My final sprint to hit Marriott Titanium this December! Thanks to the Amex £400 offer (and yet another friend), I’ve chosen the JW Marriott Hotel to stay for a couple of nights.

Next to Knightsbridge, Hyde Park is another area where a few luxurious hotels are located, which includes the JW Marriott, InterContinental and Hilton. Personally I don’t like it that much though, as there’s no eatery or tube station nearby, so not very convenient unless you purely want to stay in your hotel room.

You can’t easily tell from the outside, but the hotel is actually fairly big – you could tell from the massive lobby and reception area at the ground floor. Judging from the lobby only, the JW Marriott looks closest to what a typical five-star hotel would appear in my mind, amongst its counterparts that I have visited recently.

The Executive Lounge is also located here, which is open till 11pm and also very big.

No food or alcohol is served though, but you could help yourself to some soft drinks and biscuits throughout the day.

I was upgraded just one-level to Superior King. It’s a bit surprising considering how empty the hotel must be, but given that I’m not here for holiday I couldn’t care any less.

Although not quite spacious, the room does look elegant enough to me. I especially like this small clock on the bedside table.

Breakfast is served via in-room dining only, and this is how mine looks:

The presentation isn’t great, and the soggy omelette doesn’t taste any better either…

From the poor upgrade I received and the disappointing breakfast, I can’t say the stay was very enjoyable. However, I wasn’t in a holiday mood to be honest, and the reduced experience was also partly due to the executive lounge cut etc, so during normal times it may be quite different.

Thanks to another friend’s Marriott £400 offer, I was able to try out the W Hotel before the tier-4 madness kicks in…

The hotel is very, very central – in fact if you search for London hotels on Marriott’s website the W Hotel is always the first one to come up. I see the hotel every time I visit Chinatown or Soho, which was why I wasn’t so excited to visit it initially.

The ground floor has only a small concierge desk, and you need to go to floor one to check in.

The reception area is also very small, and dark. I’m staying here for two nights, and fortunately the hotel will remain open until the day of my departure.

Very thankfully, I was upgraded to a Marvellous Suite on the 6th floor. I’m quite amused by the fact that the first thing I see when opening the door is the bathroom, how unique!

This is the very first time I’m staying at a W hotel, and I find its quirkiness very entertaining. I was looking for the toilet and shower, only to find that they are hidden behind the mirrors:

And the amenities come with very naughty packaging and descriptions:

Feel free to enjoy a bath overlooking the street:

The bedroom is pretty fashionable and smart too, with a massive bed. All things including TV, temperature and lighting can be controlled using the iPad.

It is a proper spacious suite with a curved long wall. Given its location and height though there isn’t much of a view.

Breakfast is in-room dining only and you could order from the iPad. I had eggs benedict for the first morning and full English for the next. Food quality is good.

Gym is located on the 6th floor, along with the SPA centre.

The staff I’ve spoken with are all very helpful. I’m genuinely impressed by the stay and really love the pleasant surprises the hotel has given me. If Amex runs similar offers in the future I’m happy to return😜