It was never a published benefit therefore Marriott Bonvoy didn't take anything away from you.

Im pretty sure laxmillenial was joking.

Not all the time. I've stayed at a few properties this year already who provide me with points and restaurant breakfast vouchers (no lounge available in the hotel). And this has and was always a Marriott property. I think it's still up to the discretion of the front desk.

If they can't ensure hotels follow the rules for suite upgrades, how can they ensure hotels follow the rules for points/breakfasts. Wouldn't those fall into the same 'monitoring for compliance' so to speak?

Boring complaining? I have not complained in a while(just because I was tired of doing it), but I still maintain that everything that happened since August 18th has been one biggest cluster I have EVER seen in my entire life from any company. I spent so much time chasing after my status did not convert into Platinum Premier and missed out on benefits and points(mostly points). Stays were no posting. Redemptions rates went up. Green Choice benefits cut by 2/3s(old vs. new points value). Now any stay that I book via group rate at a conference or our corp travel agency won't post and I have to call and argue that with Marriott CS. VERY VERY VERY frustrated with Bonvoy.

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?? This is the first time I've been told I don't get breakfast/lounge if I take the points. In Marriott-land, you used to have to choose between the points and the wine/cheese amenity, but not between points and lounge. In my SPG Plat years, there was never a question - it was just points + breakfast.

The choice - one or the other - is definitely new to me.

One point of note, lounge access is not part of the Plat Welcome amenity. You should get that whether you choose the points or you choose the Food/Beverage or breakfast option. So breakfast in the lounge should still be an option even if you choose the points.

I see you're based in Orlando.

It's been years since legacy Marriott offered a choice between points and a wine-and-cheese amenity in North America. Before August, it was points or $10 voucher.

*shrug* I've been staying at Marriotts for 25 years on 4 different continents and many of them have done wine and cheese as a welcome amenity. Some properties do other things; some do only points. Oddly enough, I have never been in a Marriott where they offered me a $10 voucher. I've had a few U.S. stays in the past 2-3 years where it was just points, no option for a voucher. My main point is that I have never been asked to give up other Platinum benefits as a condition for accepting the points or the welcome amenity. That happened to me for the first time on my first U.S. "Bonvoy" stay, this week.

This is so true. While I do enjoy the creative use of the term "Bonvoyed," it has to be acknowledged that a significant percentage of the posts on the Bonvoyed website are people whining about not getting free stuff they are not entitled to under the published rules. Particularly the downgrades to Gold as part of the UA/Marriott partnership (which I fully support - why should a UA Gold get free Marriott Plat?).

I really find this perplexing if you've been staying at full service Marriotts - I've been offered the $10 F&B credit at countless Marriotts, most recently at JW Hong Kong last week. That's the rule if the property has a lounge - you're offered points or a $10 F&B credit.

If you accepted the credit or points, did they deactivate your lounge access? Or did you get both?

I think it's useful to categorize the different types of complaints.

1. Dissatisfaction with the program rules.
Maybe you don't like the travel package rates, or the recent re-categorization of hotels, or that LT titanium is no longer achievable, or the absurd complexity of the breakfast benefit, or the capacity control on reward nights at a majority of hotels. Valid complaints all, but every hotel chain will have their own set of issues. "Bonvoyed"? I'd say no.

2. Failure to deliver on promised benefits.
This is a biggie. This covers everything from IT failures, missing stays or points or certs, hotels not honoring elite benefits, excessive time to respond to emails/calls and to resolve issues, and so on. "Bonvoyed"? Definitely.

3. Communication issues.
This includes complaints from folks unaware of program changes. I'd say the fault here is often with the customer not reading emails and snail mailings, but when it's widespread, then some of the blame has to go to Marriott for not designing a communication strategy with better results. "Bonvoyed"? Mostly not.

But Communication Issues also includes cases where Marriott never made the info available, like years of status prior to Aug 18, or what years were supposed to count ("proprietary"), or whether or when the sweeps have run, or how many dollars of spend you have, or how existing old travel package certs would be handled. All this info would be specific and actionable, and yet the program made decisions - explicitly or implicitly - not to share it with customers. "Bonvoyed"? Yup.

At Marriotts with a lounge, you get lounge access. If the lounge is closed, you get breakfast in the restaurant. You also get the choice of a welcome amenity, which is now 1000 points or a $10 F&B credit. These are separate benefits. This is the same basic rule that's been in place forever.

At certain SPG properties, the breakfast benefit is part of the welcome amenity. That's why you are offered either points or breakfast.

I know the rules are unduly complex, but it would probably be helpful to the discussion if you read them.

But this is how SPG has always done it, and there is no change.

If you stay at the Seattle Renaissance, you get lounge access with breakfast and light snacks at dinner plus a $10 voucher (or points in lieu of the voucher).
If you stay at the Seattle Westin, you get breakfast in the restaurant or a $10 voucher.

This is how it has worked before the SPG acquisition, before 8/18, before Bonvoy, and now. SPG made you choose. Marriott did not.

Obviously, the benefit at the Renaissance is objectively better since you get breakfast, dinner snacks, and $10 but there are SPG loyalists who insist passionately that the benefits at the Westin are better. (and yes, I know the benefits at resorts were better under SPG)

That's debatable if we're talking about comparing a Marriott where the breakfast benefit is in the lounge. I'm generally not a fan of lounge breakfast, especially at U.S. properties (due to both lounge crowding and crappy, low quality food). I'd rather have the option to trade 1000 points (worth $7-9) for a restaurant breakfast, which is the option SPGs give you.

You spelled out how it was/is done on paper. However, the experience of many (but not all) of us SPG folks at properties worldwide was that we received say the breakfast voucher and still a welcome amenity/treat and/or points. I totally acknowledge what is on paper is a better 'deal' at the legacy Marriott properties. (Legacy Marriott needed to offer that due to the inferior program and product).

IMHO, properties following written policy is not being "bonvoyed" but a pressure for letter-of-the-law adherence to rules company-wide at SPG properties could be considered that.