If anybody was wondering what Marriott Gold status gets you, it's a room with no working heat, moldy bathroom with cracked sink and falling molding. Oh, and service akin to the one you get from a used car salesman. When I checked in at the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel, I asked about the one thing I cared about -- the complimentary room upgrade (subject to availability, of course). They didn't seem to know what I was talking about, so I asked them if they could see my Gold status in their computer. They said "oh, yes, everything is in here," but no room upgrade. Then the clerk went on to point out that it is a very good room, with a king bed, so it's big. And that part is true. It is a very good size, especially for Europe. She also pointed out that the gold status is very good since I get free internet and breakfast. In this case it's irrelevant since my company's rate includes that for the whole group of 40 of us.

The size of the room is about the only good thing about it. The heating does not work (and there are 10C = 50F outside), and after 2 phone calls and 1 hour wait they finally brought a space heater. No question about finding another room where the heating works, no apologies, nothing.

Thankfully I got this "amazing" status via the UAL promotion, not by spending $$$. Spending money to get Gold seems a complete waste if this is how it works.

Anyone has any idea if this is normal behavior for Marriott? Since I am new to Gold, I don't know how much weight this status carries, and what I should expect from them.