suite portion, not including the Deluxe King.
Executive Suite Portion:
Upon entering, there is some counter space at the entrance featuring a mini fridge, coffee maker, two water bottles, and a large closet with iron/board.
A large six-chair dining table takes up half of the suite, and a cozy L-shaped couch overlooking the windows is featured with a TV.
Due to the architectural stylings, the windows are blocked by some metal panels so the view is a bit obstructed. Nevertheless, it was a nice view with plenty of sunlight. We were located at one corner of the hotel, so we overlooked Orange County and the surrounding areas but were not facing the theme parks.
The suite bathroom was the star of the show for me, featuring a large walk-in shower, soaking tub, double sinks, and a separate w/c. To be a bit picky, I wish the w/c didn’t have a glass door for privacy, and the window at the tub could be cleaner. But, I appreciated how all of the towels were very clean, and robes were provided.
Toiletries (Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash) were provided by Aromatherapy in reusable bottles, and cotton swabs, mouthwash, and makeup wipes were provided as well. Like my recent stay at the W Los Angeles, I found the reusable bottles to be a bit small and flimsy, so I believe it’s a Marriott quirk.
One note, while the hotel was newly built in 2020, it seemed like some of the hardware could be refreshed. Particularly, there were some loose furniture handles, and the drapes were falling apart a bit. Not sure if it comes with the territory of being a family resort, or if their choice of furnishings wears out a bit quickly.
Deluxe King Room:
The King Room by itself was a solid size at 385 square feet. Upon entering the room, there is a spacious bathroom that has both a standup shower and a soaking tub. I think having both is a great addition and the tub is helpful for families with young children, as well as adults who want to relax. There was a single sink and w/c, but nothing was sectioned off, which does make it a bit harder to have multiple people use the bathroom at one time.
One minor annoyance that I had was that both bathrooms had the quirk of low shower head pressure. The shower head was quite big, and even featured a wand component, but the water pressure was just not strong enough.
Going through the rest of the room, there is a Keurig machine provided, a closet with robes, an iron/board, and a safe. There is also a personal mini fridge which could come in handy. Two water bottles were provided as well.
There is a large king bed with a clock that supports wireless charging, as well as plenty of ports for charging. The bed and pillows were very comfortable, and the sheets felt of high quality.
Additionally, there is a sofa, that features a trundle bed that pulls out from the sofa. This could be perfect for a smaller child. On top of that, there is a leather armchair and desk area with a chair as well.
From a pre-arrival email, I let the hotel know that my travel companion was celebrating their birthday during the trip, and on the first night they delivered a tray of sweets which was an appreciated touch.
Overall, I loved the Executive Suite, and it was a great place to relax and enjoy our vacation.
Destination Fee:
The JW Marriott Anaheim’s destination fee includes a
- $30 Daily Hotel Food & Beverage Folio Credit which is valid for use at Tocca Ferro, Parkestry, In Room Dining, JW Market, Citriculture, or the Pantry (Sundries Store)
- Daily Morning Yoga Class for Two 7 AM-8 AM at Wellness Center
- Daily Wine Tasting for Two 5 PM-6 PM (Sun-Mon) at Citriculture Lobby Bar, 5 PM-6 PM (Tue-Sat) at Tocca Ferro Italian Chophouse
- One $15 voucher for Roy’s Restaurant
It’s honestly one of the better destination fees as it comes with ways to recover some of the value. We were able to use the $30 food and beverage credit daily, once at the Pantry, and once for a pizza at Citriculture Lobby Bar. And, we did take advantage of the wine tasting for two when we got the pizza at Citriculture.
Location:
The JW Marriott is in a perfect location to visit Disneyland. It’s just a simple 15-minute walk to the front gates of both Disneyland and California Adventure. The simplest and quickest route would be to exit the lobby on floor 2, walk through the Anaheim Gardenwalk Mall onto Disney Way, and then make a right on Harbor Boulevard, then the entrance to the park will be on the left. Just a bit unfortunate that the Gardenwalk hasn’t picked up steam and is partly an empty mall towards the back of it. The front of the mall does feature restaurants like P.F. Chang’s, the Cheesecake Factory, Bubba Gump, and more.
Parking:
The JW Marriott Anaheim offers only valet parking for $59 per night.
We just needed to self-park for an hour to check in, and we returned our rental car at night since we wouldn’t need one on our Disney days. So, we parked at the self-parking lot at the GardenWalk for an hour which is free, and walked over to the hotel. If you wanted to self-park overnight at the GardenWalk, it would cost $30 for overnight parking.
Amenities:
Pool:
I took a quick peek at the pool which looked nice. There was no hot tub though, which would have been nice after a long day at the parks. Cabanas were available for rent, and there were locker rooms and poolside showers.
The lobby bar also has an outdoor portion by the pool, so you could get drinks and snacks really easily.
Fitness Center:
The fitness center is quite large and well-equipped with a variety of machines and even 3 Pelotons! There is also a separate yoga/aerobics room. And, water bottles were provided.
JW Garden:
On the second floor connecting the reception area to the GardenWalk mall is the JW Garden which is nice to walk through with lots of plants. I thought it was a cute touch.
Dining:
We ate at the lobby bar Citriculture to take advantage of the wine tasting. For food, we shared a delicious pizza.
Other food options include Tocca Ferro, which is the signature Italian Chophouse. Currently, it is open for breakfast daily, and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.
Also, the rooftop bar Parkestry is located on the 11th floor and is open Tuesday-Saturday nights.
Also for quick service and grab-and-go, there is the JW Market on the ground floor, and the Pantry is a sundry store with snacks and gifts.
Lastly, in-room dining is available.
The Verdict:
Overall, I had a great stay at the JW Marriott Anaheim. The clean rooms, convenient location to Disneyland, and solid executive lounge are the major pluses, and if my travels bring me to Anaheim again I would look to stay at the property again. If you’re looking for an upscale stay in Disneyland but don’t want to pay Grand Californian prices, I think this is a great choice!
Have you stayed at the JW Marriott Anaheim before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
If you are interested in getting Fora perks and want to stay at the JW Marriott Anaheim, feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel or fill out this contact form below. If you have other trips you’d like for me to help plan, feel free to reach out as well!
