Back to back comparison between Marriott and Starwood as a Platinum

I got a nice Status match from Marriott to Starwood last year. I since then stayed in Starwood properties in North- & South America, Europe and the Far East. I continued to stay at Marriott as well, so I guess after a combined 65 nights in both chains I can write a little comparison of both programs.

Selection of Hotels:
Here Marriott clearly wins. There are way more properties to choose. Especially Marriott features a higher number of moderately priced properties. However Marriott Hotels seem a bit boring to me. They all have the same standard, but very rarely a “wow” effect. At Starwood I have seen really impressive Hotels and places in desperate need of renovation.

Upgrades:
Both programs promise Plats an upgrade to the best available room. However Marriott excludes Suites, whereas Starwood includes suites. So far the theory: In practice I got upgrades to beautiful suites with Marriott, whereas Starwood failed so far to upgrade me one single time with a really nice suite.

Lounge Access / Breakfast:
Both chains guarantee lounge access to Plats (Marriott also to Gold). However Starwood is creating lots of fine print: (Towers lounge in certain Sheraton Hotels excluded). Alcoholic beverages are usually included in both chains international properties and excluded in US locations. Marriott guarantees a free breakfast (in the US only Mo-Fr) whereas at Starwood it is a hit or miss if you get a coupon when there is no lounge.
As a general impression, Marriott encourages to grab a snack and a drink to take it to the room, whereas Starwood even places signs in the lounge that this will not be tolerated. Service in Starwood lounges seems a bit more stylish. Both brands downgraded quite a lot…

Priceline Bookings:
Both chains will not credit points for priceline bookings. However Marriott will treat a Plat with all benefits (Lounge, breakfast, upgrade), whereas Starwood will treat their Plats just as a Priceline customer and will not extend ANY benefits.

Rate Scheme:
Both brands seem to shift to advance purchase rates more and more. However Starwood does do it in an extreme way. The lowest rates are always very unflexible. This makes travel planning a pain.

Value of Points:
Both brands devaluated points recently. With Marriott in my eyes the best redemption value is still a travel package Cat 1-5. 270.000 points get me 120.000 UA miles plus a seven night stay. With Starwood any reasonable use of points is for rooms (either points only or cash&points). The Starwood point is about 2.5 times more valuable than the Marriott point. This makes the 500pt arrival gift more valuable as well.

Promotions:
Both brands run 3-4 promotions a year. With Marriott that results in about 100.000 extra points a year (2-3 MegaBonus postings) . Starwood seem more creative in their promotions (extra points, free Weekend Nights…).