To be clear, did you actually book a Club room?

What I meant was whether you actually asked to book a Club room.

Unfortunately Marriott as a whole is such a mess that you can’t necessarily rely on anything you read on Marriott.com or that you receive in an email.

If you didn’t book a Club room it’s unlikely they intended to upgrade you and maybe temporarily had an error. If you did, then obviously you can’t be downgraded.

It does really sound like that OP’s original booking was not for a club room but rather booked a lower category and either was preupgraded on the reservation system or had a FHR upgrade (usually subject to availability) and when OP realized the reservation details mentioned club room he had a new confirmation email sent to him.

The answer on post #3 is definitely not very straightforward and his apparent downgrade is a bit surprising as, usually, RCs club rooms are not a special category of rooms but rather a regular room whose key was coded to allow acces to the club lounge (not always though).

However, if the reservation was indeed originally made for a club room, then I guess he’s entitled to, at the very least, the rate difference between club and regular room and a service recovery goodwill gesture from the hotel.

As previously mentioned by several other posters, this should be handled through FHR—they should know which roomcategory the OP originally booked.

You should have received a written confirmation from AmEx PTS/CTS for your FHR bookings. I t should show whether or not you booked a club level room. This is what matters, not how the reservation was translated in the Starriott system, which has been seriously messed up for many months.

Note that normally FHR rates are for regular "deluxe" rooms and you would need to pay a higher rate for a club level room, often about $100 per person per night, but the rate difference obviously depends on the hotel and possibly the rate plan you're using. As usual, FHR gives a one category upgrade at check in if available as well as daily continental breakfast and a guaranteed 4 pm checkout plus whatever special amenity the property offers. PTS/CTS phone agents should be able to tell you whether the one category upgrade at the property includes upgrades to club level rooms, but when I've booked FHR rates at RCs, the answer to this has been no.

Moreover, MR Plat status does not entitle you to club lounge access at RC, nor are you entitled to "available" upgrades to club level rooms. Currently MR Plat status (50 nights per year level, not the new PP at 75 nights) also does not entitle you to a suite upgrade, although you would be entitled to an upgrade to a higher category nonsuite room (without club lounge access) if available at check in.

RC reservations? If you were preupgraded to a suite as a Starriott Plat (not PP or PPwithAMB), this would be following the T&Cs.

There's no such thing as AmEx FHR travel. Most people using FHR rates would book through either PTS or CTS depending on the color of one's card, but AFAIK various other AmEx travel agencies can also book FHR rates. You can also book these rates online.

A $75 additional payment for two people to use a RC lounge sounds surprisingly cheap.

Here AmEx PTS/CTS is functioning as your full service travel agent, in fact one focused on luxury type travel, although you might need to escalate to a supervisor for problem resolution. These folks are good at standing behind what they booked/sold and seem to know how to do it. Properties want to continue to particulate in FHR, so they're unlikely to ignore valid complaints.

This was certainly true before SPG started offering breakfast to Plats. There's also the special amenity attached to FHR bookings, but OTOH FHR rates are closer to rack and the upgrade benefit officially is one category. (The propety can voluntarily do more, and I've even gotten some nice suites, but officially if one category up is sold out but there are lots of rooms available in the next category, the property isn't obligated to give you the two category upgrade.)