Originally Posted by
SkiAdcock
At Marriott FS brands w/ exec lounge - and a major advantage over SPG - both Gold/Plats get either access to the lounge or free brekkie. Unlike SPG Plats Marriott Plats don't have to choose it as a Plat option & unlike SPG Golds Marriott Golds get free brekkie too. That's because Marriott has more stringent elite qualifications (currently) than SPG
Setting aside the perennial arguments about relative ease that MR and SPG elite levels can be earned, I wouldn't claim that MR chooses to include breakfast as a benefit at the Gold level of its program
because it's more diffficut to get MR elite status than SPG.
Incidentally, the
global geographic distribution of Marriott-group hotels that offer free breakfast anyway makes interesting reading, doesn't it ?