Oh come on, surely Plats are going to get upgraded before Gold and in general be treated better. Of course, since Marriott likes to close its lounges on the weekends and not provide breakfast at most hotels except Marriott itself, I find neither Gold nor Platinum worth anything near what Hilton Diamond or Starwood Preferred are worth. I'm letting my Marriott Gold status expire at the end of this year.
I agree; it's not worth it. I've been Plat for about 5 years now with Marriott and have since moved on to other chains, but they've still renewed my Plat status the last 2 years without me having stayed the required number of nights. The upgrades are few and far between, and hardly EVER to a suite (which is not technically allowed in the program anyway). Lounges are hardly ever open on a weekend, and it's like pulling teeth to get a 1pm checkout at most hotels.