One of the things I liked about Marriott several years ago was that the Platinum Welcome Amenity did not require "trading off" other elite benefits. It was just a cool little amenity - for me, a bowl of mixed nuts and a half-bottle of red wine. Although it was usually really cheap wine, I still appreciated it. Occasionally a property would shock me by providing a full bottle of a local wine that was fit for human consumption.

Then I dropped to Gold and kind of forgot about. But on August 1, I'll be LTPP, so I briefly got excited about the amenity again - only to realize that it appears that it's now a trade-off for other benefits in most cases. Is that right? Specifically, I'd have to trade breakfast for the welcome amenity - if the welcome amenity is even an option at all.

Whole thing is confusing...