W Amman

Rooms and decor

Drive through Abdali for the first time and one dark, reflective metal-and-glass tower stops you mid-thought — that is W Amman, the work of Mira Architects, opened in 2017 as the first W in Jordan and a landmark of the Abdali New Downtown district fast becoming the capital's modern core. Step into the lobby and you meet high open ceilings, dark tones laced with gold, and contemporary Arabic geometric artwork reinterpreted with the playful streak the W brand is known for. The 229 rooms and suites work dark grey, Nile blue and burnt-orange accents that read modern without feeling heavy. Every room has floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto the city, and many frame Amman's seven hills, with some catching the Roman-era Citadel in panorama. The W Bed is deep and soft to brand standard, and marble bathrooms come with rain showers and Bliss products. Plenty of reviews say they slept well and woke to a view that felt worth the money. The top-floor suites — the Marvelous Suite and the Extreme WOW Suite — add living space, sound systems and even wider angles.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is upstairs — the open-air WET Deck pool with its pool bar, cabanas and resident evening DJ, which young Amman pretty much agrees is the coolest spot in town. The pool is not huge, but the atmosphere is hard to copy: reflective towers all around, Amman's white hills beyond, soft-tempo music and a strong cocktail turn sunset into the moment half the deck photographs for social. One floor down is AWAY Spa, rated by reviewers as the best hotel spa in the city, with single and couples' treatment rooms, a Middle Eastern hammam, steam and sauna rooms, and honey-and-olive-oil scrubs built on local Jordanian ingredients — the right answer if you want to recover after Petra or Wadi Rum. The restaurant Mistral serves a breakfast buffet blending Middle Eastern dishes (manakish, labneh, fattoush) with a full continental spread, and many reviews call it better stocked than rivals in the city. Closing it out is LIVING ROOM, the lobby bar where locals come for cocktails every night — a smart speakeasy feel that makes the place feel like a genuine world capital.

Location and getting there

W Amman sits in the heart of Abdali New Downtown, the new business and lifestyle district Amman built on the site of a former railway yard. It is now full of office towers, the Abdali Mall and Abdali Boulevard, a pedestrian street lined with cafes, restaurants and bars — just a few minutes' walk from the lobby. The feel here is the opposite of the Old Town: all new buildings, wide clean streets, made for travellers who want the modern side of Amman over old-world charm. It is also close to King Abdullah I Mosque, the city's iconic blue-domed landmark, about 7 minutes by car, with embassies and the government quarter nearby, which makes it handy for business and diplomatic guests. To reach the Old Town for the Roman Citadel, the Roman Theatre or Rainbow Street, expect a 10-15 minute taxi — not far, but not a walk. From Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) it is about 35-45 minutes by car, and the hotel can arrange a transfer if you book ahead.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The thing that comes up most in reviews is the location: Abdali is modern and walkable, but it sits well away from the Old Town and Rainbow Street that many travellers come for. You cannot walk there — it is a taxi every time — so if your plan centres on the historic quarter, you may feel removed from the action. The second is noise: because WET Deck and LIVING ROOM are weekend party spots for locals, some lower rooms near the pool can hear the music late, and a few reviews mention trouble sleeping. Ask for a high floor on the side away from the pool; if you sleep easily, skip the worry. The last is in-hotel spend. Food and drink in the restaurants and bars run well above Amman's everyday prices, and once you add Jordan's fairly heavy tax and service charges the checkout bill can surprise you. To save, walk out to Abdali Boulevard, where there are good restaurants at far friendlier prices.

Our take

Reading through the real reviews on both sides — Agoda 9.2 and Booking 8.7 — they line up: W Amman sells bold design, floor-to-ceiling city-view rooms, and a WET Deck and AWAY Spa that have no real match in the city, and it pulls it off with confidence. If your picture of Amman is checking into an icon, waking to the seven hills, sinking into the WET Deck at sunset, then a treatment at AWAY Spa and a cocktail at LIVING ROOM, this is the most complete answer in town. But if you mean to spend every day in the Old Town and walk to Rainbow Street in the evening without flagging a taxi, the Jabal Amman area may suit you better. Overall we give it 9.2/10, best for design lovers, couples, night owls and travellers who want the modern face of today's Amman.