Marriott Bethesda North - wanted $150 for a suite upgrade on a weekend when the hotel was full.
Was told "we don't do platinum upgrades because we still try to seel the suites" when I checked in at 9:30pm!
They instead "upgraded" me to a executive room on the concierge level because I was a Platinum ... even though that was the room rate I had.

In 1000+ nights and umpteen hundred stays, I've never been asked to pay for a suite upgrade. Come to think of it, I've never even had to ask for an upgrade at check-in either.

To the OP: before you move to another group, like Starwood or Hyatt, be sure your new group of choice is available where you travel. My job takes me from cities like New York, Toronto and Las Vegas to places like Indiana, PA, St. George, UT and San Angelo, TX. Unless you are with Marriott, Hilton or maybe PC, it will be very difficult to get/maintain status if your travel patterns are anything like mine. I had a co-worker move from Hilton to Starwood, well, he recently moved back to Hilton. There just weren't enough Starwood properties in the towns where he had to travel.

BTW....i have been upgraded on 8 of my last 10 stays, 4 of which were suite upgrades. I never saw that with Hilton, perhaps its because Hilton gives status to anyone that has a pulse.

Honestly, I think I agree completely with the OP's observations and opinions. As a platinum or gold, you are frequently relegated to nothingness if it is a weekend, if it is a "resort", if it is a Ritz or if you are at a CY.

Ive gotta say, i don't really know what I would even do with a suite upgrade.

I use my room to watch tv and work on reports. If I was going to be at a place for a month or two then I would see the benefit.

Well, as a gold I find myself more likely to end up on the concierge floor on a weekend though at least I still get free internet.

That said, weekends at international properties tend to be indistinguishable from weekdays.

I got that at the Vienna Marriott as well.

Fisherman's Wharf FS does not have a lounge. However, they made up for it with breakfast at the buffet (beats any domestic lounge breakfast) and a welcome drink.

I really don't need one during the work week either but the wife loves it when we get one, especially at a resort. The 10 night "suite upgrades" that Starwood gives after 50 nights seem to be quite useful. I plan to hit that target as well as re-qualify for Marriott Plat next year.

A little OT but just left the CY Istanbul. Wouldn't even put me in a deluxe room (let alone suite) without paying.

FWIW, I stayed at the Orlando World Center Marriott last week and my friend was upgraded to a large suite ... kitchen, kitchen table, couches, stereo, etc. I've never had a suite this nice, but it's not uncommon to get some kind of suite in my experience.

That property has a lot of suites, and I got a suite on two out of three stays when I stayed there a few years ago. One of the suite upgrades was massive like your friend's. It was about 1500 square feet, had a kitchen, living room, and bedroom.

Don't you just hate that?

Especially in Asia where they never have the same 4-5 hot dishes or 4-6 dessert choices 2 nights in a row. You go back expecting to have some of those tasty ribs and they have jumbo prawns instead. And having to make all of those decisions, whereas back in the US you only have cheese cubes and chicken wings to choose from (if you're lucky). Much easier decisions at US properties.

As noted elsewhere, I have been less than impressed with Plat treatment compared to what top elites get at Hyatt and SPG. However I would not go so far as to "break up" with Marriott. I do agree with OP that I see no measurable difference between Gold and Plat - it's not like Plats get suites (as compared to say SPG where they often do).

Personally I find Marriott lounges to generally be midrange - not as nice as many Hyatt properties but often better than SPG or Hilton. YMMV.

My preference would be to stay at SPG, but only because the redemption options (cash+points) and frequent promos (e.g. free resort nights) usually provide far more value than anything I've seen from the competition. Unfortunately the qualification requirements for SPG Plat are simply too difficult for me to achieve - no way I can get 25 stays. Marriott (with rollover EQN and Chase EQN) and Hilton (based on spend or CC) are far easier to attain.

+1

Entitlement? No. Competitive advantage? Yes.

If SPG and Hyatt will guarantee suite upgrades (or provide them more frequently) why should I send business to Marriott (where I am 0 for XX)?

Everybody offers free wifi, free lounges, breakfast, water bottles, bonus points, etc. etc. And honestly I could care less about suites on my business stays which are rarely more than a couple of nights. But the company that will upgrade me to a suite at its resorts a couple of times a year is the one that wants my business.

If you don't like the room they have given you with the upgrade, just violate your travel policy and buy any room you want. I'm sure when you whip out the DYKWIA to your boss or the CFO they will understand.

Be grateful, not a DYKWIA!

There are things I really like about Marriott, but I've realized bang-for-buck if you stay in pricier hotels in pricier cities is not their strong point. A 35K Megabonus for 20 nights of high $ spend - ehh. On the redemption side the only real value is the packages and I'm not always into spending 7 nights in one spot. So it's time to diversify a bit. If they had come up with a real "cash and points" option maybe I would have thought twice.

Any promo that gives a fixed number of points per stay/night will be more lucrative for those who are staying at cheaper properties. This is true for promos at Marriott and Hyatt in fall 2012. Hilton's promo also offers fixed points, although it omitted Tuesday and Wednesday nights, which definitely ticked off a lot of people on FT.

As for 7 nights in one place, it really depends on personal preference. I have no problem with 7 nights at the JW Marriott in HK.