JW Marriott Grand Rapids

. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Olivia and her incredible team for making our big day so special. Not only did they go above and beyond to exceed our expectations, but Olivia was always available whenever we needed anything from her team, providing a level of support that was truly unmatched. Even during a few panic moments, Olivia ensured we got exactly what we needed on time, easing our stress and keeping the day on track. The food and service were exceptional, with many guests still raving about how amazing everything was—especially the desserts! Every detail was thoughtfully taken care of, and the entire experience was nothing short of extraordinary. We came home with lifelong memories and will 100% recommend JW as a wedding venue to anyone looking for perfection on their big day.

of the options and then right after that one, we met with Olivia at the JW. It was night and day. Olivia sold us with her professionalism and communication and just the knowledge that she had. The JW obviously sells itself, it’s beautiful. Comes with a hefty price but worth it in the end. Had everything and more that we were looking for. We just needed the person that would be our inside person to be detail oriented and great at communication. Olivia was that and so so so much more. Such a pleasure to work with and so easy to communicate what we were looking for. She was so helpful in every direction! The JWs options were so easy to select from. You really can’t go wrong. Their food was divine. Even had compliments from our wedding guests. To cook for 175 is no easy task and they crushed it. The drinks that we chose for specialty drinks, the JW knocked it out of the park. Honestly just an overall fantastic experience all thanks to Olivia. So, thank you for helping us create our most special day and something we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

ruly went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly and that we felt taken care of throughout the entire process. Their attention to detail and dedication made all the difference. Our family and guests were incredibly impressed, not only by the beauty of the venue but also by the professionalism and warmth of the staff. The level of service provided was exceptional—everyone was attentive, friendly, and incredibly helpful. They made sure that all of our needs were met, from the smallest requests to the more significant aspects of the event. The event manager/captain were a superstar, coordinating everything effortlessly and ensuring that the day flowed seamlessly. It felt like we were in the best hands possible, allowing us to relax and fully enjoy every moment of our wedding. If you're looking for a venue that delivers not only a stunning setting but also a team that genuinely cares about making your day special, this is the place. They exceeded our expectations in every way, and we will always cherish the memories they helped create.

exactly what our vision was. The chefs made sure all of our guests were satisfied from cocktail hour all the way to late night snacks. They went above and beyond to make sure every single guest was comfortable. I could not imagine having our wedding at any other venue, it was simply perfect.

CD with Matt and Olivia— all was better than we could have imagined.

et married at the JW Marriott

big day (a brunch), everything was perfect. "The JW" is an awesome venue, everyone from the bellmen and valets to the front of house and back of house staff that we interacted with was so great to work with. Olivia, the Event and Wedding Manager was there for us from start to finish - not at all a "pushy sell", just intent on making sure we could achieve what we wanted, and always with great suggestions. The JW was a perfect "destination wedding", with very easy and inexpensive travel to and from Grand Rapids, and with beautiful rooms for those that chose to stay right there. The ballrooms with movable walls (we had ceremony in one, dinner in another), and common area (for cocktail hour) are gorgeous, and the staircase is stunning. Plenty of parking right there, and the outside vendors had a very easy setup process, no issues. The food choices for the reception were numerous, hard to decide initially, but everyone raved over their entree selection and the desserts were fantastic. Bar service and "signature drinks" were plentiful and nicely presented. They require the cake to come from their own on-site bakery, but the choices were many and the cake was delicious. While the spa services are not on the JW premises, their affiliation with the Amway Grand's Spa next door made it very easy for guests to have hair and makeup services, with the time blocked off already when the JW was booked, just need to coordinate exact times. The JW did allow traveling providers to work in the rooms. The decor options made the otherwise large (tall ceilings) ballrooms very cozy and intimate. But when the party really got rocking later it did not feel at all stuffy, climate control was perfect. We had a brunch buffet for 35 in a portion of the ballroom the next morning - again outstanding food choices and attentive staff. While we won't have a need for another event of this type, the JW Marriott was an outstanding venue, highly recommend!!!

work with for out event. She is very professional, polite, and thoughtful in her work. I would highly recommend her as an event manager for your wedding. Her service and the event staff were beyond expectation.

of wedding planning. They are so great to work with and the whole JW Marriott team truly goes above and beyond for their clients!

their teams go above and beyond to make such a special event memorable for years to come. I highly recommend booking your accommodations for your wedding weekend with the JW Marriott Grand Rapids.

ing exceeded our expectations. It was great to know that all our details for hotel rooms were well taken care of. The hotel also surprised us with a celebratory amenity when we arrived at our suite at the end of the night, which really added to an already extraordinary evening. The view from the suite was breathtaking as well and we would highly recommend wedding goers to consider the JW as the place to be for their wedding night! ~ A Happy Groom

seamlessly with all of our vendors. She was quick to respond and very professional. Our wedding planner suggested a unique dinner service, one that the JW had never done before, and Olivia didn't even hesitate when saying they could do it. It was executed seamlessly! The service staff and bartenders were amazing - our guests were well taken care of and it was a night we'll all remember forever! HIGHLY recommend Olivia and the JW Marriott - if we could do it all over again, we would in a heartbeat! :)

I could have ever imagined. The JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids is not only beautiful, but it is so clean, well-maintained, easily accessible, and has beautiful ballroom spaces for your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. Their staff goes above and beyond to support your event, from planning, waitressing, valet, down to the housekeeping. All in all, I never heard the word "no". Sure, this came at our expense, but the JW Marriott did absolutely everything in their power to execute our vision. I was always met with "of course we can do that" and "let's see what we can do to make that happen" and then presented with the plan, the details, the cost, and the next steps. It truly was a dream. The planning - They are on top of EVERYTHING. I sent COUNTLESS emails, made phone calls, late-night text messages, you name it. Olivia is by your side every step of the way. As someone who would consider myself pretty high stress, high anxiety, type A, and over the top organized, Olivia was like my partner in crime. She never faltered when we brought up an idea. She was encouraging, gave her opinion but always supported mine, and provided us with countless options to execute our vision. Olivia welcomed all voices to the table, and did an amazing job keeping track of everything. She coordinated seamlessly with all vendors, family members, essentially everyone involved on the JW side of the event. The food and beverages - Outstanding. Our tasting was one of my favorite parts of the entire process. Nothing was off limits. The menu is extensive, diverse, and plentiful. From our appetizers to our late night snack to our cake, everything was over the top. The bar selections, accommodations, and customizations were top of the line. We had 2 DETAILED signature cocktails - the JW Marriott staff never blinked an eye. The event itself - I'm tearing up as I write this. Our entire day was the smoothest I could have asked for. I'm not sure if anything went "wrong" behind the scenes, but if it did, I wasn't aware of it. Everything was BEAUTIFUL. More beautiful than I could have ever imagined. Everything was set up, every item taken quality care of, every guest accommodated. Biggest highlights - Olivia Franklin coordinated our entire event team on behalf of the JW. She is timely to respond, and truly cares about your happiness. If you see this, Olivia, thank you again! You are truly the best and made our entire experience so special. I cannot think of any cons to our experience, to be completely honest. If I had one piece of advice it would just be to make sure this venue aligns with your budget! Oh, one thing, they do have to do your cake :-) This was not a deal breaker for us because Chef Lisa executed our vision to a tee. The cake was not only beautiful but also so delicious. You will not regret having your wedding at the JW Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids. I wish we could do the entire process over again!

fortunately, it was our wedding. :) All of the small touches — napkin folds, signature drinks, dessert options, placing h’orderves at the head table and dimming lights at just the right time — showed JW Marriott truly cared. I could go on and on! Even our menu tasting for the reception, and our rehearsal dinner in a private event room, were seamless experiences. Aside from the incredible professionalism of the event team, JW Marriott is a gorgeous venue in itself. The ambiance makes you feel glamorous. The grand staircase, and the nearby iconic bridges and parks, are ideal for the wedding photos every couple wants. I hope every bride and groom feels the way we felt on our wedding day. If you choose to book JW Marriott as your wedding venue, you’ll be in good hands.

hey were professional, and easy to work with. On the wedding day everything I could've ever asked for was either already provided, or a hand wave away. I'm not joking when I say writing this right now I have tears of joy in my eyes, and expect to for the entirety of our marriage anytime these memory come to mind.

ning process simple for us. Everything from tastings to floor diagrams, from entrees to the wedding cake, from lighting to helipad photos, the JW team made everything work beautifully. Many of our guests stayed at the hotel for the weekend, and they also had a wonderful experience. From setting up the room block to handing out our welcome bags, the JW team took care of every detail. Although the entire staff exceeded our expectations, we do want to make special note of the fact that Olivia is VERY good at her job and an absolute pleasure to work with. Professional, experienced, and fun. We highly recommend!

From crafting our ideal menu to creating our dessert table and day of flow, Olivia ensured everything was exactly what we wanted. She was super responsive, helpful, friendly, and transparent at every step of the process. The team made sure the day of our wedding was absolutely perfect. The venue is beautiful, the staff is friendly & accommodating, and our guests raved about the wedding. We cannot thank the team enough and highly recommend to anyone getting married in the Grand Rapids area.

as beautiful, the food was exactly as it tasted at our tasting, and the staff was incredibly kind and efficient. We received numerous comments from guests about how efficiently and professionally the night was ran. The highlight for me was the event planning staff. They made each step so easy and stress free and provided guidance throughout the entire process. I cannot thank everyone enough, it was truly the best night.

to use for tracking room availability & for guests to book their rooms. I also used one of the suites at the JW the morning of my wedding to get ready with myself, 9 bridesmaids & a team of people for hair and makeup. The room is beautiful, the views are breathtaking & there was was plenty of room for everyone to get ready. The staff also left my (now) husband and I a thoughtful gift in our room on our wedding night. Our guests enjoyed their stay and couldn't get over how beautiful the JW is. Will definitely work with the JW (and Courtyard by Marriott) again if needing a room block/planning an event. Thank you!

tarters through desserts. The JW can also work with the Amway Grand Bakery for wedding cakes/desserts, which is very hassle free. The JW can not only work with the Amway Grand, but virtually any other vendor, as well. Most vendors in the area have worked with the JW, which bodes well for a stress free day. The best part of the JW is Anna Fortier, the events director. She is THE reason that everything was stress free. She is thoughtful, organized, detailed, and very responsive. She was there for any and all questions we had. Every single vendor contacted her to schedule timing/set-up/etc on the big day. On the day of, she was a HUGE help with set-up, decorations, and moving guests to designated areas. I cannot say enough about Anna, she made our wedding experience SO pleasant. I would recommend the JW Marriott Grand Rapids to all couples, with the majority thanks to Anna, and of course the venue itself.

over other venues in downtown Grand Rapids that either did not suit our needs, were outside our budget, or were not open and affirming to gay couples, we decided to take a look at the JW Marriott. We met with the one and only dream producer, Lauren Knowlton. Her professional attitude, prompt responses to our (endless) questions, and realistic humor was one of the many selling points. It was also easy to book a block of rooms with the JW for our out of town guests. After we signed the contract, we were paired with Anna Fortier as our wedding event coordinator. We met with Anna a few times before our wedding day. Each meeting she came prepared with questions/suggestions that helped us think about what we wanted for the wedding reception. On our big day, Anna helped the night go more smoothly than a freshly Zamboni-ed ice rink! We never worried once during our reception because we knew that Anna would make everything go smoothly! If you think that you're going to have typical hotel-convention-mass-prepared-bland food by going with the JW, nothing could be further than the truth. The night we had our food tasting was one of the most memorable parts of our wedding planning! The food--prepared by the same chef who does the six.one.six menu--was delicious and so artistically plated. We were able to sample and create our ideal meal from the options available, and Anna helped us at each step of the way. We were slightly nervous though that on the day of our wedding, it wouldn't have been possible to serve 125 people that quality of food all at the same time. Wow, were we wrong! We received numerous compliments from our guests on the meal. Furthermore, the bar service enhanced every aspect of our reception, from pre-dinner all the way to the end of the night! They were even able to serve our signature cocktail to guests. We could go on and on and on about how wonderful it was to work with the folks at the JW and their extreme attention to detail. We will always fondly remember our wedding planning process, and we recommend the JW for any function, especially weddings.

nagement every single person was outstanding. My husband and I plan on going back at least once a year to celebrate! Make your search so much easier and decide to have your reception and even your ceremony in this space!

ly how I had pictured it and the food and service was amazing. I would highly recommend this venue to any bride.

the Bride is was so nice not to have to worry about all the little details because I knew that they would be taken care of. I would highly recommend this venue and employees for a reception, party or wedding. Thanks again for such a great night that we will never forget!

it and wine once we checked in. We had dinner at the restaurant downstairs and drinks at bar right next door. Everything felt very high end but comfortable. The bed was huge and so was the shower and tub. Wonderful hotel, highly recommended!

ing bridge near there, and got married in a park on the river. We wanted to be able to see those important places from our room. We had a sunrise wedding, and the staff at JW was amazing about letting us check in early and giving us the perfect room to overlook everything that we wanted to see! I could not have been more pleased. That night my Dad asked us to go to drinks with him and a few other family members at the bar downstairs, Mixology. We got a table on the outside deck overlooking our park, and had some amazing drinks. The staff was very friendly, and gave us a delicious chocolate dessert covered with fresh fruit, and the word "congratulations" written on the plate in chocolate. I was very impressed, and it was the perfect way to end the day, watching the sunset from the deck after being on the other side of the river watching the sun rise during our wedding!

The woman I worked with to block the rooms said if I gave her my confirmation number, she would make sure to get me an upgrade. When I got to my room, it was a regular double room. One of my bridesmaids decided she was going to stay at the hotel the night of the wedding; after some shuffling of reservations she booked a king, river view corner room and we swapped rooms. The JW was helpful in that they allowed us to check into the king room early Saturday morning, so we had plenty of room for the stylist to come do everyone's hair. When we got back to our room after the wedding, rose petals were on the bed (requested by a bridesmaid) and chocolate covered strawberries were sent by the coordinator I had been working with (not sure if that was the upgrade). Even with the little bumps, I recommend staying at the JW. The staff is great, the rooms are comfortable and luxurious, and the Sunday brunch at their restaurant, six.one.six, is delicious!

city. When I arrived to check us in they figured out it was our wedding (the veil, maybe), congratulated me, and explained that they room had been upgraded and took our bag for me. It was in the room with a congratulatory note when we arrived. That night we were given free ice cream and water, also. All the staff were super helpful and kind. Lunch at 6-1-6 was also delicious!

everything you need! Thank you, JW...for making my wedding night SPECTACULAR.

er basket for them to hand it over the counter to the guest. $10 per basket if you want it placed in their room when they arrive. This is just ridiculous. This is not a place to have your guests stay if they are more interested in value.

f us and our guests. We had brunch the next day at sixonesix which unfortunately did not go as well, but this was simply because we were a large party with no reservations. I appreciate that they tried to accommodate us, but I think it would have been better for everyone if they would have informed us that it was not going to work on such a busy day instead of serving us with a very noticeable attitude. Other than brunch, everything was really perfect. I definitely recommend the hotel!

is hotel is worth the money.

d at 4:00! This is after they had made it very clear that week and then again early that morning that they needed to be able to check in at the 3:00 check in time. It's great they were busy, but with as many rooms as we booked with them, they could have made it a little easier for two of my girls to get into their rooms on time. Other than that, it was great. My groom and I got upgraded to the top floor, city view for our stay. And the beautiful wine, cheese and chocolate strawberry tray they delivered was a very nice touch.

hem to be affordable. The stay were very nice, accomodating and helpful. We were very kindly upgraded to the Concierge accomodation, and enjoyed the services of the hotel. The only negative thing we can think of was the cost of parking. It was $16 per day. While I understand this is charge, for Grand Rapids we found this price a bit high compared to the city ramps which are only $9/day.

o did a room block here for our guests. On that note, I found out later that the price we were quoted for our block only included the city view not the river view...in case that matters to anyone. The hotel was wonderful. I recommend it!!