Originally Posted by
1mileman
Breakfast is never included unless you book a breakfast package. As an elite you have a choice of the points or continental breakfast unless the hotel has a lounge where you can get breakfast. Some hotels may offer more than the requirements for breakfast but free hot breakfast is not a perk of elite status unless the hotel offers it as a hotel benefit.
Actually, the "continental" language is limited to legacy Marriott brands, when there is no lounge available, and then only at US and Canada properties. It does not apply outside the US and Canada. And for legacy SPG brands where breakfast is a welcome gift option, there is no "continental" language.
Also, there have been instances of Asian properties offering discounted rates that explicitly exclude elite benefits, including breakfast. Can't tell from the OP whether the rates he's referencing include that language.