JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro

Fantastic experience. My wife and I spent five nights here in May. I’ve stayed at many hotels in my life for leisure and work. Mandarin and Four Seasons are two of my favorites. Even though the JW Marriott is in a different price range than those two hotels, we received comparable service.
There are several reasons why our stay at this JW Marriott was exceptional.
The view:
We opted for an ocean view room. I recommend you do the same. The interior rooms’ windows face a courtyard so they’re dark. That might be a good thing for you if you like to sleep in or if you know you won’t be spending much time in your room. However, my wife and I wanted a room with a view because that’s why we’re staying on the beach in Copacabana Even if we only glanced out of the window for a few minutes each day, it was worth it. The windows are large so they provide sweeping landscape views of the ocean’s horizon. The sunset was on the other side of the building. But the sun rose to the left. I woke up each morning to watch it. We happened to staying there during a full moon, which rose directly in our view. It was spectacular to watch.
The service:
Even before arrival, the staff asked us about our needs to have everything ready upon our arrival. We arrived 4 hours early and they accommodated us without hesitation. The staff were friendly, happy, and enthusiastic. Most of them speak English, which didn’t matter for us because we both speak varying levels of Portuguese. Upon our departure, we asked if we could store our luggage somewhere because we had a very late flight. We were going to explore a little more. They went above and beyond by securing a another room for us after we had already checked out, which allows us to relax, shower, and nap before our departure. Eight hours of walking and loitering would have been exhausting. They didn’t charge us for the room.
The food:
The food was surprisingly good. After spending two weeks exploring various parts of Brazil, my wife and I had experience a wide variety of food. And the food at the JW Marriott was just as good if not better than some of the best restaurants in Brazil. To give you an idea of what I’m comparing the food to, here’s a list of the restaurants we ate at: Zuka, Aprazivel, and Porcao. The chef at JW is exceptional. He could easily be working at any of the above restaurants. One of the more memorable dining experience my wife and I had was on the roof where the Chef was grilling one afternoon. We hadn’t planned to eat on the roof or even at the hotel that afternoon, but we’re happy we did. My wife had the pork chops with a butter lemon sauce. They were delicious and perfectly cooked. I had the grilled chicken with an oil pepper sauce. Also perfect. He prepared a few sides including a banana-​based Farofa, grilled potatoes, and a variety of legumes. It was one of the best meals we had in our entire three weeks in Brazil. On another occasion, Fabio, a waiter at the restaurant on the second floor provided exceptional service. He was attentive, friendly, and anticipative.
The amenities:
The rooftop was a nice surprise. We didn’t expect to spend so much time at the hotel. But the rooftop was so pleasant that we went up there each day to take a swim in the heated pool and to use the sauna and shower.

This is one of those hotels that makes you scratch your head. It’s not particular cheap. The rooms smell in varying degrees of mildew and cleaning products.
The service ranges from ignoring guests at arrival to making endless empty gestures if you complain. For instance, this last trip I was sent flowers when I arrived by a Brazilian friend. They arrived as I was leaving for dinner so I asked the front desk if they could put them in a vase and send them to my room. Hours later I came back to find that they had just thrown them on the bed. Half dead I called down to ask for a vase. Half an hour later they sent up an ice bucket. When I showed them that I need a vase not an ice bucket, they asked if I wanted ice. I said never mind, annoyed. Half an hour later, someone knocks with a small vase with dirty water in it. They had pulled out whatever was in it out and just brought it without cleaning or rinsing or even emptying it. But more annoying, I got calls for two days asking if everything was alright. This is supposedly a superior hotel and they have difficulty putting flowers in a vase and then they think two days of calls is OK?
In addition, the door to my room was broken and that took 45 mins to fix after I had waited seven hours to check in after a ten hour flight. The beds feel like college dorm futons and none of the windows open. On the upper floors, you hear the thumping music of a disco late into the night.
I decided to stay here this trip because my reservation hadn’t come through at my favorite Rio hotel, the Cesar Park. Not a smart move on my part.
This will definitely be the last time I stay here. A big mess that should be missed.

The best thing of this hotel is its location. It’s situated right in the middle of Copacabana beach.
As for the rest, let me tell you all step by step…
We stayed at this hotel back in the 2008 and it was much fresher, if I can say so. Now it’s a bit beat-​up and shabby, especially this goes for the linens and towels particularly. Even when changed — they smell like a foul waste. That’s unpleasant.
We’ve got an ocean view room. Reasonably spacious and bright. Some weird noise woke us up at the crack of dawn. It seemed like it was because of the sun was shining into the window and may be because of the pressure and temperature difference the window frame was not fit right and this annoying noise going from the window side from time to time like some rocks were falling just didn’t give us enough of good sleep after all. We asked to change the room. They willingly transferred us to another one, where was the same story, but quieter a bit at least. They have ocean view rooms or inner court view. May be there is no such story at the inner looking rooms, but believe me — when the room is overlooking somewhere where there is no real day or night light — inside the building — it’s not very impressive and alive, it’s more artificial and depressing.
They do turndown service which is always good, including traditional chocolate candies.
Breakfast you can order in the room, which is for a decent price by the way, or enjoy it at their restaurant.
In-​room dining is of a very high quality by the way. We came late from a show and ordered dinner: they offer filet mignon in a late night menu, which is honorable! It was cooked rare as we asked and with delicious mushroom risotto. Their Burger was juicy and succulent. And cauliflower au gratin was delicious and impeccable too. So here I give them my highest evaluation.
Gym is on the rooftop and has a spectacular view. Sometimes I guess it’s better to go to the gym with such a beautiful panorama and air conditioner, than jog along the beach. Although it can be a nice jog, but when it’s over 90 F outside you’ll think twice. There are a couple of bicycles, two elliptical machines, few treadmills, and strength machines for almost every muscle group, free weights too. Life Fitness. Not to mention that when drinking water from the cooler we saw a cockroach sneaking by the apples.
Outside pool is right there too, very small though. They have sunbeds there, showers, dry sauna and changing rooms.
SPA, if you’re interested. We didn’t use their services this time, remembering our experience back in the 2008. When my massage therapist offered me a deeper massage in a special place, if you know what I mean, this is absolutely inappropriate for such kind of establishment. But it’s Rio…
They have beach service: sunbeds and towels, closes at 5pm.
As for late check-​out — it was a whole fight here. We had a late flight and being Elite Marriott rewards members — we’re entitled for a late check out upon availability. They told us that there was no such availability. We checked on-​line and saw plenty of rooms available for booking. Which we told them and the answer was that the category we were in was sold out. I asked to transfer us to a different category which was not sold out and the receptionist mumbled something doubtful that it was not possible. So we bargained it until 2 pm at least and they were completely not happy. What else can I say? We would have stayed at Belmond Copacabana Palace, but it was all booked by the Rolling Stones and their crew which was the reason of our visit this time, by the way.

Hotel is great & centrally located in the middle of Copacabana. Staff are helpful & friendly. They have a nice roof deck but the service is terrible there — took over an hour for the waiter to bring drinks — food took even longer.

BEWARE before booking your stay here, this hotel will charge you an additional 11.3 percent of your US dollar booked rate. We booked our room in the US at a rate of $ 231 per night and the USD/​Brazil exchange rate during our stay was about 4 BRL per dollar. Here is where the hotel gets sneaky, at checkout, the hotel converted our USD rate by 4.45 which meant we were charged 1,028 BRL instead of 924 BRL. Of course our credit card will charge us the actual exchange rate of 4 BRZ/​dollar which means we just paid $ 258 (1,028 /​4) an 11.3 percent premium. I don’t like deceptive pricing and this is a clear example of hidden fees. Nevertheless, I still give this Marriott 2 stars: one for location and the second for service. First off, the internet connection absolutely stinks and you have to get a new code every day. Basic text-​only website like Wikipedia take up to 5 minutes to load and forget about checking any emails, especially with any attachments. Many times I just gave up. I got better wifi at a McDonald’s. Seriously, this is supposed to be a JW Marriott? I agree with a previous Unilocaler that this hotel needs a renovation, but be prepared to pay (probably a hidden fee) as a guest. Secondly, our room smelled horrible during our entire stay. We asked to switch rooms, but were told there are no other rooms available; however, upon speaking with a Marriott diamonds reward member in the lobby, she was given various rooms to choose from on the same day. With that said, the hotel location is great and convenient, but so are so many other adjacent hotels. Also, the staff members were very friendly and extremely helpful. I hate to give bad reviews, especially when the workers at the hotel are so great, but I don’t like surprise pricing.

After a terrible experience with immigration, being ripped off by a taxi driver who charged us US $ 89 for a US$ 12 drive and stole my suitcase, we arrive at the JW Marriott seeking solace. What did we find? Check in was at 3:00 pm and I understand that they could not allow us to check in early. What I would have never suspected is that at the time I’m writing this (4:30pm) they still have not given us our room. People around me have traveled long hours and still haven’t been able to check in. The hotel manager (Mariela) came down and said she was going to check in with housekeeping.
UPDATE: On a brighter note, Mariela was kind enough to offer us free WiFi and breakfast, as well as a late check out. The room, once ready, was very comfortable with a great view.

Plus: (1) hotel nicely located, with English speaking staff and a certain type do comfort; (2) I liked the staff come in the evening to refresh your room before the night!
Minus: (1) pretty expensive (I paid two nights with points and it ended up being the equivalent of ~400 $ /​night without including breakfast), (2) feels a little old (it might need a refresh soon), (3) there is only one restaurant in the hotel, (4) the room service was a bit disappointing though not completely a disaster (we order club sandwich with fries and a tomato soup); (5) drinks on the rooftop were a ripoff compared to what you can get on Copacabana
Overall, it’s an ok hotel, probably does not compete with nice Airbnb apartment which we will do next time we go to Rio. Good for business travelers or aficionados of JW Marriott.

This is a decent hotel, with a decent location, and it did have a really good breakfast, but for the price and based on my other stays at JW Marriotts I wasn’t overly pleased with value for money, it just didn’t live up to what I would expect from a JW Marriott, I would say standards wise it’s somewhere between a Courtyard and Marriott. I just don’t think I would stay here again.

We wanted a drink and my husband wanted to earn a few Marriott points. We tried Cerpa beer and it was not that great. No fault of anyone but our tastebuds. The bartender was friendly and spoke decent English. It was quite a nice surprise for us while in Rio. I wish we could of stayed here but it’s quite expensive. It has super easy access to the beach which is a bonus

Beautiful hotel with an amazing view from the beach. The service is a little suspect for the darker of complexion though. I will come again, but maybe not to this hotel.

Spend an amazing long weekend at the JW Marriott in Rio. This hotel epitomizes what one would expect from a JW. Location on Copacabana beach simply can’t be beat. The level of service provided throughout our stay, but particularly by the concierge (recommending and booking places to eat, helping us get tickets and transportation to a soccer match) was outstanding. All I heard when I told folks we were going to be staying on Copacabana beach was «be careful, it’s dangerous.» Perhaps we were just fortunate, but I never once felt even remotely threatened or at risk despite walking up and down the entire length of the beach during daytime and at night. My only (very minor) hangup is that the lounge on the 9^th floor was almost always too crowded (even as it had all of the amenities one would expect). I can’t wait for an excuse to go back to Rio so that I can stay at this amazing property again!

We stayed here for 10 nights and it was very enjoyable. It’s located on Av. Atlantica right across from Copacabana Beach and we had an ocean facing room. Our room was not overly large, but big enough. It had a safe, mini fridge and wi-​fi. There is a pool on the roof and the view from up there is fantastic! The pool isn’t large, but there were never many people up there anyway. Why use the pool when one of the worlds most famous beaches is across the street? The hotel has a section of beach with lounge chairs and towels for guest use. There are always cabs outside the entrance and we didn’t rent a car.
This is one of the nicer places we have stayed. Just what we expect from a Marriott .We ate breakfast every morning in the restaurant as part of the package we bought and it was great. The rest of our meals were eaten out and there are a number of restaurants in the area. The staff earned a full 5 stars and most of them speak English. My Wife speaks Portuguese so we had no problems here or anywhere else in Brazil. We will probably stay here again even though it is a little pricey.

We had a wonderful stay here and would definitely do so again. We are hardcore Marriott fans, but the facilities and staff here in Rio have surpassed our expectations.
The rooms are nice, clean. Not huge, but you can move around comfortably. Minibar fridge and safe in the room. All the amenities are available … Nothing is cheap, but you’re in a nice hotel in Rio so it is to be expected.
I can’t say enough about the attitudes and service of the staff here. We were greeted in a friendly and welcoming way by every staff member whom we met … If you caught their eye, no matter how dressed or how early or late, you would get a friendly greeting, in Portuguese, English, Spanish or German. I had a chance to converse with some of the staff, both in English and in my bizarre Portuguese/​Spanish/​English polyglot mashup. Everyone on staff speaks some English and some speak so well that you would not think they were Brazilian.
The concierge staff are the best! They work as a team, and they love what they do and they love to help you. I received help from four of the five, and they were all outstanding, but I have to give a special note of thanks to Ramon, for all his help and conversation. He is the epitome, the quintessential example of why we stay at a Marriott property when we travel. Ramon was great to us, but as I watched I saw that it was not just me, but everyone who came to the desk for help received 100% of his attention and knowledgeable help. He truly loves to help people enjoy Rio and the hotel. Afonso, Carmen … all the desk staff are the same and we felt pampered throughout our vacation. Also special thanks to Fabiano, the I.T. expert who came to our room and swapped out our dying access point (instead of assuming that the problem was with the user).
The hotel is right across Av. Atlantica from the beach and you can get all you need for the beach from the hotel.
If you book a deal with your flight (e.g. We got a great price on Travelocity) be sure to let them know if you are a Marriott Rewards member — they will waive the Internet fees.
The concierge floor offers a sumptuous breakfast buffet every day and a lovely happy hour with adult beverages and hot and cold hors d’ouvres said well as something prepared to order. Watching the sunrise over Copacabana over breakfast and sunset over an evening snack (or dinner if you want — they will feed you and refill your glass until you leave or closing time). No self-​serve nasty nachos here… Fresh local cuisine, some made to order, each night.
Excellent fitness room, outdoor pool on the roof — if you would rather lounge by the pool and sip caipirinhas instead of going to the beach, you can, with lovely views of the beauty of Rio surrounding you.

If you are here looking for a hotel in Rio then look no more! I am a frequent traveller (40 weeks/​year) and I stay in hotels all around the world! This hotel is best in all categories!
Service (10 out of 5 stars)
The service is impeccable! The staff here only has ONE mission and that is to do everything possible to help you! Check-​in was organized and quick. Renato was running the front desk like a perfect machine! The in flux of people at check in did not phase him. Everyone speaks perfect English and for a second I forgot I was in another country! Bellman (Tony) was doing everything possible to get us to the room so we can start enjoying Rio. When my room was not ready, they gave me another room and moved me when the other room (with view) was ready. The concierge lounge staff (Diego and team) made me feel like I was at a bar where everyone was my friend! He brought other guest together and through him we made friends with so many people! He also gave unfiltered advice on things to do base on my interest! The food was also good in the lounge. The was a variety of options so when something I didn’t like was served it was no issue! Then there is the Concierge Team lead by Rosane! If there is an award for Concierges then she is the top contender! She spent an hour with us getting to know what we like and helped us plan out our 4 day itinerary. Every place we went knew here and provide us service like no other. Being on vacation we did not stick to the itinerary and she adjusted as needed! It was my birthday and Carmen and Aline decorated the room like I have never seen! They even sought me out to make sure everything was pleasant and through the whole trip they were there and answered questions before I could ask! Carmen, Aline and Ramon also worked the late shifts so when we came in from dinner or parties! They made sure we were OK, had water and was good for the night! I could go on but you get the point! The service on every level is amazing!
Location (⁵⁄₅ stars)
It’s is on the beach! The view from the lounge and rooms make for great people watching and scenic views! The mall is very close and shopping is 1 block away. The provide beach service also. There are places to eat from 2 – 4 stars all with walking distance!
Rooms/​Facilities (4.5÷5 stars)
The are good! Typical JW quality (which is a positive thing). You can see the age in some of the common area furniture. The gym is on the small side but has everything that is required. Rooftop pool is picturesque and perfect!
*side note* every drink I had here was STRONG

I stayed at this hotel for the beginning of the World Cup and the FanFest. Absolutely loved this hotel. Great view of Copacabana, great food, the service was amazing!!! Livia the hospitality manager and Albert the bartender we great at their jobs and made the whole experiment worth the expense of traveling to Rio. This hotel is definitely one of the most expensive in the beach, but it’s clean, updated, the service is great.
The only thing is that the wifi is very expensive so had to use the wifi in the lobby for most of our trip. That was the only drawback, but it kept us out of our rooms and got us to socialize. Met a lot of interesting people from all over the world.

Our room was nice and clean, but a little on the small side. Our king sized bed was very comfortable, with feather pillows and blankets. The bathtub is full size in length, however the width is half the size of a regular tub, felt cramped. There is also an in room safe, coffee machine and mini bar.
Wifi is free in the lobby but if you want it in your room, you have to pay BRL $ 35 plus 10% service charge for a day. Or there’s a 3 day package for BRL $ 88 plus 10% service fee.
Breakfast is also not included which is a shame since we paid $ 329 a night.
Beach chairs, umbrellas and towels are provided free of charge on the beach directly ahead of the Marriott.
There is also a small pool, bar and fitness center on the rooftop which overlooks Copacabana Beach.
If you need transportation to the airport, the Marriott contracts personal drivers a private car for BRL $ 125 one way.
Hotel is nice but we wished we got more for our money. Definitely not up to the high standards of a JW Marriott.

O JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro é um excelente hotel. Luxuoso e bem localizado na praia de Copacabana. Quartos, café da manhã, serviço e localização nota 10. Quando for ao Rio fique lá. Recomendo esse 05 estrelas!

Typical JW. Beautiful rooms with a great restaurant. Stayed here one night, wish I could elaborate more!

I stayed at this hotel for four nights in October 2013. I had no major complaints, but I don’t think this hotel lives up to a «JW» Marriott (in case you’re unaware, the «JW» monicker indicates Marriott’s top end properties). The desk staff was professional and helpful. However, various aspects — décor, housekeeping, and quality/​upkeep of furnishings — fall short of «JW» properties. A couple examples: the carpeting in my room was a bit shabby/​dirty, and the housing keeping staff failed to completely restock my bathroom everyday I was there (missing a towel, soap, etc).
On a positive note, this hotel seems nicer (perhaps even much nicer) than a couple other similarly-​priced hotels in Rio. The roof deck also provides great views (I posted a photo).
On another positive note, the included breakfast was very good and included a lot of variety.

O hotel está na avenida mais famosa do Rio de Janeiro e de frente para a praia. Detalhe, eles possuem uma faixa privativa na praia destinada aos hóspedes. Além disso, está a 3 quadras do metro. Possui 2 categorias de quarto, Deluxe Atrium e Deluxe Oceano, com diárias em torno de R$ 1000.00.
Oferecem recepção 24 horas, jornais, área destinada aos que não gostam de cigarro, cofre e ar condicionado. O hotel oferece internet mas não é gratuita, o que desfavorece o hotel frente a outros.
Na área de lazer possui acabemia muito bem equipada, Restaurante Terraneo que serve o melhor da culinária internacional e para quem curte o Taiyou Sushi e Sake Bar com a gastronomia japonesa. No Terranea ainda é possível desfrutar um delicioso happy hour e saborear aperitivos e tomar os melhores drinques internacionais. Próximo a praia tem o Café da Praia Bar, onde a informalidade reina e o hóspede pode usufruir de uma imensa variedade de bebidas e sanduíches. O café da manhã obviamente está incluso e é divino, sendo impossível comer pouco e manter a dieta. Ah e não aceitam animais de estimação.
Todos os funcionários são bilingues.