Inside Look at the First JW Marriott Hotel in the Caribbean

April 29, 2015By: Joe Pike

The stylish rooftop deck and pool at the JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo // Photo by Joe Pike

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — As part of our ongoing coverage of the Dominican Annual Travel Exchange (DATE), Travel Agent got to tour the JW Marriott Santo Domingo, the first JW Marriott hotel in the Caribbean.

Although we were told the hotel is primarily a business hotel, Travel Agent thinks it has incredible potential for leisure travel as well. There are not many luxury hotels in Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic, and this is a great option for clients looking to spend two to three nights in the historical city before perhaps venturing off to Punta Cana, which is only a roughly 90-minute drive away.

The hotel opened in August of last year and represents a $50 million investment. It has some really cool, out-of-the box features, including televisions embedded into the mirrors of the bathrooms and key cards that are protected from magnetic strip damage.

The hotel is located in the upscale Piantini financial district and located inside the Blue Mall, which features several fine dining restaurants and high-end shops, such as Cartier, Carolina Herrera and Louis Vuitton. Travel Agent was told that JW Marriott is looking to start a program where guests of the hotel can charge restaurant bills from the mall to their hotel rooms.

The VERTYGO 101 lounge at the JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo features a glass floor terrace rising 101 feet above the bustling city street below

Another excellent feature is the VERTYGO 101 lounge, the Dominican Republic’s first “floating” restaurant and bar, which features a glass floor terrace rising 101 feet above the city street below. For clients who fear heights, it can be a little scary to walk on, but it is definitely something worth experiencing at least once.

Along with VERTYGO 101, the JW Marriott Hotel Santo Domingo also houses the exclusive Winston Grill & Patio, a fine dining restaurant that features Latin American specialties with an Asian influence as well as an extensive international wine and cocktail menu.

The 150 rooms and suites all include high-speed, wireless internet, LCD televisions, Apple TVs in every room, embedded TVs in the bathroom mirrors, alarm clocks with iPhone 5 and iPad docking stations, a Nespresso coffee machine and the signature JW Marriott brand Aromatherapy bathroom amenities.

The presidential suite features some of the most high-end details in the Caribbean, including an $8,000 Kholer bath tub with light therapy, massage and hydrotherapy.

The hotel offers nine event spaces, totaling roughly 3,000 square feet of meeting and event space, including the 1,158 square-foot ballroom.

Visit www.jwmarriott.com and keep following www.travelagentcentral.com for more updates from our ongoing coverage of DATE. Follow Travel Agent's Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike.