Originally Posted by
sophiegirl
It has been awhile since I was Gold - so this could have changed - but I do not remember always getting upgraded at that level???? If I am going to pay for something, I want to insure I am going to get it!
No upgrade is guaranteed, even for Plats. If a Gold/Plat is staying at a non-resort FS Marriott then one will get breakfast during the weekdays (and possibly the weekends) all the time. But lets expand a little on what
sophiegirl mentions.
A couple of points for the OP. First, as has been mentioned the Marriott Premier Signature comes with 15 nights toward elite status. Also, the regular Marriott Signature Visa now comes with 10 nights toward elite status. That means just have either card gets one Silver status right there. There are many threads here that detail the benefits of both, so I won't rehash here.
Second, given that "upgrades" are not guaranteed, the real benefit of Gold/Plat at FS Marriotts is access to the CL (or breakfast if there isn't a CL.) The issue here is given you won't be travelling very much, how much of a benefit is this really? You state that purchasing the points needed to buy back your Gold status at just over $400. So just how many nights do you really expect to be staying at FS Marriotts this year? At a lot of the Marriotts that have a CL, it is only around $20 or so per night extra for a CL level room. So that means you could "upgrade" yourself for about 20 nights in a year and be close to a break-even point. The benefit here is that you will definitely have an Executive or CL level room this way. With Gold, you may not get upgraded to one of those rooms, though you will always have the lounge access.
Before I shelled out $400 (or $200 plus some of my already earned points), I would take the time and make my best guestimate of what/where my stays will be this year. I would then look at what it costs reserve a CL level room and then figure out if I can save my hard earned cash and points (and even make a few more by paying a higher rate.) So if you are taking two or three vacation this year with about 15 or so nights, you may save points/cash by not purchasing Gold.
Oh, and don't forget, if you get any of the Marriott Visas, you get Silver status for as long as you hold those card(s) plus all their other benefits. So don't worry about losing Silver.