Wuhan Marriott Hotel Wuchang

Read time:

4–6 minutes

a place that stands out

Marriott, Marriott Bonvoy, Northeast Asia, Premium

One of Wuhan’s newest addition to Marriott’s portfolio, the Marriott Wuchang also happens to be one of the taller building of the city, situated in the east side of the city and between two of Wuhan’s landmark lakes. Needless to say, the expectation on the view was very high. However, I did wonder before I showed up: would everything else live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

The location of the hotel was not as close to major tourist hotspots as downtown options, however the close proximity of the subway countered that pretty well – in fact, the hotel itself was directly connected to the subway station via an underground walkway, which was, however, unfortunately blocked during my stay – apparently the basement level was not quite finished. Nevertheless, it was still quite easy to get to the lobby, up one flight of stairs and around the corner and there I was. This also gave me an opportunity to see the building from the outside, which was indeed very, very tall.

The lobby was located on the first floor. Check-in was relatively smooth. I arrived around noon time, and my upgraded room was not ready, so I was given the options of either waiting for the corner room with Wuhan’s skyline view or taking an executive room facing away from downtown. As big of a sucker for view as I am, I jumped on option 1, and was sent up to the club lounge to give housekeeping some time to finish things up.

Now, the indoor space of the club lounge was pretty standard, with ample seating, a nice buffet and tea/coffee area as well as a small library area with real books. However, the lounge, being on floor 50-something, also featured a wrap-around patio that offered a 360-degree panoramic view of the city. Weather didn’t cooperate and it was quite misty during my stay, however the view was still no less than stunning. Even better, there were outdoor seating areas as well as indoor observation rooms scattered all around the patio. Needless to say, I enjoyed every second roaming around the patio, and even hoped housekeeping would take longer.

Into the evening, the lounge offered a variety of hot food and drink options, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There were bartenders on staff as well, and they did know how to make a good and balanced negroni.

The room itself was, in comparison, more in line with my expectations, which is not a bad thing. It was a corner room in a rounded, triangular shape, but the layout was relatively sensible, albeit slightly on the smaller side in the bedroom quarter, especially considering the hotel advertised it as a “Studio”. The aforementioned skyline view was equally as stunning as in the lounge upstairs, however without the panoramic experience and the initial WOW factor it felt slightly less impressive.

The bathroom was also put together along the same line of trying to be premium and functional at the same time. Everything touchable had an upscale feeling to them, and the bathtub shared the same city view which was a plus, not only for the view itself but also for the added natural light in the bathroom. A smart toilet was also available. The only downside was that just like the room itself, the bathroom felt a bit smaller than I would’ve liked.

Service was, like I mentioned in the beginning, smooth. however it did feel a bit transactional outside the lounge. This was with the exception of Anjila, the welcome ambassador that greeted me upon arrival. She was an exchange student from Nepal, but spoke perfect Mandarin and English. She was personable, delightful to chat with, and very attentive to little details. I thoroughly enjoyed my interaction with her.

The hotel also offered a fairly large breakfast buffet. However, there was a noticeable absence of anything local from Wuhan – instead, there was a wide selection of interesting options from a neighbouring city called Xiangyang. Intriguingly, the hotel was actually owned and operated by Xiangyang’s municipal government, and I later realized the artworks scattered around the room and public areas were all depicting landmarks and notable people from Xiangyang, instead of Wuhan. It was a very interesting sight, and in my opinion quite amusing – it reminded me of the (in)famous “Welcome to Luton” sign Max Fosh put up by Gatwick airport.

A mini arcade was available in the 2nd floor lobby

In conclusion, I think the Marriott Wuchang delivered a great package. The hard product was modern, functional and well-designed, the view was awesome, and the club lounge was definitely a plus. Rumours are already circulating that the hotel will soon take on the JW Marriott brand instead, and I would endeavour to say that it probably won’t need much more than what it already has to get there.

RealScore

Service: 7.5

Design and Room Size: 8.5

In-room Amenities: 8

Bathroom Size and Layout: 10

View from (my) Room: 8

Hotel Location: 8

Available Guest Facilities: 10

Food Quality: 8

Food and Beverage Service: 7

Executive Lounge Quality: 9

Final RealScore: 8.39