Originally Posted by
davew-krdm
Having not been a Platinum before at Marriott - other than the bonus points, does it really make much of a difference?
No. The main difference is the points. Having platinum vs. gold status theoretically makes a difference in the likelihood of getting an upgrade, but my experience is that U.S. properties tend not to give upgrades unless asked, while foreign properties (I've stayed at a lot in Asia) treat Golds and Platinums equally well. Either way, I've gotten no upgrades as a Platinum that my colleagues who were Gold didn't also get.