You must be new to Courtyards :-) Up until 6-7 years ago, one of the big parts of the Courtyard was the breakfast buffet. It wasn't free (although Plats got coupons at a lot of them), but it was pretty cheap, like $10.00 plus tip. That got you a pretty good spread of hot and cold items, beverages, plenty of to-go items. Some had omelet stations, they all had waffle makers. They killed those off to put in the Bistro, which is primarily to sell booze in the afternoon and evenings. The old buffets were usually just for breakfast - I can't recall if any were open in the evenings but I think not. They killed off the large kitchens and replaced them and the serving/seating areas with the Bistro. Now they make more money selling booze and sandwiches at night, which is good for them. But, it alienated people like me who liked having a good, cheap/free buffet breakfast that was several steps up from the stuff they put out free for everyone at Res Inn, Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites and TownPlace Meth Lab.

I think that for the majority of us, things at the Courtyard will remain the same. If you are fine with the overpriced, limited Bistro breakfast menu that takes 10-15 minutes to get served, then you'll probably take the daily $10 voucher. You'll almost certainly have to pay a few bucks, but it saves you money from what you get now. If you don't like the Bistro now, you'll just take the points and pantry item and do breakfast however you currently do it.

Breakfast for 2 has the cash value equivalent to whatever is on the menu at that price (be it full buffet, a ~$15 credit, etc.) Just because you can't stock up the items to go doesn't mean there is not a cash value to them.

Actually, I used to stay in Courtyards a lot in the 80 and / or 90s. I don't remember exactly, because it is kind of like a bad dream. Then I found Hilton and Starwood and found I got treated a lot better. I actually started staying at full-service Marriotts once I made lifetime Platinum at SPG and found the 10-night credit for a meeting deal at Marriott. Platinum at Marriott was not quite as good as Platinum at SPG or Diamond at Hilton. Probably not even as good as Gold at Hilton. I haven't missed Courtyard.

Platinum Elite welcome options
 

This is so unnecessarily complicated.

And IMNSHO the fact that any hotel is allowed to give points rather than breakfast on the weekend should end immediately. It is an insult. I will not stay at such hotels. Marriott is just driving my business to Hilton in those cases.

If you're happy with Hilton, then stay with Hilton.

Yep.

Hi all,

I am still confused by the changes in regards to free breakfast at Marriott resorts.
Planning to spend my 7 night voucher at a Renaissance or JW resort in thailand in december.
Do I understand correctly that those properties currently do not offer the lounge access for elites (as they are resorts) but going forward they will need to offer breakfast or points as a welcome amanity for Platinums?
If that's the case that would be a massive improvement? But for the breakfast they can still decide whether to offer in the restaurant or lounge?

Thanks for any hints - it got soooo complicated now with all the changes.
FlyDUS

I think a lot of us here assumed that Marriott would have more power to enforce consistent elite benefits across its 6,500+ franchised hotels and resorts in 127 countries/territories.

The reality seems to be that each hotel represents a franchise contract with Marriott or one of the companies that Marriott acquired over a period of several decades -- and some percentage of these contracts are difficult to change. I'm sure many hotel owners don't want their cost structure changed and are unlikely to renegotiate anything that might do that, even if it attracts more elite status guests.

For elite benefits, I wish Marriott could have assigned each of the loyalty program's 29 brands into one of five categories, with consistent benefits -- not just consistent breakfast policies, but consistent arrive/welcome gift options, consistent guarantees, and other consistent benefits -- worldwide.

Luxury (such as St. Regis, Ritz Carlton, and W)
Premium (such as Marriott, Autograph Collection, and Westin)
Breakfast-inclusive (such as Fairfield, TownPlace, and Element)
Select (such as AC Hotels, Aloft, and Four Points)
Residential (such as MVCI and Marriott Executive Apartments)

Instead we have a confusing table with with more rows than brands because hotels and resorts have separate rows for a number of full-service brands.

It seems crazy to have different benefits for Marriott hotels, Marriott resorts, Sheraton hotels, and Sheraton resorts. But that's the reality in the August 2018 program.

Marriott resort properties in Thailand (Phuket in particular), do not have lounges. With the new program, they will offer Plat members free breakfast. Yes, this is a real improvement to a glaring hole in the old MR program.

You need to attach your cert to a reservation before Aug. 1, since we don't know what happens to the old certs after Aug. 1.

Breakfast benefits at Marriott have been all over the place for years and years and this is nothing new really as best as I can tell.

I remember back to the early 2000's I stayed at two different Courtyards in Delaware with my wife (who is Lifetime Platinum with Marriott) and one gave us free breakfast each day (buffet at the time) and the other did not. The one that did not did have a bar from which they served dinner and drinks in the evening and I remember the hamburger being one of the better ones that I have ever eaten at a hotel, plus the prices for drinks was extremely reasonable.

The Bistro concept just does not work for us and thus the wife and I when staying at Courtyards, generally just skip breakfast all together and sleep in or go for a run together which is something that we do not get to do all that often anymore.

Free Marriott Breakfast has been a fairly new thing and I did not really expect Marriott to make it any better with the new program, instead when Marriott said free breakfast for Elites on weekeds I saw hotel pan scrambled eggs and for the most that is exactly what it is.

I think Horace has done a good job of trying to explain this opaque situation for current Plats.
For Marriott full service legacy hotels, the lounge and breakfast situation does not change in August. But you now get a choice of 1,000 points or a $10 credit rather than a choice of 500 points or the same credit.
For all resort hotels, you now get a choice of breakfast or 1,000 points, rather than just 500 points and nothing else.
At Starwood legacy hotels, you must chose between 1,000 points or breakfast or the credit. Hotels with a lounge will be similar to the Marriott hotels since you can get breakfast in the lounge and either 1,000 points or the credit. For Starwood hotels without a lounge. you must choose the points or breakfast or credit, so not as good as the Marriott legacy hotels FWIW.
I think that is it for the full service hotels which most of us are interested in.

Don't be confused about lounge access. Marriott legacy resorts generally do not have lounges, and when they do, they're not like lounges at hotels. The new program continues to offer Marriott's current lounge/breakfast benefit at hotels, but continues to exclude it at Marriott legacy resorts.

However, breakfast will be a Platinum Elite welcome gift choice at Marriott legacy resorts. Essentially, this is the SPG welcome gift model.

The chart is pretty clear. For Renaissance resorts and JW Marriott resorts, the chart shows two Platinum Elite welcome gift choices: 1000 points per stay OR "daily breakfast for member + 1 guest." Pick one.