Review: W Amman – A Modern Twist of the Rose City

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1. Introduction

Red rock formations. The sounds of disco beats. This is what will greet you as you step inside the W Amman! The entrance is designed to look like the Siq partition. A Canyon Walk that you would go through to enter the ancient city of Petra and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The 5-star W Amman opened its doors in 2018. It benefits from its stellar location in Al-Abdali, which is considered to be Amman’s new downtown. Steps away from the hotel are a large shopping centre and the Boulevard, an open area where you’ll find restaurants, cafes and shops.

This review is part of a series covering my recent trip to Jordan:

Qatar QSuite vs. Emirates A380 – Business Class Showdown

Guide: Visiting the Vibrant City of Amman, Jordan

Memories Aicha Luxury Camp – Desert Glamping in Wadi Rum, Jordan

An Exquisite Stay at the Al Manara Saraya Aqaba, Jordan

2. W Amman – Booking

Within the Marriott Bonvoy umbrella, the W Amman can be booked by redeeming your Bonvoy points. You do have to contend with dynamic pricing, though. I’ve seen redemption rates range from as low as 19,000 to as high as 38,000 per night.

I booked five nights to get the fifth night free for a total cost of 138,000 Bonvoy points. Closer to the date of our stay, I noticed that the point price dropped. I quickly re-booked for 120,000 points, working to a redemption cost of 24,000 points/night. It’s worthwhile to periodically check your hotel redemptions to see if dynamic pricing works in your favour.

The cash rate during our stay was around 200 JOD (400 CAD) a night, making the points redemption a no-brainer. As a bonus, a points redemption price for the Spectacular guest room is the same as a Wonderful guest room (standard room). Another reason that may sway you to book on points at this property.

3. W Amman – SNA Failure

The W Amman has 44 suites. So, I figured I might as well try applying my Suite Night Awards (SNAs) to my booking. The more extensive suites weren’t an option, so I chose the Cool Suite (junior suite). Surprisingly, a few days before check-in, I received an e-mail notifying me that my SNAs were rejected.

I then contacted the hotel via e-mail to inquire about a suite upgrade possibility as a Platinum member. They promptly responded that they’d assign me the best available suite. True to their word, the next day, I noticed in the app that my room was upgraded to the One Bedroom Corner Larger W Suite—a bigger suite than the one I requested via SNA. Win!

4. W Amman – Living Room and Check-in

After making our way through the fun “Canyon Walk” entrance, we took the elevator to the 6^th floor to check-in.

W hotels refer to their lobby as a “Living Room” where guests can relax, drink at the bar and socialize. On Friday nights, W Amman has a party with a DJ.

They also have Whatever Whenever staff (concierge) to provide recommendations and assistance to their guests interested in signing up for day trips. The living room area is splashed with colour and has a great vibe. What I didn’t love was the smell of cigarette smoke.

With a late night arrival, we were eager to check into our suite. The front desk associate was welcoming, confirmed our suite upgrade and noted my preference for breakfast as my welcome gift choice as a Plat.

5. W Amman – W Suite

From the 6^th floor, we took a second set of elevators tucked into a hallway past the bar. We reached the 26th floor and entered our assigned suite, 2601. It was a spacious suite, or should I say a large room?

I consider a suite to have a door or a partition separating the bedroom from the living room area. Yet, this W hotel prides itself on being as modern as possible with an open-concept design. It is so open that the double sink is beside the sofa.

While there was a door for the rain shower and tub area, it wasn’t completely private. There was an opening space where you could peer into the shower/tub while standing by the sink.

At least the toilet and bidet area were enclosed!

There was ample closet space, but all the closet doors were covered in mirrors from top to bottom. They wanted to ensure their guests could see themselves from all angles 😉

Most importantly, the bed was comfortable. It was decorated with a charming accent pillow of a camel.

Everything about this suite was modern, down to the welcome amenity! They offered us an assortment of delicious baklava stuffed with strawberries, pecans, and chocolates instead of the traditional Arabic nuts.

Being a corner suite on a high floor, we loved the floor-to-ceiling windows that afforded us a stunning view of the city.

6. W Amman – Breakfast

Located on the 6^th floor, Mesh is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served buffet style, with various Levantine and Western dishes from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The buffet included a manned station where you could request eggs to be cooked in any style you liked.

For those who needed their caffeine fix, there was a coffee bar where you could order a cup of coffee and any coffee you requested during breakfast. They also had a section with bottled water and juices for grab-and-go.

While I enjoyed all the traditional food they had, the star of the show was their bakery section. There was such a rich variety that they were impossible to resist! From the thyme croissants to cinnamon rolls to the date pastry Danishes, they were some of the best-baked goods I’ve enjoyed at a hotel.

When it came to service, I generally found the servers were friendly as they made their rounds to the tables to offer coffee, tea and fresh juices. There was only one day out of the five where we found the service slow.

7. W Amman – Facilities

In addition to Mesh, there’s an Asian-inspired restaurant on-site called Enso. They serve Japanese, Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian dishes and are only open for dinner service. One other dining venue is Aura, which is a casual restaurant that is temporarily closed at the time of this post.

If you like to enjoy workouts during your hotel stay, W Amman has FIT. It’s a well-equipped gym with cardio machines, but weight machines are limited in number. I didn’t find the gym that spacious, and it felt pretty crowded if more than three people were there at once. FIT is open 24/7.

Down the corridor and connected to FIT was Wet Deck, the outdoor pool with five cabanas, a terrace and a Wet Bar and Grill. The pool was heated, but its hours were limited from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The terrace area was tastefully decorated with a modern twist on traditional Jordanian art.

Away Spa was also connected to FIT by a small staircase, which offers many of the typical spa treatments, including body scrubs, facials and massages. They also had a complimentary steam room and a jacuzzi.

8. Take Away

The W Amman has incredible design touches throughout the hotel’s common areas, paying tribute to Jordan’s culture and history. It starts with the impressive entrance inspired by the Rose city of Petra, all the way to the Living Room furniture and décor incorporating Bedouin weaving into furniture and multi-colours. I found elite recognition solid, although I was proactive about seeking a suite upgrade.

While the W Amman gets top marks for its design and location, it misses a few areas. I found the layout of the W Suite sacrificed functionality and privacy. Cleanliness can be improved. During our stay, it appeared that housekeeping didn’t even clean the sink and vanity area. The windows also seemed not to have been cleaned in a while. Finally, the service was generally impersonal, starting with the generic welcome note they left me in the suite.

Overall, my stay at the W Amman was just okay. I would likely try a different hotel next time I’m in Amman.