The JW Marriott Parq Vancouver is found in a location of Vancouver, British Columbia that’s farther away from most tourist attractions but still enjoyable.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Fun in the Pacific Northwest
• Hyatt Regency Seattle: Good Location, Great Price
• Seattle with Kids: Undeniable Fun in the Summer
• Restful Sleep in the City: JW Marriott Parq Vancouver (this post)
• Vancouver with Kids: Fun in the Great Outdoors
• Family Dining in Vancouver: The Best of What We Ate
• PSA: Register Your Global Entry Cards
• A Case Study on Airport Hotels: Seattle Airport Marriott
• A Sad Place to Be: The Club at SEA

Booking

Vancouver ended up being an expensive city for the weekend we were there. I believe it’s because of the Canada Day festivities on July 1. In truth, we didn’t choose to come to Canada for that holiday, as I was just looking to tack on a few extra nights at the end of a business trip.

Since nights were more expensive when booked with cash, I instead looked to using points. Of the options available to me, the JW Marriott seemed to have the best combination of comfort and points availability. We booked a room for three nights—two nights at 70k Marriott points/night and one night with a 85k free night certificate.

I also used up three suite night awards. Historically I had issues with these clearing, so I was at least happy when I received the news five days before our stay. While I had hoped for an actual suite, as the name implies, all we received was a room on a higher floor with a view of the water. I suppose it’s better than nothing, but I don’t place much value on these awards.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy 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 Bountiful credit card that gives a sign up bonus of 85,000 Marriott points for spending $4,000 in the first three months for a $250 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

We drove in from Seattle, Washington with a rental car. The drive only took about 2.5 hours, including the zero wait at the border (crossing in the middle of the day on a weekday was pretty easy). We hit some traffic once in the city, but otherwise it wasn’t too complicated finding the hotel.

We arrived to find valet attendants in the front of the hotel. Valet cost 55 Canadian dollars, a modest upcharge over self park at CA$50. In either event, cars are parked in an underground garage.

We arrived at the front desk where we were efficiently checked in. The agent apologized profusely for suites not being available, but went over the features of the hotel. I do appreciate when hotels are at least direct and proactive in apologizing for a lack of upgrades.

The front desk also recognized we were there with young kids and offered them each an amenity on arrival. Both Alex and Char loved the gifts. Once again, if a business takes care of my family, I tend to be more loyal to it.

The Room

We made our way up to the 18th floor where we found our room for this stay (1806). The hallway felt both modern and classic, if that makes any sense. The carpet had plenty of lines and decorations on it, which made for plenty of “don’t step on the crack” comments from the kids.

Once inside, we found two comfortable queen beds. The room felt like it had plenty of natural lighting, with a nice view of the surrounding area. The bedding was effective at keeping us warm at night. While the pillows could have been bigger, they thankfully weren’t worn out at all.

Aside from the beds, there aren’t too many comfortable spots to sit. There are a couple of chairs next to an end table, but these chairs weren’t made for extended lounging.

Underneath the in-room coffee machine is a mini-fridge hidden away in the room. It clearly appears to have once been holding mini bar items for purchase with the pressure sensors still in here.

The room also has a desk across from the beds, but the dark cover placed on the desk is unfortunately not good with optical computer mice.

Most of the room was immaculate, but if you look close enough, it’s possible to find some wear and tear, such as on the closet handles.

The bathroom had the toilet and showers divided up into two stalls, which was effective at enabling the family to use different features at the same time, but the ventilation in the stalls leave much to be desired (I’ll let you guess which was the bigger problem). The shower controls were also unfortunately placed behind the overhead shower, making it tough to turn on the water without getting doused with cold water. While the bedroom felt very functional, the bathroom felt like it lacked some practicality.

Toiletries are from Molton Brown and were pretty good. If you want to bring some home, you could contact the front desk, but I’m going to guess you’re better off just ordering them directly from Molton Brown.

With our room overlooking the water, we did have some good views of the surrounding city. But note that one evening, we did hear some loud noise from outside and that can be a problem if a concert is held here. The noise did extend until well into the evening.

Breakfast at the Executive Lounge

As we were a Titanium elite for this stay, we were invited to use the club lounge. Located on the 4th floor, the views from the lounge aren’t that good. At check-in, the front desk provided a flyer that mentioned the different servings throughout the day. It also mentions the official rules from Marriott–that those with access are only permitted to bring one guest to the lounge. I then expected to pay for the kids to gain access. Most days when we went, while we frequently saw staff inside the lounge, their primary concern was just to restock the items. One day–the morning of Canada Day–was the only time we were asked for our room number. I again expected to be charged for the kids, but a charge never appeared. I wouldn’t say you should go in expecting not to pay (as they clearly issue a warning they may charge for extra guests) but I was thankful to not be charged for the kids.

The entrance to the executive lounge felt quite grand, with a sensor to scan your room key to gain entry. Just inside the entrance is a front desk that remained unoccupied for the entirety of our stay.

The lounge itself is of a decent size, with plenty of seating throughout. We didn’t experience any crowding issues inside this lounge. And yes, the lounge does have a restroom hidden away in the back just in case you need it.

Breakfast here was pretty good for a lounge. Generalizing a bit, between the hotel lounges I’ve been to in Canada, I feel like the average Canadian hotel lounge offering is better than the average US hotel lounge. On offer are plenty of freshly cut fruits, smoked salmon, and yogurt parfaits. There also was a small variety of pastries, including some gluten-free options.

The eggs here thankfully were not of the powdered variety where some hotels have decided to cut costs.

Perhaps the most disappointing item here were the breakfast potatoes, which were a bit thick and dry.

On the other hand, the waffles thankfully were not dry, but note they were on the sweeter side, so you might not need to add syrup.

One morning they had an orange juicer available to use, as Alex demonstrates in the picture below. Can’t get much fresher juice than this. Guidance is provided on how to use it. I’m not sure why it only made an appearance on some days and not all, but it’s a fun machine to use if it’s around.

Evening Service at the Executive Lounge

In addition to breakfast, there is an evening service available. I know the question on everyone’s mind–is it possible to eat here in place of going out to dinner? I think it truly does depend on how big your appetite is. Items were not refreshed in the evening service–once they ran out of something, I didn’t see it come back. Thus it’s better to come here at the start of the service rather than at the end. Of the items shown below, I liked the chicken pot pie and the chicken and waffles the most. But note they were offered on different nights (they only had two hot items per evening).

Desserts here were enjoyable. I’m thankful they have the desserts out for a full three hours. Some places only have it for one hour, creating a mad rush to go get desserts. There is a decent variety of options to choose from and the selection does vary nightly. They do include some items that have more of an Asian flair to them, like the mango sago soup and red bean coconut jelly. If the offering doesn’t appeal to you, you could also take the cookies packaged on the counter behind the main display.

Odds and Ends

This hotel is connected to a casino. It might not be too obvious from the pictures above since we actually never went onto the casino floor. But we did pass by the casino entrance quite often when going to/from our car. Thankfully, unlike the casinos in Las Vegas, this one didn’t smell like cigarette smoke and I didn’t have any qualms about bringing the kids to this hotel. I have heard of some people getting some success in reduced room rates at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver by contacting the casino desk, but I didn’t try it myself since I was booking with points.

Recommendation: Yes, for some

The hotel won’t be for everyone. Compared to other Marriott options in the city, this one skews to the upper end of pricing. It’s also not located near most attractions within Vancouver and it’s not near where the cruises are at. Staying here feels like a car is recommended, since the nearest metro station is a good 10-15 minute walk away. Thus I probably wouldn’t stay here the next time I’m in Vancouver (I’m not anticipating renting a car the next time I am in town). That being said, the hotel itself is quite enjoyable with a good lounge and friendly staff. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate recommending someone to stay here if they were planning to be in this area of Vancouver already.

Note that there is a hop on, hop off bus stop right at this hotel, though there are more cost-effective methods to get around town.

For another hotel option in the city, check out the Hyatt Regency Vancouver.

Have you been to Vancouver? Where do you like to stay?