Courtyard Kingston, Jamaica

The pool is tiny, about 30'x10', and sits beside a sad little outdoor area. For a Kingston hotel in the Caribbean, I expected a great pool and somewhere to relax outside. The website photos gave that impression, but clever angles, lighting and rearranged furniture make the space look much bigger. The so-called rooftop bar is on the second floor beside the pool, not on a rooftop. It’s a small, sad-looking bar called the “view bar,” supposedly overlooking Emancipation Park. The actual view doesn’t match that description. The fitness centre is clean and seems to be cleaned often, but it’s poorly equipped and sparsely laid out. I design fitness centres for a living, so I know I can be harsh about them, and hotels are often godawful at it. Still, when you’re spending most of a week somewhere with few decent amenities, that’s hard to overlook. It’s the bare minimum, bought from a catalogue, with no sense of how people work out. For a city hotel in 2026, a fitness centre could set a place apart because people value it. This one feels like minimal effort. I’ve only just arrived, so I can’t speak to the service, though the front desk attendant was friendly. They did insist our reservation was through Expedia when it wasn’t. The rooms are fine and clean, if tired and worn. The place looks well maintained at first, but a closer look says it needs a refresh. We booked here because the Pegasus was sold out. I haven’t tried the food yet, but I suspect finding real Jamaican cuisine here will be difficult. The watering down for tourists in main areas is real, and mainstream spots serving actual Jamaican food can be hard to find. If you want to relax by a pool on a nice patio in Kingston, choose another hotel. I just had five amazing days in Ochi, where tourists get picked over for every last dime, and my tiny studio rental was way better and more worthwhile than anything this Marriott offers. It’s mind-boggling to build a hotel in Jamaica and cheap out on outdoor amenities.