JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando

The JW is supposed to be one of the fancier Marriott properties, and the common spaces show it. It’s connected to the Ritz by meeting rooms and a sort of concourse with a few shops. I stayed at the Ritz next door, but you have access to both properties if you stay, so I checked it out. The pool has a lazy river, which is fun, and the pool bar was big. We got one drink at the JW pool bar and service at the Ritz was much better. Read less

⭐ 1 Star Absolutely unacceptable — one of the worst hospitality experiences my family and I have ever endured. As a Marriott Bonvoy Member and Platinum American Express cardholder, I’ve stayed at JW properties many times and have always appreciated the standard of service. But what happened during this stay at JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes was nothing short of a nightmare — filled with safety issues, dishonesty, upcharges, and poor service from start to finish. ⸻ 🛏️ Reservation Misrepresentation I reserved a King Room with Sofa Bed and Lakefront Balcony — clearly confirmed in writing. Upon arrival, I was told that the room didn’t include a real sofa bed but only a “wedge,” which obviously could not accommodate my child. My options? Pay $300 extra per night for a room that actually fit my family — or accept a downgraded Double Queen room and have my son sleep on the floor. To make matters worse, the front desk (Ian) blamed American Express Travel, even though my confirmation clearly listed the correct room type. It was a Marriott mistake, and no one took accountability. ⸻ 💧 Unsafe and Unsanitary Conditions Later that evening, my wife found that the carpet underneath the air conditioning unit was soaked, squishing underfoot and stained with rust from the furniture legs — indicating a long-term leak. This wasn’t just an inconvenience — it raised serious concerns about mold exposure, especially for our child who was forced to sleep on the floor due to the botched room assignment. ⸻ ⏳ Two Days Wasted Before We Got a Room After arriving, we spent two full days waiting to get a room that could reasonably accommodate our family. For those two days, we were bounced around, left sitting in the lobby, told to wait, and fed empty promises. By the time we were finally roomed, the trip was already derailed and stressful. ⸻ 🚫 Fire Safety Violation & Elevator Failure Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse — it did. On our final day, we tried to take our children to the pool, but the elevators were out of service. We took the fire exit stairwell, only to discover that every exit door was locked. My family — including small children — along with other guests, was trapped in the stairwell and eventually had to exit through a basement maintenance corridor. This is not only unacceptable — it’s a serious life safety violation. We were so shaken by this incident that we checked out early that morning, cutting our trip short for our safety. ⸻ 💳 Unauthorized Post-Checkout Charge Despite checking out at 11:00 AM and being told my account was fully settled, I was later charged $311.25 for a poolside daybed/cabana I obviously never used, as I was no longer on the property. The receipt even shows the transaction was made after checkout. The hotel is now refusing to refund me, even though this charge is entirely invalid. ⸻ 🧾 Inadequate Resolutions & Excuses Despite multiple attempts to resolve these issues, the responses were beyond disappointing: • A token $100 dining credit (which I couldn’t even use because I checked out early) • Shifting blame to Amex Travel • Zero ownership of the fire exit safety issue • Refusal to reverse an unauthorized charge made after I left the property ⸻ 🚨 Bottom Line This stay was an embarrassment to the JW Marriott name, marked by: • 🔥 Blatant disregard for guest safety • ❌ Failure to honor confirmed bookings • 💳 Improper and unauthorized charges • 🤢 Unsanitary room conditions • 🛑 Two full days wasted waiting on a room • 🙅‍♂️ Unkept promises and runaround from the front desk For a brand that markets itself as a luxury leader, this experience was completely unacceptable. I’ve trusted Marriott for years — but this experience has shaken that trust to the core. Guests deserve better. Families deserve better. Do better, JW Marriott. Kyle R. Himes Marriott Bonvoy Member #066137475 Reservation #: 80019690 Dates: July 4–6, 2025 Email: HimesLegalGroup@gmail.com Read less

Hotel is very beautiful; staff was welcoming and somewhat knowledgeable. However, the food is very, very overpriced, personally restaurants are not geared up for kids. I noticed a lot of guests either ordering food from Door Dash, Uber eats and or going out to get food. And that speaks volumes. Also, the one downfall was the pool area, they have someone checking bags not allowing certain things. I've never been to a hotel where they have to check and question my belongings. I understand no bottles permitted but they serve you beer in a bottle??? So is it you can't bring it, or the key factor is they want you to buy it from them. And of course, you pay $$$$$ for 1 beer. I just did not like the fact they check your bags going to the pool. Read less

Excellent customer service Kind and courteous service Clean and neat rooms with prompt response to concerns The visit to the lounge area was a win win for me and my family. Breakfast food selection was great and taste of food was great. The service from the lounge staff was exceptional each time we visited the lounge. Ms Lois was very helpful and kind. The front desk staff was also great help. Thanks again for an awesome visit!!! Read less

The resort was beautiful, inside and out, and the beds were comfortable. I was really happy with the noise level on our floor, it was almost non-existent. We did have a sound machine, but still heard nothing at all when we were in our room during the day. I traveled here with my husband and two daughters (9 and 14). With that being said, this resort is far from inexpensive, and I thought it would be easiest to do a pros and cons list for those considering. PROS- -Beautiful facilities inside and out (aside from the people that would discard their empty beer cans and drink cups around the pool deck and throughout the lazy river, which was gross) -Comfortable beds -Easily accessible elevators -Excellent room service -Attentive bell staff and parking employees that delivered and helped check out our luggage when needed; -Friendly staff mostly everywhere CONS- -Since this resort is connected to a conference center, we were there during an incredibly large meeting and so in the afternoons, the pool and lazy river was overcrowded with what can only be described as Bros. Tons of drinks (empties littered around the pool). It was nice to see once they departed there was a lot more room and much more family friendly. -Staff service was just okay. Typically, if we needed something (towels, etc.) from housekeeping, we had to call a few times before it was actually delivered. This same thing happened with a fridge that we were promised upon check in. We came back from dinner and grocery shopping and it had not been delivered. I then had to call and request it again and we could not go to sleep until it was delivered. -We had a car on property and chose not to valet. The resort was having issues with the parking arm so it would not accept key cards, and you had to know to call for help in order to be let out of the parking area each time. -The bathrooms should come standard with a fan; On top of this, one would expect at a luxury resort to have better toilet paper. Single ply is the worst. Read less