Originally Posted by
Boraxo
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.
Important to point out - and I am surprised you would equal the current Gold as the Old Gold before merger finalized.
Plat in the current scheme equals to the Old Gold of Marriott, that is, 50 nights of stay to qualify - therefore it is just the same as the Old Gold. Of course if your gold was the comped one from SPG you will lose the benefit because there is SPG no more. Marriott ended its generosity to give SPG Gold the same benefit as Marriott Gold once the merger finalized.
For that matter, those who got their old Gold from Ritz credit card still retain their benefits this year because their Golds were from Marriott side, not from SPG side, by way of turning into Plat. They would need to qualify by nights this year in order to retain their Plat (new gold) status.
The rest would be just personal experiences, but the Gold thing needs to be clarified. In fact I am surprised to this day there are still folks not / or refuse, to see the part that Marriott treats the Old Gold differently, based on HOW you obtain it and we cannot fault Marriott really, because SPG Gold only required 10 nights of stay to qualify when it was 50 nights with Marriott.