Originally Posted by ohmark

You didn't post a link, so I don't know to what you refer. Here, however, is a link to a current page describing benefits (which, AFAIK, hasn't been changed in the past few months. https://www.marriott.com/rewards/mem...ts/platinum.mi
In any case you can refer to "michellel's" statement as linked above. As I posted elsewhere, she is the Marriott executive in charge of Marriott Rewards elite benefits, or at least has identified herself as such. You will also note at that linked page an exchange of comments with her in which I try to pin her down as to what the upgrade language had been. Her posting as to the new (June 2012) language then appears.
However, there is no question that a property that doesn't want to give a suite upgrade or any other kind of real room upgrade will be able to maneuver around, through, and above, the language, as they always have been able to. Each person when faced with such a situation will have to decide for themselves whether it is worth the hassle to contest whatever "fait accompli" they are presented with.