JW Marriott Hotel Nara

As my first experience with the JW brand, this hotel has set an incredibly high bar. Located in downtown Nara right next to the Convention Center, it’s a convenient 15-minute walk from the train station. While the historical sites like Nara Park are about a 40-minute walk, they are easily accessible via a quick one-stop train ride. The service here is world-class and well-deserves its MICHELIN Key. The concierge team reached out nearly a month in advance to arrange my dinner and spa reservations. They even coordinated with the restaurants for my special occasion; the warmth I felt at Azekura while enjoying their exceptional omakase was unforgettable. Silk Road Dining was equally impressive. They generously upgraded me to an Executive Corner Suite, which offered great panoramic city views. The addition of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in the living room was a thoughtful touch that made my stay feel extra festive. Every staff member—from the front desk to the lounge and spa—was at the top of their game. My only tiny critique was that the lights weren't on when I first entered the room, so I had to "set the mood" before taking photos. Truly a 5-star experience in every sense, and at such a steal price. I’d be happy to return in the future.

Great but nothing amazing!! The reception area was beautiful and created a warm first impression the moment we arrived. The room itself was comfortable and pleasant, though nothing particularly stood out. The white pyjamas were a genuine highlight, they were beautifully made, incredibly soft, and honestly one of the most memorable parts of our stay. We absolutely loved them! Another feature we truly appreciated was the hotel’s shuttle bus directly to the deer park – such a thoughtful convenience and made exploring Nara effortless. We liked this hotel! But won’t be coming back as it’s not necessary to stay in Nara, it could be a day trip.

Exceptional rooms with some of the best amenities. Pool/hot tub on the 6th floor, yoga at 7am on the second floor, spa and workout facilities. The one downside about the pool/spa/sauna is it closes very early- 9pm. Rooms are incredible, spacious and comfortable beds. We’ve stayed at 5 hotels in Japan so far and this was by far the best. The service is even better- top notch. A bellman saw me walking in with a wrapper and banana peel- he took it from me and offered to throw it away. All the checkin staff are so kind and friendly. A shuttle every 30 min that brings you to the station- where all of the hustle bustle is happening. You pay top dollar but you get what you pay for- top notch service that is well worth it.

Hardware 4.5 (very good) vs. Software 3.0 (so so) Good: Hardware incl. clean and renovated interior Benefits for Marriott Platinum members, incl. upgrade, availability of Executive Lounge, complimentary breakfast, late check-out etc. Good quality of Silk Road Dining Not good: Location (far from the Nara train station or the famous Nara Park) Software is not good incl. Quality of Executive Lounge (only 2 warm dishes for Evening Hors D'oeuvres) and Elite Benefits or special requests on the room (I asked 2 rooms either connected or close by, but both failed), Cocktails at the lounge bar without any complimentary bar snacks Late check-out can not be applied upon mobile check-in. 1. Benefits for Platinum elite or above members: Free Executive Lounge Access (+1 guest) incl. complimentary continental breakfast & dinner with unlimited Alcoholic Beverage Service. 1000 point per stay Free access to Fitness club and Pool, Sauna 2. Executive Lounge (F, 07:0 – 22:00, open to guest aged 13 or older. For the kids below 12: open until 17:00) Breakfast (07:30-10:30) Afternoon Tea (14:00-16:00) Evening Hors D'oeuvres (17:00-20:00) Cocktails (17:00-21:00) 4. Fitness Center and Indoor Pool 5. Dining: Silk Road Dining (international) Azekura (Japanese) Flying Stag (Lounge Bar) 6. Guest Room Guest room (1 King or 2 double): 36 sqm Jr. Suite (1 King): 43 sqm - small Griffin Suite (1 King): 55 sqm Executive Suite (1 King): 92 sqm

We stayed here for six nights, and it was truly the best hotel experience we’ve ever had. Everyone at the hotel was incredibly kind, friendly, and professional. The service exceeded even the excellent Marriott standards I’ve experienced in Europe. We were pleasantly surprised by the thoughtful touches throughout our stay — for example, when we rented bikes, the staff had already prepared water bottles for us. The facilities are spacious and well-designed, and the attention to detail made us feel genuinely cared for as guests. I also enjoyed the spa service, which was relaxing and expertly done. Every staff member we met went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful time. Overall, Nara Marriott Hotel is by far the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Thank you to the entire team for making our stay so memorable. We will definitely return!

This is THE BEST place I’ve stayed so far. The hotel is quite new, the staff is super friendly (thanks Jonathan!) and serviceable, I mentioned it was our anniversary and I’ve never had so many details curated for us! They even remembered the date, and congratulated us. The restaurants are pretty good, as well as the rooms. They lend bikes in case you want to ride around in Nara. Also they have shuttles from main train and bus stations. 5 stars!

We live in Kyoto but visit Nara a few times a year. We did not stay but had their Autumn course lunch (the higher priced one, around ¥6,350 each). It was delicious, the restaurant and lobby were beautiful, Christmas decorations were up and gorgeous, and service was excellent in all ways. One complaint is the not inexpensive signature drink called “Gentle Stag” was not as described (it was missing the cinnamon stick and powder). We were the only ones that the bartender would have been tending to. He was having pictures taken that day for something and clearly did not get the drink right. It also just tasted exactly like Bailey’s with some milk. For a ¥2400 drink this should not happen. Please pay more attention to detail. This took a star away.

The hotel would be a perfect hotel if the rooms were not unbelievably noisy. The street noise, particularly from the motorcycles all day and night long is horrible and will not let you sleep. This is because the hotel is surrounded by 3 major streets so no matter where your room is you will always hear a lot of very loud street noise. I don’t understand why they did not use soundproof windows. Otherwise superb service and friendliness of staff. Hotel, rooms and facilities are exceptionally clean. Executive lounge is decent even though we have seen better ones in JW Marriotts with more offerings and better opening hours. Overall, facilities close rather early compared to other properties. Breakfast buffet is very good but local / Asian options outweigh western ones more significantly than in other Marriott hotels in Japan. Location is suboptimal as Nara attractions are at least 30 min on foot from the hotel.

Had a lovely stay. The service was impeccable. I appreciated how spacious and serene the room was. The shuttle to the JR stations was convenient. I had a great experience and would like to stay again in the future.

It's hard to start with how amazing this place was for my husband and I. We were told not to spend any nights in Nara, but we were glad to have ignored that piece of advice. If you do visit Nara, this place is a must-stay. From the beginning, the staff was very friendly and helpful towards us. The check-in process started very smoothly. We were gifted complimentary cocktails from the bar. Thuy Nguyen and Xuan Nguyen were excellent hosts. They were able to give us great recommendations for Nara and the drinks to order. Then we made our way to the restaurant. There, we met Sujana, one of the team leads. He went way above and beyone we could imagine. He recommended us the delicious dishes that they had to offer, and was able to provide details of every dish. This place made us not want to explore Nara because it was so comfortable just staying in. The rooms were very clean and the amenities were great. As you can tell, this place won us over, and we will definitely try our best to come back.