To tmeyer: I think you are overgeneralizing based on the particular properties you've stayed at. I've NEVER seen a sign at a Starwood property forbidding you to take food from the lounge. (Frankly, sometimes it's necessary to escape the lounge if it's overcrowded, and/or infested with noisy kids.

) And my Priceline experience at a particular Starwood is the complete opposite of yours.