JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando

International Drive, Orlando

Star rating

The hotel

If you are looking for a truly luxurious stay, JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes is the ideal resort for you. It offers a combination of timeless elegance and idyllic tropical landscapes that provide spectacular views from lavishly appointed rooms. This destination offers plenty of opportunities for fun, sport and pampering, without ever leaving the 500-acre resort. The Resort offers a wide selection of onsite activities with an 18-hole Championship golf course, 40,000 square foot Spa and adventure experiences including fly fishing, eco-tours and kayaking. There are 7 restaurants and bars offering guests a unique culinary experience. The guest rooms are furnished and fitted to the highest standards and accentuated by a Lazy River Pool. The resort is also located just minutes away from world-famous attractions.

Amenities

  • Golf
  • Tennis
  • Babysitting service
  • Kids Club
  • Car Included
  • Bar
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Free transport to theme parks
  • Internet Access
  • Restaurant
  • Room Service
  • Safety Deposit Box

Where is it

Set in 500 acres of lush, landscaped gardens, just off Central Florida Parkway. 10-min drive to Universal Orlando Resort®, 15 minute drive to Walt Disney World® Resort. Transfer time from airport: 20 minutes.

Hotel information

998 rooms on 26 floors in 1 building with 12 lifts. Balcony/patio in most rooms, air-conditioning, cable TV, alark clock, tea/coffee maker, mini-fridge, safe, iron and board, hairdryer and bathrobes. Rooms with 2 double beds or 1 king-size bed, sleeping maximum 4 persons.

Self parking from US$25 per day plus tax, valet parking from US$32 per day, plus tax (payable locally, subject to change). Complimentary scheduled transportation to Walt Disney World® Resort and Universal Orlando Resort™.

7 restaurants and bars: Primo (Italian cusine), Citron, an American Brasserie, Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen, Lobby lounge and Sushi Bar, Quench poolside bar and grill, Cafe Bodega, Starbucks® café.

Lazy river, swimming pool, 3 tennis courts, volleyball, hydrotherapy pools and kid's activities* (5-12 years) at JW Marriott or Ritz Kids® programme* at The Ritz-Carlton, plus use of all facilities at The Ritz-Carlton hotel within the resort complex, including the health spa* with 40 treatment rooms, lap pool, fitness centre, sauna and steam room (local charge for treatments). 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed Championship golf course with caddy concierge service*. Grande Lakes Outfitters* featuring an Orvis Fly Fishing School* and guided eco-tours on Shingle Creek*.

24-hour room service*. Babysitting services*. Corridor of retail shops. WiFi*.

This hotel has a resort fee of $48 plus tax per room, per day (payable locally, subject to change)

This charge and its inclusions are subject to change and include: Free WiFi, unlimited domestic phone calls, shuttle bus to WALT DISNEY WORLD Resort and Universal Orlando Resort™, daily recreation activities, driving range privileges, two pool floats, and one fitness centre class. Resort fee, tax and inclusions are subject to change - please see hotel check-in for current inclusions available to you upon arrival.

Wheelchair accessible rooms available on request. Please note that these rooms are subject to availability and may be restricted to specific room categories and bedding arrangements. Rooms and facilities vary between hotels so please check at the time of booking. For more information and contact details please check out our Special Assistance page

*Denotes local charge.

Rollaway beds available on request (only available for King Rooms and Suites), $25 per night*, subject to change and availability.

Please note: Each hotel has their individual room cleaning operation, which may mean your room isn't serviced every day, please check with the hotel reception team on arrival for further details.

Rating summary

  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (2299)
  • Very good (1093)
  • Average (380)
  • Poor (169)
  • Terrible (149)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Jul 25, 2025 Regina B State College, Pennsylvania

We were attending a National Convention, we chose not to stay onsite the entire time because of the thousands of dollars it would have cost us (11 days total). This required us to drop off our daughter, bring her meals during breaks, and pick her up in the evening. The person who was there at 6:45am on the first day was very aggressive about us… Read more
We were attending a National Convention, we chose not to stay onsite the entire time because of the thousands of dollars it would have cost us (11 days total). This required us to drop off our daughter, bring her meals during breaks, and pick her up in the evening. The person who was there at 6:45am on the first day was very aggressive about us not being able to park near the valet to drop our kids off; he yelled at us and made us very uncomfortable. The parking is $40 after 15 minutes, we spent around $120 for about a total of 4 hours during the week. They were so greedy for the parking money, they blocked off the drop off area for the convention center, so it was hard and sometimes dangerous to pick up our daughter, they only allowed valet ($85) on the 4th of July and on the last day when our family member drove in to attended a gala event at the hotel, (tickets were $200) the hotel only allowed valet IF she was a guest staying over. This is after they had blocked all visitor self-parking. When we checked in and used the pool, there were people checking bags and confiscating items. They were not very kind, I watched one woman have her bag pulled to the point where she had to stop him so he didn’t pull her arm any further. I have never had someone checking bags at a pool, especially at a resort of this caliber. One of the best things was having DoorDash deliver directly to your room, on our last day about 2 hours prior to check out time, we were informed that they were not allowing DoorDash drivers to rooms and we needed to come down to get our food. It took us 15 minutes to get down and 25 minutes back up because there were only 2 elevators working. Small I know but it was still a major inconvenience. Pricing of breakfast buffets were around $45 per person. The restaurants in general were fine but WAY overpriced with only grab and go sandwiches which they ran out of frequently, and of course they were overpriced as well ($12-15). The entire time I felt like we were being watched to be told what we could not do, or that we were being nickeled and dined for every single thing even though we had paid a premium to stay at this hotel. We were not shown any exemplary service. I will always pay for and not complain when my experience is awesome. Having stellar customer service is something that goes a long way with me, this hotel while it has many amenities, comfortable beds, and is beautiful, really needs to work on making their guests, ALL of their guests, feel like they are worth the price of what they are paying, whether it be parking, attending a conference, or eating at a hotel restaurant. Being a Bonvoy Member that searches out Marriott hotels to stay in when we travel, I have high expectations. I have had amazing experiences from a Springhill Suites to the Ritz Carleton. The JW Marriott is a beautiful hotel but it comes up pretty short on a few major but simple custom service initiatives. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Unfortunately below expectations

Jul 23, 2025 Simon W

We had some high expectations in JW Marriott for our trip to Orlando, since it was the Hotel with (by far) the highest price per night for us as a family of 4. To start with the good things first: The lobby and especially lobby lounge bar is very nice (even though expensive). Also the room was Marriott standard as I knew it from several stays in… Read more
We had some high expectations in JW Marriott for our trip to Orlando, since it was the Hotel with (by far) the highest price per night for us as a family of 4. To start with the good things first: The lobby and especially lobby lounge bar is very nice (even though expensive). Also the room was Marriott standard as I knew it from several stays in this hotel chain around the world. Now the negative, and please don't say we need to discuss this with our staff, since some things simply should never happen in a hotel of that caliber. The pool slides are only open until 5:30 pm and were closed that day shortly after 5, since some clouds were on their way to Orlando. You might say, safety is our biggest interest for our customers. Looking at the lifeguards faces, I had the impression of they were glad that their business day ended earlier. Same btw for the totally crowded pool river. And what's certainly a problem of the guests is the fact, that many take their drinks into the pool, even though forbidden. You can find empty cups with trash along the river and evem at the bottom in the water. When my kids and I wanted to play tennis at 6:30 pm, we were told by the reception team, that courts are closing at 7:00pm and rackets can be found on the court - which was not the case. So no tennis. In the restaurant "the kitchen" we got a table at 8:45pm, even though there were several tables empty. We had to wait 45min for the (fast) food, which was of lowest quality of our whole Florida vacation. No excuses for the long waiting time by the waiters. When we got back to our room at 9:45 pm, we could see 4 people playing tennis on the court with floodlight. Quite dissapointing. Was it just bad luck for us? Maybe. One out of the described issues could be accepeted, but all together were simply too much. We cannot recommend, unfortunately. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating High value for low cost: perfect to visit Orlando area

Jul 19, 2025 zedaluca Milan, Italy

If you plan to visit Orlando you've to consider this Hotel. I chose it because it's not so far from Universal Studio but it works for all the other Orlando attractions. It's a monumental hotel, very big, linked to Carlton Hotel, they share some facilities as swimming pool, restaurant, conference rooms... Check in was easy and fast, room is big as… Read more
If you plan to visit Orlando you've to consider this Hotel. I chose it because it's not so far from Universal Studio but it works for all the other Orlando attractions. It's a monumental hotel, very big, linked to Carlton Hotel, they share some facilities as swimming pool, restaurant, conference rooms... Check in was easy and fast, room is big as the structure, very nice and clean. You pay 55 dollars for the resort fee you can use swimming pool, tennis pitch, ect.... Very nice. Very convinience the restaurant for breakfast and dinner. For me it's a very good hotel. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Nice

Jul 8, 2025 Rodrigo R New Hampshire

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… Read more
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
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Nightmare!!!!!!!

Jul 7, 2025 Kyle H

⭐ 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… Read more
⭐ 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