Review: the Newport Marriott hotel, Rhode Island

This is our review of the Newport Marriott hotel in Rhode Island (not Wales!).

It is the 2nd and final review from my US trip over Easter. I reviewed the InterContinental Boston hotel earlier in the week.

This is the Newport Marriott (website here):

Newport is a funny old place

Newport is home to the grand Summer mansions of the great US industrialists such as the Astors and the Vanderbilts. The Breakers (website here) is the grandest of them all but there are no shortage to visit. Imagine 10 UK stately homes lined up on the same street and you’ve got the idea, although not all are open out of season.

It is also a big yachting centre and has some decent beaches, albeit out of the town centre. The central area is full of the sort of twee tourist shops you would expect.

It’s a pleasant place to spend a few days. It’s about a 90 minute drive from Boston, although we diverted via Plymouth to show the kids the Mayflower replica.

The Newport Marriott hotel occupies an odd niche. In general, if you have money you will probably want to stay at one of the many luxury B&Bs in town. If you’re on a budget, there are plenty of chain properties in Middletown, a short drive away.

Newport Marriott is therefore an anachronism – a huge ugly 1980s building (image above, but the photo hides the sheer bulk of it) in the town centre, where there are few major branded hotels apart from a couple of Wyndham properties.

When I was here 18 years ago we stayed at the Jailhouse Inn, a converted prison. This is one of the cheaper B&B options – cheaper than the Marriott – but with two kids and needing two rooms, a corporate property with a swimming pool, big buffet, Club lounge, a harbour view and valet parking seemed more sensible if uninspiring.

A brand new unbranded luxury hotel, the Brenton, has just opened in front of the Marriott replacing the low rise building in the PR photograph at the top of the page. This is worth investigating if you want something luxurious but find B&Bs too constricting. The video on the home page for the Brenton also gives you a great view of the Marriott!

(My original plan was to try The Pell, a new boutique Hyatt hotel in Middletown. The opening date was delayed unfortunately and my reservation cancelled.)

Rooms at Newport Marriott

I had booked two standard water view rooms. I tried to apply a Suite Night Award to one of them but, for the first time, it failed to clear even though the hotel felt nowhere near full.

The hotel has been refurbished recently and, given that it is very much a midscale hotel, it did its best. As you can see here:

…. there are ‘sails’ placed behind the beds. From the other angle:

It’s nothing flash but you get a coffee machine and the furnishings are above average in terms of style.

Whilst ‘water view’, you not facing out to sea but along the waterfront, which is arguably more interesting. This was taken on a foggy morning:

The bathroom was nothing exciting with – shock horror – a combined shower and bath. Toiletries were the usual thisworks in dispensers.

So far, so normal

Don’t feel like a water view room? You can have a lobby view room instead!

The hotel has a ludicrously huge lobby. Whilst this design isn’t unique in itself, click on the image. The rooms have balconies with sun loungers. Overlooking the lobby.

Strangely, I never saw a single one occupied in three days ….

The Club lounge at Newport Marriott

Despite the size of the hotel, very few people seemed to eat in the hotel restaurant, even for breakfast. There are certainly no shortage of alternatives and most have more atmosphere.

I had free access to the Club lounge via my Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status for my room and were able to add the other two people for $25 each. This was a decent deal since you won’t get very far in Newport for $50 for four breakfasts if you head out.

(For reference, we ate in a fairly smart, upscale but not Michelin starred restaurant one night and the bill, with virtually no alcohol, came to over £300 with service.)

Breakfast was no better than you’d get from a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton in the UK, but did the job. The lounge was smart – see above – and had views of the harbour. There were never more than 7-8 people in there excluding my gang.

Gym and pool at the Newport Marriott hotel

It’s also worth mentioning that the Newport Marriott has a pool. It’s uninspiring, especially the view out and the cheap loungers, but it kept the kids occupied.

The gym is a decent size but seemed a bit soulless after the light-filled one we’d had at InterContinental Boston immediately before.

The hotel has other amenities too – an in-house coffee shop (open AM only), a small mini-mart and a small bar (classier than the rest of the hotel).

The staff were never less than charming at all times which, given the scale of the hotel, was impressive.

We used the valet parking at $30 per day. There is a public car park at the hotel but I didn’t compare pricing.

Conclusion

If you want five star luxury there are plenty of places to find it in downtown Newport, and if you’re on your honeymoon or a special trip I’d recommend trying one of them. Newport Marriott won’t be on your list.

However, you will pay through the nose and – needing two rooms for three nights – I didn’t want to. The Newport Marriott did the job for us and may do the job for you. You’re just seconds away from shops and livelier restaurants when you need them.

Do get a water view room if you can as it does make a difference. You can pay a lot more in Newport for a far worse view. If you have Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status or higher, and so can get Club access, this is worth factoring in as it amounts to a decent saving.

Pricing is all over the place as you would expect. Midweek rates start at $350 in May, $500 in July to September and $400 in October. There is a substantial premium at weekends and a further premium for a water view, with taxes and a resort fee on top.

Marriott Bonvoy redemption pricing is similarly all over the place – our target value for a Marriott point is 0.5p so if you can beat this then consider taking it.

The Newport Marriott website is here if you want to find out more.

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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.)