W Mexico City

The bedding was very, very comfortable, and the service was excellent. Everything was clean, and the complimentary breakfast was really good. The lounge level is closed for renovation, so don't book it. It does feel corporate, but it was comfortable and predictable for our first night in CDMX after arriving late. We wanted to see and eat in Polanco, and the hotel is right by a park. You can walk to anthro museo, then head to Condessa or Roma.

The rooms are comfortable, but dinner at Seders was close to inedible. The Caesar salad was a letdown: the dressing had no flavor, the lettuce was almost frozen, and packaged croutons didn’t help. Housekeeping rang our doorbell before 8:30 a.m. on two mornings in a row. The front desk should let them know when guests check out, or the restaurant could notify them when guests arrive for breakfast. The whole neighborhood is under construction.

We chose the JW Marriott Polanco because we’re having our wedding in CDMX and got a good rate near the venue. We’d loved the Ritz on a previous Mexico City visit and assumed this five-star hotel would be similar. That was a mistake. The hotel offered a “special rate” for our pre-wedding visit without mentioning it excluded our usual Amex benefits. I emailed the person handling our reservation to ask why they weren’t listed and got her out-of-office reply. So we paid $50 US per person for a terrible buffet breakfast, with everything picked over, instead of the usual Amex breakfast for two. We also didn’t receive our usual dining credit. When we asked if they’d extend the benefits as a courtesy, since we’d tried to ask and were booking a large block of rooms for the wedding, the answer was basically no. We also asked whether some guests flying from Europe on 14-hour connecting trips could check in early. We understood it couldn’t be guaranteed, but thought a room or two might be ready given the block we’d booked. They recommended that our guests pay for an extra night, even though they wouldn’t be staying that night. The recent renovations make the hotel look nice and it was clean, but the suites are small, more like large hotel rooms. There’s an extra couch, but no separate living room and bedroom, which is frustrating with a one-year-old. If you’re in town for work and it fits your company’s rates, it might be worth considering. For a true five-star experience, I’d look at another luxury hotel in CDMX.

The whole team gave excellent service, from the people at the gates and front desk to the concierge and the housekeeping staff who kept the rooms so nice. Room service was amazing too. Mexico City’s people, food, culture, and music are wonderful, and the JW Marriott at Polanco made them easy to enjoy and made the trip feel even more special.