JW Marriott Hotel - Bogota, Colombia

I spent the past week at the JW Marriott Hotel in Bogota, Colombia. The hotel is located in a nice area between the T (tourist) Zone and the G (gourmet) Zone of Bogota. There were plenty of great restaurants and bars within walking distance of the hotel. I flew in, so there was no need to park a car. I was provided transportation to the hotel, where checking in was quick and painless. The hotel was about a thirty minute drive from the airport. Taxi fare runs roughly thirty dollars for the trip. The JW Marriott Hotel in Bogota currently enjoys a rating as the #1 hotel of 273 listed on TripAdvisor. The hotel can be booked on TripAdvisor, where current rates are in the mid-500 dollar range.

My room was on the sixth floor of the hotel. The hotel features ten floors, with a basement, as well. After checking in at the front desk, I walked to the elevators, which require a room key to operate. Not only do you have to have a room key, but I was only able to access my floor as well as the ninth floor where the Executive Lounge is located. As a Platinum Premiere member, my stay includes access to the Executive Lounge, which was among the nicest of any Marriott I have visited.

Executive Lounge

The room itself was opulent. My king room was spacious. As I entered the room, the large bathroom was located to the left with the minibar and coffee service located to the right. The bathroom was segregated into sections and may be the largest at any Marriott I have visited. The toilet was located in a private room within the bathroom. The sink was forward as you enter the bathroom, with a large, deep shower stall located to the left. To the right of the sink was a large bathtub. The bathroom had complimentary shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, bath salts and a variety of grooming items (razors, sewing kit, etc).

Bath side of the bathroom

Minibar

The room had a large flat-screen television atop the dresser, which also featured outlets for charging or external devices. I did not have time to watch television, so it stayed off my entire visit. I am fairly certain there was a decent selection of channels to include English language programming had I opted to use the television. The room featured a large desk and chair with room for charging electronics and utilizing laptops or writing correspondence. The exterior wall was mostly window, with large curtains and drapes blocking out any night-time light. There were nightstands on either side of the bed, but the one closest to the wall had outlets for charging my phones. I slept on that side of the large, luxurious king-sized bed, because I use my iPhone as an alarm clock. The bed had a height that would probably not fit standard deep-pocket sheets. It was tall, plush and comfortable. The bed offered great sleep at night. More comfortable than a standard Marriott bed, which are satisfying enough for my taste.

King-size bed

Another view of room

View from my room

My room overlooked the outside portion of the Marriott bar. I ate in the restaurant (inside) for breakfast once and had lunch at the outside bar shown above. The bar is below the white canopy, with a view of the kitchen visible in this photo. An employee was making pizza when I took this photo, although it is difficult to see from this resolution. The bar featured live music at lunch as well as in the evenings. I preferred the guy who performed while I was eating lunch more than the other bands I heard while I was visiting. His range of songs ran from I Hear That Train A Coming to more contemporary rock and pop songs. The service in the bar was slow at times, but the food was good. The prices were also surprisingly cheap. A beer at most Marriott bars will set you back eight dollars or more. At this location, the favorable exchange rate equaled out to around three dollars. Mixed drinks were slightly more, but still less than most hotels I have been to.

Hallway on my floor

I didn't visit any of the amenities like the fitness center or pool during my visit. One of my peers visited the spa, where a massage was advertised for 170,000 Colombian Pesos. That may have been a special price, as it was advertised on a small sign located outside the executive lounge. That translates to about sixty dollars, which I was told is a good price for an hour long massage at a hotel. I wouldn't know. I did spend some time in the Executive Lounge, where I ate breakfast most days. I liked the coffee machine which made a killer mocha (although exceedingly small in size). The suite had a constant supply of snacks and sweets throughout the day, with full meals at breakfast and dinner (most Marriott's only offer light fare at dinner time). It was among the top two or three lounges I have visited thus far. The staff were also very attentive and accommodating.

View from the small balcony in the Executive Suite

The JW Marriott Hotel in Bogota, Columbia is an exceptional property. It does not surprise me that it is the top-rated hotel in the city. The hotel is located at Calle 73 Nr 8-60, Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia. The hotel has plenty of amenities and is located in a nice section of the city. It is a bit outside of the downtown area, which is about a twenty minute drive, depending on traffic. It is close to plenty of restaurants and bars and has decent dining options on site. The staff were friendly and attentive to customers. To the point it feels they are fawning over you at times. They seem genuinely concerned about customers and not so much about a possible tip. Maybe it is just the way Colombians are wired. But I felt welcome and comfortable during my week-long visit to this hotel. I would definitely stay here again and would recommend it to anyone planning to visit Columbia.

All photos are my own, with the exception of the title photo, which is taken directly from the Marriott website. My photos may be reproduced with prior permission.