This turned out to be a long thread. I'm the OP, by the way, if you started reading here...

... anyhow! Last night me and my wife tried out the new Platinum Status at a JW Marriott nearby for a weekend retreat. We were excited to maybe get an upgrade bcs the hotel was almost empty - but nada! We also thought of getting something nice for our Arrival Gift, but nada there too! They didn't say anything at check-in and nothing awaited us in the room, not even bathrobes.

When we checked out, I said this was my first Platinum night and they said Congratulation (that was nice) and I asked about the Arrival Gift. They asked me if I wanted the Arrival Points, but I declined and opted for the $100 which they gave me without any question. My wife was quite impressed when she saw them handed over $100 to me.

This wasn't really the start of my new Platinum Status I wanted and I hope everything will be better than from this start!