JW Marriott Austin

The JW Marriott Austin is a beautiful, tastefully decorated hotel in Austin, Texas. However, be prepared for possible parking issues

When searching for a hotel for my one night in Austin, I knew I wanted to stay someplace new. So far, I’d stayed at the Tommie Austin (which frankly, also counts The Thompson Austin, as they share the same building and common areas), and The Otis Hotel Austin, Autograph Collection.

After a quick search and compare, I selected the JW Marriott Austin, on 2nd Street.

Location

The location of the hotel is easy to access off I35 freeway. Parking is self parking or valet, both for a fee. I cringe when I’m charged for self parking. However, in Downtown Austin, it could be worse for the price.

The complex is spacious, with a bar and two restaurants, a pool and a bar at the pool.

Stay

The room was what I expected for a JW Marriott. Tastefully designed and done in grey, white and light browns for accents. Additionally, I loved how the room incorporated distinct touches of Austin flair as decor.

I believe the room I was upgraded into was the 1 KING BED, HIGH FLOOR – 25TH AND ABOVE, GUEST ROOM. It was beautiful, as I could see the pool, part of the Lake Austin and all of the beautiful Downtown area that there was to view.

But most importantly of all, the bed was comfortable. And even more important than that – the water pressure in the shower was extremely hot and strong. Which allowed me to take the best, hottest shower I have had in months.

 

Also, the JW Marriott Austin Lobby Bar has a shockingly incredible selection of liquors and cocktails.

Service

Service from the front desk overall was decent. I say decent – because of the problem I had in using the self parking service at the hotel.

Parking

Entering the self parking area of the hotel, I received a ticket for parking at the gate. I took the ticket to the front desk and asked what I needed to do regarding my room key and in / out access for my vehicle. The first front desk agent issued me a physical key card and said that access wouldn’t be a problem.

I attempted to leave the parking lot to go to Salt Lick Barbecue for dinner. I used my hotel key, as told. At the gate, the screen responded that access was denied due to expired credentials. Confused, I pressed the help button on the screen. Shortly after, someone unseen pressed a button and  opened the gate, allowing me to leave.

Returning back to the hotel, the same issue happened again. I attempted to use the hotel key to access parking. Only for it to say access denied – again – due to expired credentials. Frustrated, I took a ticket.

Again, I made my way up to the front desk and asked about the situation. The only solution the front desk agent gave was to apologize and make a new key.

When I left the hotel for check out at 4am, the gate was open. This was a relief, as I was concerned about the annoyance reoccurring.

Unfortunately, when I checked my bill from the hotel later in the day, I was not only charged for one night of self parking – but received an additional charge for valet parking.

A quick and direct text communication with the hotel took the erroneous valet parking charge off my bill. But, my concern is that I brought up my issues with parking with the front desk – and was told “Your account is fine. It shouldn’t be a problem.” 

It wasn’t a problem – until it repeatedly was. So, my suggestion is to ALWAYS review your final bill and be persistent. Also, my complaint could have been noted, instead of falsely pacified.

However, in the overall stay, this was a minor issue.

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