During my most recent trip to Quito, Ecuador, to moderate two tourism panels at SAHIC, the South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference, I stayed at the host hotel, the JW Marriott Quito. This is a review of my experience.
THE STYLE: The JW Marriott provides a conservatively luxurious ambiance, with a large, sunlight-filled atrium serving as the main lobby. The property is in the newer part of the city, relatively close by taxi to a variety of restaurants, businesses and shopping.
••••••
DON’T MISS: The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Quito, Ecuador
••••••
GUEST ROOMS: Fresh roses sat in the entry hall of my guest room, which was on an executive floor. The room, which featured conservatively attractive decor similar to the lobby, had a king-size bed with extremely comfortable bedding, a 42-inch flat screen TV, a work desk, coffee maker, minibar, iPod station, three telephones, free in-room WiFi and a safe-deposit box. The bathroom had a separate tub and shower, with amenities including a sewing kit, dental kit, shaving kit, bath bubbles and other items. Executive rooms include access to the Executive Lounge (see below).
••••••
DON’T MISS: Travel + Leisure Names the Best Hotels in Latin America
••••••
HOTEL FEATURES: The JW Marriott Quito hotel has multiple restaurants, including the casual Bistro Latino, where I had a decent lunch (I’m a big fan of locro de papa, the traditional Ecuadorian potato soup), and La Hacienda, a beautiful, upscale steakhouse (which I unfortunately did not have time to sample). Other features at the hotel include a fitness center, outdoor heated swimming pool and spa.
Since I was there for the SAHIC South American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference, we made good use of the hotel’s nearly 13,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes 32 meeting rooms (and I was impressed by the quality of the catered food served during our private event).
One of the things that impressed me most about the hotel, however, was the food in the Executive Lounge. Every day, there was an array of hot and cold items available for breakfast, mid-day snacks and a light dinner — although I was able to make an entire meal out of it during the evening, with tasty, grilled-to-order sea bass, salmon and meats, as well as traditional Ecuadorian quesadillas and locro de papa (potato soup).
••••••
DON’T MISS: Supersize Travel: The 29 Biggest Hotels in Latin America
••••••
BEST FOR: Business travelers, convention goers, and vacation travelers looking for conservative luxury accommodations with an international brand name and lots of amenities.
ROOM RATES: About $144 and up.