Thank you for the detailed and balanced response — genuinely appreciated!

A few clarifications:

On the door — security entered using a keycard. My children did not open the door. They hid in the bathroom when they heard someone nocking on the door and entering.

On the "OK" — I understand the ambiguity argument, but I would push back. A front office professional dealing with a guest who has just checked in and is asking to cancel their reservation cannot reasonably claim that saying "OK" without any mention of a charge constitutes adequate communication. Thinking "OK, but you will still be charged" while saying only "OK" is not a language proficiency issue — it is a professional duty to communicate clearly, particularly on billing matters.

On the bathroom — I can actually say with confidence that the room was not used. My children confirmed this to me directly. And from experience: my kids never put the lid back down — it stays open. The lid was closed when I inspected the room in a joint inspection with hotel staff. No seal was found anywhere — not on the toilet, not in the bin, not anywhere in the room. My reading is that housekeeping simply did not follow their protocol. This is consistent with a broader pattern at this property — another guest reported a bed bug infestation at the same hotel just two weeks later.

On Lifetime Platinum — I take the point about tone. That said, it is entirely natural for a 22-year loyalist to expect that Marriott has both a track record with them and an interest in retaining them. That is not entitlement — it is a reasonable expectation of any long-term relationship.

The core issue remains: security entered a room displaying a DND sign with children alone inside, with no emergency present and no attempt to reach me, while knowing that I was parking my car (I did discuss it with the receptionist). That part is not in dispute — the hotel's own Director of Operations semi-apologised for it with 5000 points and a couple of words.