Review: the New York Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square

This is our review of the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York City.

After a night at New York’s JFK airport in the TWA Hotel (review tomorrow) to see the new British Airways and American Airlines lounges at Terminal 8 we made our way into Manhattan.

British Airways put us up in the New York Marriott Marquis, which with 1,966 rooms is the largest hotel in Manhattan. Anyone looking for a boutique hotel experience should stop reading now, because this is anything but!

The original building dates back to the early 80s although the hotel has recently been refurbished. As I was on a whistlestop tour this review is not quite as detailed as usual. However, you should be able to get a feel for it.

The hotel website is here.

Where is the New York Marriott Marquis?

As the name suggests, the Marriott Marquis is slap bang in the middle of Times Square, bombarded by bright LED billboards from all sides.

Having been to New York many times now it isn’t my preferred location (too touristy), but you can’t argue that it isn’t convenient given its central location in Manhattan between all the major destinations.

It is also just a couple of blocks from the 42nd Street / Port Authority subway station, which offers a vast number of subway lines including the 1, 2, 3, 7, A, C, E, N, Q, R, W and S.

Checking in to the New York Marriott Marquis

Once you’ve found the hotel – and that’s not necessarily easy, given the number of billboards and signs trying to get your attention – you’ll wonder how to get in.

As it turns out, entry to the hotel is actually from the side rather the front, from 45th or 46th Street. You’ll find a car port plus a bank of elevators taking you up to the eighth floor of the hotel, where you’ll find the hotel lobby.

Although the hotel was busy, I was seen very quickly. It took a bit longer to sort out my booking because – for whatever reason – the computer decided to give up, although the staff were very apologetic about it.

I was given a Superior category room on the 37th floor, out of a possible 45, so fairly high up.

Rooms at the New York Marriott Marquis hotel

Let’s be clear. This is a bed factory. The scale of the hotel will be unlike anything you have seen before as you zoom up in one of the glass lifts in the vast atrium. There are floors upon floors of rooms.

Of course, one of the drawbacks of having such an atrium is that you need to walk all the way around the outside if your room is on the opposite side. Unfortunately this isn’t Hogwarts and there are no moving stairs or bridges!

I believe all the rooms have been refurbished, although the designers haven’t been too adventurous, opting for a neutral look.

The superior rooms at least are a very good size:

On the left is the bathroom:

The shower is over an oddly shallow and short bath-tub: I think this may be a New York City thing …. the shower curtain doesn’t exactly scream luxury either. Apart from that it’s a fairly typical shower!

Toiletries are by thisworks, which I liked. They’re in large pump bottles bolted to the wall:

Opposite the bathroom is a wardrobe with louvred doors. Inside you’ll find a luggage rack, robes, extra pillow, safe etc:

You then have the room with a large king bed:

Whilst there is no official turn down service, they do seem to pop into the room in the evening to deposit some sleep spray on your pillow.

The bedside tables feature mains sockets only, which is a bit of an oversight. Fortunately I had my adaptor with me!

You then have a large junior suite-style living area, with sofa and ottoman:

Plus a large desk and TV cabinet:

The best part of the room, for me, was the view which overlooked Times Square. It did mean I had to make sure the curtains were properly closed at night because the billboards are so bright!

Conclusion

And that’s it. There are obviously far more facilities, including a large gym on one of the higher floors that you can see as you zoom past in the lift.

There’s also a good Club lounge which serves a really good breakfast. Unfortunately it was so busy on the morning I went that it wasn’t really possible to get any photographs.

If you need a place to stay in Manhattan that’s close to all the major sights, and don’t mind staying in a mega-hotel, then the New York Marriott Marquis is a decent option. Obviously if those things don’t appeal to you, there are plenty of other choices!

Rates start at $225 per night in February, whilst redemptions are from 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. We value a Marriott Bonvoy point at 0.5p so do the maths before booking a reward.

You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)