Property: Regents Park Marriott, London
Length of stay (repeat stays?): 3 nights/stayed many times before
Greeting: No PP recognition but was offered the usual Platinum arrival choice
Room upgrade: Yes
Suite upgrade: No
Special requests filled: High Floor; quiet(ish) room
Other: 7th floor room so larger than the rabbit hutches on the other floors. Minibar broken but not too bothered.

From my vacation trip last week:

JW Marriott San Francisco:
Upgraded to executive corner suite
Big plate of brownies and cookies
Platinum arrival gift

Marriott Monterey:
Upgraded to junior suite
Platinum arrival gift
Breakfast buffet (they do this for all Gold and up)

The Renaissance Lodge at Sonoma:
Upgraded to cottage
Platinum arrival gift

Ritz-Carlton San Francisco:
Upgraded to 1 bedroom corner suite
1K MR points as Platinum arrival gift

I made a point of flashing my PPr card at check-in. I also made sure I did the virtual concierge stuff to make sure that they knew they had a PPr heading their way. The upgrade at the Ritz was phenomenal. The room was about 900+ sq. ft. on the far end of the fourth floor. Pretty dang good for $180/night.

Of the four properties, the Lodge was probably the most underwhelming. The property is nicely landscaped and has a lot of places to hang out around the courtyard and pool. The restaurant is pretty good. But the cottages aren't that big of a deal. Basically one room with an electric-start gas fireplace, loveseat with a bathtub and separate shower/toilet. Not too many in-room amenities for a resort. Our mid-week corporate rate was $254 which was okay. The weekend rate jumped to $471 which is ridiculous for this property.

Suggestions for recognizing Platinum Premiers
 

The recent RC lounge access thread gave me the idea for this thread. PPs often gripe about the lack additional benefits associated with Platinum Premier status (other than the 20% restaurant discount at participating FS Marriotts). Rather than continuing to complain, how about offering suggestions for additional benefits that Marriott could offer to its PPs?

Here are a few ideas that I think that Marriott could (realistically) offer:

1. RC lounge access
2. Points + Amenity (already offered by some hotels, but not widespread)
3. Suite upgrades (already happen at times, but are explicitly excluded from the upgrade policy)
4. Travel packages that allow you to divide your 7 nights between 2-3 hotels

Any other ideas?

How about 100% bonus points?

PS In my one year as PP around 2003, I received an astonishing number of upgrades while vacationing with my family. I was not aware of PP or that I had the status at that time--only realized about 3 years later when I came across my old PP card, and then knowing about the PP status, realized that all my upgrades (including Presidential Suite at the JW in Rio) was because of that status!

Once I lost the status, suites were uncommon, like any "regular" platinum.

<sigh> I really loved those "sampler" packages. I wish they'd bring those back.

I like the 100% bonus points idea. That's a simple and easy to implement, no-brainer, kind of reward.

150% for PPE!!!!!!

Me too! And I have trouble redeeming for travel packages w/ air miles now because I have almost no opportunity to stay in a single hotel for 7 nights. If we could bring back the old multiple hotel packages and make them work for air mile redemptions, I would be so happy.

Property: Courtyard Isla Verde, Puerto Rico
Length of stay (repeat stays?): one night
Greeting: Welcome... Which amenity would I like. Points have yet to post though room has.
Room upgrade: Asked, offered a deluxe room or an upgraded room. Took the upgraded room and it looked like the most standard room a CY could have.
Suite upgrade: no
Special requests filled: No
Other: Severe storm rolled through, siren was sounding outside. Called Guest Services and told it wasn't a hotel alarm and she had no idea what it was and wasn't going to find out.

Also, no special services offered, still billed a resort fee. Hidden rate hike, pure and simple.

Pretty good suggestions mentioned.

I would be hapy just receiving a Marriott PP card, rather than the Ritz one I was sent which states nothing about the 20% restaurant discount. I have been rejected at a few places because the staff has no idea what I am talking about and nothing on the card to back up what I am saying.

All stays should be complimentary, and with full points and elite credit.

1) 100% bonus points
2) "Upgrade Window" - like the airlines - 5 days before your stay, you can call and request an upgrade to a suite that is confirmed.

and...

3) Not having to call the PP line at *every* FS hotel I've stayed at for them to instruct them to take 20% off F&B because no hotels (including the NY Marquis!) are aware of the policy, nor do they believe it when I show them the email from Marriott Rewards.

I want them to recognize my preferences
 

My preferences say high floor, foam pillows and near the elevator.

Maybe one time in ten stays do they actually take note of this.

Tonight, I checked into a hotel and was given a room on a low level, not on the concierge floor. It was down at the end of a very long hallway and there were no foam pillows.

And the 100% bonus would be nice too.

On a side note - I was at a hotel last night. The concierge lounge had a sign that was inviting Marriott Rewards members to a manager's reception. Under Platinum Premier members it said members that have had more than 125 nights for more than three years in a row. Could this be part of the magic formula?

I would not even come close. if I go back 3 years it was: 2010: 140, 2009: 10, 2008: 80

I'm still not sure how I remained platinum in 2010 (they did send a nice letter to me saying even w/10 nights I was platinum) nor clear how I got PP in 2011

it's not - very few people know exactly what the formula is