Originally Posted by HereAndThere

If you are happy with Marriott then continue staying there. I don't see a reason to trivialize the assessments of others who weigh things differently. As you note none of us has access to Marriott's books so I don't know how anyone knows if Marriott has cut expenses to the bone in the right areas nor whether any employee jobs would be saved if I stayed more nights per year at a Marriott.
The Marriott CL problem is not new. More than two years ago staff at the New Orleans JW M told me that "corporate" had told them to close their lounge on weekends. The JW in DC stopped weekend service a long time ago. Some lounges have always had poor food, overpriced bar items, and indifferent service. Others have been quite the opposite. Presumably recent closings and downgrades have been exacerbated by Marriott's response to economic conditions. That does not mean that Marriott's decisions in these matters are the right decision nor the only choice.
The lounge has been a service that is important to me and if Marriott chooses not to provide it then I'll go elsewhere. I've spent tens of thousands of dollars with Marriott. I long ago passed 1000 nights, almost all at FS hotels and most at JW Marriotts so Marriott has done well by me. I put up with craziness such as charges for Internet service at FS properties and free service at cheaper properties for a long time until I decided to get my own wireless service and stop the nonsensical charges.
I don't mind a reasonable charge for amenities such as lounge access to be built into the room rate, but I'm not paying last week's asking price of $509 dollars a night (down to $479 per night today, I see) at the DC JW Marriott in a couple weeks for lousy lounge food, no mouthwash and no WSJ. If Marriott wants to keep my revenue they can find a way to bring back a touch of excellence.
Marriott has a corporate communications department that has failed badly in keeping its best customers informed on what is happening and why. I haven't heard a thing about lounge downgrades from Marriott except to see them in action. Nor do they bother to post updated information about lounges on the hotel websites.
As I said in an earlier post, Marriott has long sent a contradictory message about lounge access--it is sold as a very valuable benefit but if it isn't available it is no big deal from Marriott's standpoint.
Marriott could turn this all around and bring back lots of us high-revenue guests by fixing these problems and ensuring gold and platinum members that they will be taken care of in the long run. It isn't good business to bite the hand that feeds you. I'm still waiting for Marriott's communication about this.