A good hotel in Indianapolis that I’ve heard is one of the best options in the city. The food and beverage offering could be improved to be truly considered a luxury hotel.

Booking

As I have mentioned in other posts, I volunteer in the health industry, which takes me to many different cities across the United States and Canada. This time we ended up in Indianapolis, Indiana. As with prior trips, while the hotel costs were fully covered by the volunteer organization, the reviews contained in this post remain my own opinions.

The nightly rate for this stay was $255 before tax. Thankfully there was no resort or destination fee to pay on top of the nightly rate. If you’re using Marriott points, rates tend to vary between 30,000 and 55,000 points, depending on the night and season. That point range makes it an easy decision to use those 35k or 50k free night certificates you can get with certain Marriott credit cards.

Alternatively, you could consider staying at the nearby Indianapolis Marriott Downtown if the JW Marriott is too expensive.

Earning Marriott Points

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card that gives a sign up bonus of three 50k free night certificates for spending $3,000 in the first three months for a $95 annual fee.

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

Arrival and First Impressions

I arrived by car to the JW Marriott and found a very clean and modern looking lobby. My understanding of the Indianapolis market is that it’s driven primarily by hosting conferences. That wouldn’t be surprising as the hotel is connected to the Indianapolis Convention Center and the hotel has its own maze of conference rooms on site.

I was quickly checked into the hotel, thanked for my Marriott Titanium status, and sent on my way. Overall it was an efficient process but otherwise was a little bit robotic.

The Room

I made my way up to the 23rd floor where I found my room for this stay (2335). I thought the hallway leading to the room was a bit sterile but again pretty clean.

Waiting for me inside were two queen beds. The firmness of the beds were fine but I should note the pillows were a little flimsy for a hotel brand that Marriott says is luxury. It was also a little disappointing that I had difficulty finding power outlets by the bed, making it inconvenient to charge my phone while relaxing in bed.

This room has a connecting door. I did hear guests in the other room, but they didn’t cause any noise issues during my stay.

The desk has an awkward two-desk system where it can be pulled out if you want to work in the walkway, blocking everyone else in the room. But you probably don’t want to because, as the shiny surface of the desk suggests, optical mice do not work with this desk. I don’t know why it feels like half the hotels I go to have this same problem. If the pull-out desk didn’t exist, we would be all good here.

Next to the desk is a small chair that looked fine but I didn’t end up having a reason to use it on this trip.

And next to the bed is a mirror in case you want to look at yourself while you’re sleeping.

There is a mini-fridge in the room in case you need it.

The bathroom was functional and modern. I like the mirror with rounded edges and how it ties with the mirror in the bedroom. The shower was also nice with decent water pressure and temperature.

Toiletries were from Aromatherapy Associates. I can’t help but notice that the bottles don’t seem to fit well in the holder, as though they intended other bottles to be used here instead of these.

The view from the room was of the Indianapolis skyline. Coming from Los Angeles, I’ll say it’s cute.

The Executive Lounge

If you’re staying in a club room or have Marriott Platinum, Titanium, or Ambassador status, you’ll have access to the Executive Lounge on the 31st floor. I was handed a card at check-in that explained the hours (and explicitly set the expectation that adult beverages are not complimentary).

The entrance to the lounge is directly off the elevator. They provide a reminder that only one guest can be allowed in, but I’m guessing it’s not strongly enforced. I saw multiple families and small groups inside, and no one ever asked me for my room number.

If you come in here when there is no food on offer, you’ll find a nice area with a nice collection of tables with a good view. The lounge was fairly crowded in the morning and evenings, so it could be hard to find a seat at times. There didn’t seem to be a problem bringing food back to my room.

There are a few snacks and drinks available during the off hours, but don’t expect anything too much.

Breakfast is served from 6:30am to 9:30am and for those conference-goers, know that the food here is the same as what’s offered in catering in the conference rooms. I don’t know if that speaks well or ill of the conference catering here but it is what it is.

The eggs are described as being fresh eggs, but the eggs were decidedly not so (tasted like instant eggs).

The breakfast potatoes needed a little bit more texture and some variety in the taste.

The sausage was fine, which was probably why they were running out of it for this stay.

On the center tables were a collection of fruits, hard-boiled eggs, sliced cheese and cold cuts, and some vegetables.

There were some baked goods hiding out by the coffee machine. I found the muffins too sweet and also had no texture.

Cookies are available at breakfast (??) and ended up not being refreshed later in the day. You’d think it would be available during the dessert offering, but I didn’t see any. So if you want cookies, the expectation is to eat them for breakfast.

I came in for the evening appetizers and wasn’t impressed. There isn’t much to choose from, and it’s definitely not a meal replacement. That wouldn’t be a problem–I like being able to try out local restaurants–but I just wish some more effort was given to the food here.

Your hot option is breaded asparagus. The asparagus itself was overcooked and lacked flavor.

You also have the option of fruit, salads, and cheeses. Again, don’t come in expecting to eat like a king because that’s all you’re going to find here.

For dessert, you’re given the choice of fruit, some cookie or brownie bars, and a small cake with frosting. The offering is modest but I can at least say that there seemed to be enough to go around, unlike some other hotels I’ve been to.

If you do want alcohol, you’ll need to talk to the lounge attendant. Staff assists with pouring alcohol, presumably to ensure you’ve been charged for it.

Overall, I’d say it’s good to have access to the lounge, but it’s not the main reason to be choosing this hotel. I feel like they don’t put much effort into what they make available here.

Dinner at OP Italian

Located on the first floor of the hotel, I decided to try their restaurant OP Italian one night. The restaurant seemed to be modestly popular, but since I was a party of one, I was able to get in pretty quickly by agreeing to sit at the bar. I know some people have difficulty eating at a restaurant by themselves, but I find it’s usually pretty enjoyable.

Perusing the menu, I’d say the menu was what you would typically find at a generic Italian restaurant. I opted for the short rib gnocchi (not a surprise since I tend to gravitate towards both short rib and gnocchi, so might as well kill two birds with one stone). The bartender suggested I get garlic bread because she mentioned the portion size of the gnocchi was on the smaller side. I did as suggested, but I would disagree on the size of the dish. I don’t think the extra was necessary, especially since they give a lot of bread for just one person. It would have made more sense if I was dining in a group. To drink, I had the Cedar Lake Paloma.

There wasn’t much of a view from the bar, but you can sort of see the action in the kitchen behind. It would have been nicer if the view wasn’t as obstructed.

After a short wait, the food arrived all at once. The gnocchi was good, and the Gorgonzola wasn’t strong (I’m not a fan of strong blue cheese). The dish could have used a little bit of texture to it. I suppose that was solved a little by the garlic bread, but four slices was a bit much for me by myself.

After dinner, I was handed the dessert menu. I didn’t have too much room but wanted to end the meal on a sweet note and so opted for the raspberry sorbet (and a bourbon cream). The drinks weren’t particularly strong here but the flavor was good. The sorbet was fine and worth the $5.

The food here is decidedly better than the Executive Lounge (as expected) and would recommend it if you want to not venture out into town. But if you’re looking for a better meal, I’d recommend St. Elmo Steak House (assuming you get those reservations in advance).

Fitness Center

The fitness center is located on the 2nd floor and is open 24 hours. It wasn’t crowded when I stopped in, but there are plenty of machines for times when it does get busy. I have to say the space felt very open and inviting. There are side rooms for yoga and stretching.

Pro tip: you can get fruit and bottled water from here if you need it, useful if you don’t have access to the Executive Lounge (or don’t want to go all the way up the elevator).

Skywalk

Up on the 2nd floor, you’ll find the walkway to take you to other hotels and also to the convention center. There’s not too much of a reason to take it when the weather is nice, but it will come in handy if you’re here in the winter.

Recommendation: Yes, if you end up in Indianapolis

The hotel is clean and easily meets basic expectations. Marriott wants to make the argument that the JW is one of its luxury brands, but the hotel doesn’t meet some of those elevated standards (mostly as it relates to its food and beverage options in the lounge). If you can get past that, I think you’ll find the hotel is worth the price paid. It just might not be worth a trip out to specifically stay at this hotel unless you have another reason to be in Indianapolis.

Have you been to the JW Marriott Indianapolis? What are your thoughts?