Originally Posted by
C17PSGR
YI was very surprised to see that SPG doesn't offer the same benefits for those who don't get their guaranteed room type or get walked as the Marriott side.
How many times have you ever been walked? 1,000+ nights for me now between the two and has never happened once. So it's kind of a straw man argument.
Marriott doesn't guarantee me a bed type but Starwood does...how is that better for Marriott?
As for the suites issue, I don't know how you can make such a broad brush statement. My two suite upgrades on the SPG side this year have been fine but they were both open studio style rooms with a couch. In contrast, on the Marriott side in the past month alone, I've had (a) a 2000 square foot suite with a dining room, living room, and multiple bathrooms, (b) a two room ocean front suite, (c) a two room suite with the best view in town, and (d) two different top floor two room suites with mountain views. That's just this month and all of those are in major world cities with SPG properties. I did get great treatment in a large two room suite at a CY in a rural area where the nearest SPG options was several hundred miles away.
You have had better experiences w/Marriott, but as I've said before, I've seen many posts from long term Marriott elites that say, more or less, more suites w/SPG in the past 6-12 months than 10+ years with Marriott. I haven't seen anyone else say the reverse.
And ... since you don't stay at MR properties and certainly haven't spent 50 nights at MR properties since status matching, I don't know how you can draw a comparison. Otherwise, you're drawing on a sample set of one. Frankly, I can't remember when the status matching took place but I've certainly spent 100+ nights at Marriott properties since then as well as 50 at SPG properties. Once the novelty wore off, its obvious to me.
I've actually done 50 nights in total post-match (some as Gold via United, most as a Plat via SPG match). I got a nice upgrade at the Cosmo (3 nights) due to some amazing Ambassador intervention. I remember once nice junior suite, very big room, at the Hotel Chicago (1 night). I think that's it for suite upgrades. The couple M Clubs I have been to are quite good. But IMO the overall elite experience has been a notch lower than with SPG, via hotel experience, communication w/Plat support. YMMV.