I confess that except for Bliss Products at the W, the toiletries at the various Marriott full-service properties, as well as the Hilton and Hyatt full service properties I can't distinguish any particular difference in quality. What is the difference between Thann, Asprey, Aromoatherapy, White Team, Aveda .... As for manufacturing in China, that may be less of an issue as hotels move away from single use plastic toiletries in the room in favor of dispensers.
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But back to the issue on benefits
1. Upgrades vary by property. In general, I've had better luck at legacy Marriott properties compared to Westins. But part of that is that I may have go to Marriott properties that I know will upgrade me and avoid those that don't. i've had bad upgrade experiences at most of the Westins I've stayed at (obvious lies for example at Westin La Paloma, refusal to upgrade but not lying about it at Westin PVR, and the hotel designating a couple of rooms as standard suites in other properties but good luck at Westin Boneventura and Westin LAX so its really a matter of the individua. property. Sounds like Huntsville, like the Alexandria Westin, is resting on a great location to skimp on some benefits.
2. JW/Marriott/Renn almost always have lounges; some Westins do. For properties with lounges, I can get breakfast, a dinner snack, and a $10 voucher or 1000 points. From any objective perspective, that's a better option than the Westin plat option that requires me to choose, as opposed to getting all three. If its a resort, its a tougher call.