Am I missing something here, in looking at the replies?

The original poster was NOT a registered guest at this hotel, yet was asking for lounge access. I have never, ever thought that, as a Platinum, I was entitled to go into any of the Marriott hotels worldwide and ask for lounge access based solely on my Platinum status, unless I were staying there.

The lounge access was denied, however the employee appears to have been accomodating, even buying the poster his lunch. To me, that was an extremely gracious effort on his part, certainly out of the ordinary and not at all mandated by status with Marriott.

The Marriott Elite Benefits Guide makes it fairly clear that lounge access is a benefit for guests only.

On a side note, I happened to have stayed at the Newark Marriott this February when two and a half feet of snow fell on NYC and my flight to the Cayman Islands was cancelled. While standing in the check-in line, I met Marriott General Manager Walt Ensminger and this pleasant gentlemen and I began conversing. He recognized my Marriott Platinum status and asked about the circumstances under which I found myself at his hotel. When I explained that we were headed for the Cayman Islands Marriott but had been delayed by the snow, he offered to give me and my family (including 3 children)two complimentary rooms for the evening to make up for our inconvenience. Mind you, the snow wasn't his doing, and I hadn't asked for anything (not even an upgrade!!!) but he offered us two rooms for free as a geesture of goodwill. (We ended up only taking one.) Later, he sent up fresh baked cookies and milk for the children.

He certainly wasn't obligated to do anything for us, and his actions surely went above and beyond service we've received, or expected to receive, most anywhere.