golfnerd,

Which Marriott brands were involved at these multiple occasions? Were you offered anything at check-in, beyond being handed the key cards to your room? If you were not offered the proper choices, did you ask the front desk agent about it right away?

At all of my check-ins this year, the front desk agent properly offered the benefit choices for Platinum Elite and above.

The choices vary by brand. At Westin and Sheraton hotels, for example, the welcome gift is "1,000 Points per Stay" OR "amenity per Stay" OR "breakfast in restaurant per night of Stay for Member +1 (including Resorts)." Meanwhile, at non-resort properties of five Marriott legacy brands, the welcome gift is "1,000 Points per Stay" OR "U.S. $10 food and beverage ("F&B") credit per Stay" (but restaurant breakfast is not a welcome gift choice), in addition to the lounge/breakfast benefit, which is separate. At select service brands, the welcome gift tends to be more modest, but, again, it varies by brand.

There have been rare times in the past when a front desk agent failed to ask me. In that case, I ask the agent about it while still at the counter. The agent then realizes that I have elite status and offers the choices. I'm not offended, and I do not demand "Guest Compensation" of $25, $50, or $!00 (again, it varies by brand).

If a hotel genuinely fails to comply with the Terms & Conditions -- whether due to a front desk agent who refuses, or due to hotel management that somehow thinks they're free to ignore the Terms & Conditions -- I would not hesitate to demand "Guest Compensation." This just hasn't been the case for me.