Having one [pesky] 35,000 point free night award (courtesy of my Marriott Bonvoy Business card from American Express) set to expire, I opted to use it at the JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek in Colorado.
Was that a good decision? Read on to find out.
Review: JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek (CO)
About
The JW Marriott is located in my old stomping ground, Cherry Creek, which was (for a time) the most premier and exclusive neighborhood in Denver.
That being said, I found it a little strange that I didn’t remember the JW Marriott from my college days.
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Location & Parking
The JW Marriott is situated right in the heart of Cherry Creek, across the street from the Cherry Creek mall. There you will find excellent dining options, plenty of high end shopping, art galleries and more.
There is no self-parking at this hotel, however, valet parking is available for the cost of $49 per night.
FHOP Tip: If you’d like to avoid using valet parking and paying the fee, I found there was easy and plentiful metered parking right across the street from the entrance to the JW Marriott. The good thing about this parking was it was on a street in an upscale neighborhood and directly across from the hotel valet’s watchful eye. Although I was warned by the front desk staff, that if I forgot to put money in the meter at 8:00 AM there’d be an $80 parking ticket waiting for me.
Marriott Bonvoy Booking & Redemption
During my stay, the nightly room rate started at $306 per night ($322.94 with taxes and fees included) for a Deluxe King, Guest Room, Courtyard View.
However, the JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek is a Category 5 Marriott property, meaning I was able to book the night of my stay for 35,000 points (a CPP of .92, in case you were wondering).
Because of this, I decided to use one of my free Marriott award night certificates from my Marriott Bonvoy Business card from American Express.
Attempt At Suite Night Redemption
As a Marriott Platinum Elite member, I also had a Suite Night certificate to use, so I “applied” for one of the larger suites.
To my chagrin, I was denied the suite.
Lobby
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Front Desk & Check-In
As I arrived for check in, there were two front desk attendants working on their computers, apparently too busy to acknowledge my presence.
After a minute or two and then a quick “throat clearing”, one of the attendants finally looked up, and after doing a “half-eye roll”, offered to assist me.
I was not welcomed, nor was I acknowledged for my Bonvoy Platinum status. Before I knew it, I was handed a key.
I then apologized in advance “for asking this favor”, but I wanted to know if they had a two-queen room that I could switch out for my king room due to the fact I had a friend staying over.
I kid you not, the front desk attendant appeared to pretend to type something into the computer and in about 5 seconds said, “nope, no other rooms are available”.
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Breakfast Voucher
I then inquired about the breakfast benefit, to which I was handed this elite member breakfast voucher for up to $40.
Room Key
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The Platinum Member Room Upgrade – ?
I inquired as to whether I had received a room upgrade as a Platinum member, to which I was told I did not.
Elevator Area
At this point in the night it was well past 9:00 PM and the JW Marriott was definitely a happening place; in particular the Toro Latin kitchen restaurant.
Although this hotel had apparently been recently remodeled, it did appear to have heavy usage which manifested in the form of grimy handprints over the copious amounts of brass throughout the hotel.
However, the hotel was clean overall and did appear satisfactorily upscale.
Hallway
Room Entrance
Bedroom
Like the rest of the hotel, the room was elegant but dated, and there were signs of heavy wear.
The room was well-lit and comfortable.
Living Area
Room Artwork
This artwork captures my feelings about the room perfectly
Room Amenities
Closet
Bathroom
The same went for the bathroom; clean, elegant, and well-lit with signs of heavy wear.
I was hoping to find my favorite brand of hotel toiletry, the signature JW Marriott line from Aromatherapy Associates.
Instead, I found large multi-use bottles from Molton Brown London. I’ve never heard of this line before, but the quality did seem quite good, although it was not Aromatherapy Associates.
Room Condition
As mentioned above the room condition showed signs of heavy usage especially on the couch (which had some large mystery stains), the shower (which had some heavy scuff marks), and the desk (which had some deep cuts into the wood).
No thanks, I’m good. I’m not sitting or laying here.
Did someone shower in boots?
Nicks and scratches
Another major faux pas was the off-brand coffee cups provided by the JW Marriott did not fit the single use pods from the Nespresso machine.
Luckily, I had an inkling this would happen thus I was prepared with two cups to catch the overflow.
The cups don’t fit the pods. Come on JW, do better.
Toiletry mish-mash.
Platinum Breakfast Benefit At Toro
The brightest part of our stay at the JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek was easily the platinum breakfast benefit at Toro Latin Kitchen and Lounge.
The restaurant was upscale and trendy, but the food was quite reasonably priced.
As such, I was reasonably suspicious about the quality of the breakfast, but my fears were quickly allayed by the delicious breakfast and the excellent service we were given from our waiter (who was technically the bartender).
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Breakfast Menu
Breakfast & Bill
Eggs Benedict
The Build-Your-Own-Omelette
The Property Exterior
The property’s exterior was shockingly muted if not downright iron curtain austere.
One could be forgiven for easily assuming the building was designed to look if it came an ex-Soviet Republic, if not for the large copper bull statue for the Toro restaurant out front.
Swimming Pool
As far as the swimming pool went, there was no swimming pool.
Fitness Center
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Only later did I find out this JW Marriott had its own custom brew, the Griffin Wing IPA.
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The Bottom-Line Review: JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek (CO)
I’m kind of torn on the way I feel about the JW Marriott Denver Cherry Creek. On one hand, it was an upscale hotel in a wonderful part of town with a happening scene and a very good restaurant.
On the other hand, the service I received was deciding subpar, which kind of aligned with the overall lackluster interior and exterior décor and the overall vibe of the [non-Toro] parts of the hotel.
I believe the redemption rate of 35,000 Bonvoy points was is a good (but not great) value here, although I really can’t see spending more than $250 maximum on a room at this hotel.
In my opinion, this hotel is great for a lover’s staycation or a group of singles checking out Denver for the first time, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for families or business travelers.
Final rating: 6.75 out of 10
