Originally Posted by
TerryK
Unfortunately, Gold doesn't really qualify for comp room upgrades.
Originally Posted by
porciuscato
As others have mentioned, Gold does not entitle you to an upgrade. Considering it's summer season, nobody should expect an upgrade at any level. And yeah, it is a big gesture to comp you breakfast. The combination of the setting (sweeping Venice views) and the food made it the best breakfast we've ever had, excepting perhaps the terrace breakfast at the Grand Bretagne in Athens. I would not expect to stay at the one of the premier hotels in one of the most expensive tourist cities in the world and get a cheap breakfast.
We stayed two weeks ago as Ambassador guests and used SNAs to upgrade to a beautiful (albeit view-less) suite with two balconies. We were concerned by some of the previous negative reviews. But our overall experience was comparable to what yjc281 and odie11 described above. Service was really quite impeccable.
If you don't like the crowds out the front door, you take two quick left turns and you're out of the crowds in about 90 seconds. But anyhow, it's Venice. It has been crowded with tourists for literally hundreds of years. Thomas Jefferson was a tourist in Venice! If you don't like crowds, go elsewhere. We just came from a stay in Sarajevo, for example. Didn't see a single American tourist there. Not one.
As Gold, I did not expect a suite or lagoon view upgrade. But I did not expect the crappiest rooms in the hotel. According to the website Bonvoy Gold receives an "Enhanced Room Upgrade" which is defined as We’ll do our best to upgrade your room, based on availability at check-in. Upgrades are subject to availability identified by each hotel and limited to your personal guest room. Obviously others such as yourself lucked out. But it is important that people understand the range of experiences.
Mrs. B and I also used points to stay at both the STR Rome and STR Florence earlier in the month. Both were sold out well in advance of arrival, and we arrived after 6pm. Yet we each received some of the nicest rooms I have ever seen (particularly with 2 beds). This mirrors my experience over 3 decades at pretty much every Marriott (and former SPG property) - except the Danieli.
I am not sure how much you have travelled but the breakfast at the Danieli is not the "best I've ever had" - it is pretty marginal for a buffet and even inferior to some lounges. Yes the views are sweeping as one would expect. And of course until Bonvoy this was a Marriott Gold benefit - until March when the transition ended. Yes, we appreciated the breakfast, but it does not make up for 3 nights in the rooms I described, which don't hold a candle to the STR properties.
Of course we knew there would be crowds in June. But we passed many other 4* and 5* hotels that did not have throngs from morning to midnight. Every location has its +/- And no, you cannot turn left twice and be done with the crowds. Not in June.