I think the service issue she mentioned was when the manager told her at check-in that, while a suite was not available (and then suddenly did became available), that she had upgraded her to a room w/ a view - of the parking lot & a small room at that. Not everyone considers the parking lot a view

Since the OP had mentioned both in the reservation and at check-in that this weekend was a special event, getting a small regular room (after having her expectations raised by the manager at check-in re: room w/ a view) was a let-down as the OP mentioned in her post. Hence, the call-back to the manager.

Was she guaranteed a suite - no, that's not Marriott's policy. But given she was told one wasn't available & then it was, her guess that they were holding it back for revenue purposes was probably accurate. OP didn't mention if the other rooms she was shown besides the suite were acceptable/better than what she had originally been assigned, or whether she was charged for the suite (or the manager just gave in at that point).

Free booze at international Marriotts varies. Toronto Marriott City Centre has an honor bar. Grosvenor House in London doesn't charge. Marriott Park Lane in London does. Amsterdam Marriott doesn't.

Cheers.

Edited to add: Back to the OP's original question...is it normal for Marriott to charge for upgrade to suite? That varies by property. Since suites are not guaranteed, it can be the luck of the draw on whether you get one. Some do charge if you want to guarantee one.