Jw Marriott In Mexico City - Mexico City, Mexico     

I was expecting luxury and panache when I booked the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Mexico City. It was a definite splurge. and this hotel was rated higher then the Four Seasons! The lobby was elegant and the check in was smooth and welcoming. However, the room was smaller then I expected. It certainly was comfortable, but I did expect a larger space for all the accolades this hotel receives. While the bed was quite comfortable, the lighting in the room was strange and the closet light went on and off sporadically. The bathroom was large and hot water flowed with power . The towels were thick and plentiful. However, the tub did not drain well and I was forced to stand in several inches of water while showering. Strangely, there were small bits of the fixtures missing in the bathroom. It was nothing that created a problem for me, but something that I would not expect of a hotel of this caliber. I will say the air-conditioning worked wonderfully. What I was most dismayed by was the lack of service at this hotel. While the staff was always quick with a "Buenos Dias," there certainly was a lack of substance to their efforts. Calling a taxi was always a hassle. We were advised not to hail a cab on the street. Thus, I expected the hotel to be readily available with sitio taxis or phone cabs. We had to wait for the concierge to be free every time we needed a taxi. He would then call a taxi which took several minutes, and then we were asked to wait outside the hotel for close to ten minutes. We were tipping quite readily. The process took between 15 and 20 minutes and then we had to negotiate a fare with the driver who invariably did not speak English. It was weird! Also, we utilized the ironing board provided in the room, but we could not get it closed. We asked the front desk to send someone up to figure out how to close the ironing board. It took them over 24 hours to do this and three requests. On the plus side, the J.W. Marriott is located in the Polanco neighborhood which we found sophisticated and charming. The streets between the hotel and Avenue Presidente Masaryk have a great neighborhood feel. We also enjoyed the neighborhoods of Condessa and Roma. However, be advised that any taxi ride in the city takes an excruciating long time due to the traffic. While we enjoyed Mexico City very much, next time we visit I will try to find a less expensive hotel in one of the three neighborhoods of Polanco, Condessa, or Roma

There are lots of hotels in Mexico City of all different levels. The JW Marriott is one of the top-tiers of hotels in the city. It is located in Polanco, one of the more affluent areas of the city in easy walking distance to other large hotels and a large variety of food and shopping choices. A couple of downsides to the hotel. After a while you sort of get a little frustrated with the employees trying to help you. Its built into their job that they will help. Sometimes you want to get your own coffee. Another downside is the taxis. The taxis that circle the hotel know that you are spending 200-300/night so they have no problem trying to charge you $10-15 to go a couple of miles. Third downside is that the hotel has 1 (expensive) restaurant, but that is not so much a downside because there's plenty in walking distance including the Hard Rock Cafe. But don't read these as problems with the hotel. Its a top-tier hotel with top-tier service, good sized comfortable rooms, great views, and even good TV (they get ABC,CBS channels).