marriott sucks
 

After being treated shabbily as a gold all I can say is that to spend another 25 nites for Plat you have to be a glutton for punishment. Hilton rocks

Thanks for your valuable insights. :rolleyes:

Could you give us some specifics as to why you feel this way? I'm not being sarcastic in any way; I genuinely would like to know.

Marriott Plat
 

It is very worth it. But not for any of the advertised reasons.

Someday, somewhere, somebody will screw up your reservation and/or bill. And you will say, "actually, I'm a platinum member." And then everything will somehow get fixed.

lol - is this experience speaking here?

Until this year, I've been Hilton gold or above since 1995. I will admit that it generally was not due to tremendous loyalty but instead due to promotions or inexplicable status upgrades. In any event, aside from the occasional (I'd say about 25%) upgrades to the "towers" level, I have never gotten breakfast coupons or any other recognition from Hilton, even when flashing my card and asking at the front desk.

Marriott ALWAYS gives either free access to the lounge (which obivously means a free breakfast) or a full free breakfast buffet in the restaurant. What do you mean by saying that Marriott does not provide this benefit to platinums?

Sounds like I was wrong - breakfast is a benefit Marriott provides Platinums. I stand corrected.
FYI, whenever the front desk agent doesn't provide me a breakfast voucher @ Hilton properties (happens more often than I care for), I politely ask for it, and get it right away. Yup, it shouldn't be that way, but they do respond right away (when prompted...)

I've always turned up at the hotel and asked for an upgrade a checkin, I don't have much success to be honest... does emailing the hotel in advance work well, when do you email (day before, same day?), do you email the hotel directly?

G

[QUOTE=bostonbali]Sounds like I was wrong - breakfast is a benefit Marriott provides Platinums. I stand corrected.
QUOTE]

Well, it is and it isn't. Full service properties with a C-lounge provide continental breakfast in the lounge. However, most full service properties do not open the lounge from Friday (after breakfast) to Monday afternoon (open for late afternoon snacks). Some properties that do not open the lounge on the weekend will provide platinums with breakfast coupons which can usually be used for breakfast at the property's restaurant. Some properties will not. Thus at certain full service properties, on the weekend, platinums do not and will not receive comped breakfast whether in the lounge or anywhere else. See, for example, all of the San Antonio properties, and the other properties mentioned in the sticky at the top of the Marriott board.

A few more notes: full service properties without a C-lounge, are supposed to provide continental breakfast in the restaurant during the week, but not necessarily the weekend. In actuality, most of these properties provide full breakfast all week, either with or without coupons. For example, the Renaissance Paris Vendome and the Renaissance Vinoy, both without lounges, provide full breakfast in their restaurant seven days. (At the Vendome, you just give the hostess your room number and the full breakfast buffet is gratis; at the Vinoy you receive breakfast coupons upon check-in, good for continental breakfast at any of the hotel's restaurants or good for $10 towards full breakfast at main restaurant.)

Marriott Suites and Renaissance Suites properties generally do not have C-lounges (with exceptions such as Renaissance Suites Charlotte), but will generally comp breakfast (like Marriott Suites Midtown Atlanta).

All of the above does not apply to locations designated as "resorts". Generally, no lounge and no comped breakfast whatsoever. Even here, however, there are exceptions, for example the Renaissance Vinoy.

Finally, in my experience the breakfast at the C-lounges widely varies in quality. Many are terrific (Baltimore Waterfront, JW Marriott Atlanta), and some are reminiscent of Fairfields.

Another Benefit
 

I have redeemed points in another persons name, IE Father-in-law, Son, etc.

This is one that requires a certificate. I usually have them mailed to me. A couple of times, I have had them overnight them for because time was short.

Because I was a Platinum member, there was no additional charge. Not much, but something for free.

Plat vs nothing or Plat vs Gold ?
 

:confused: :confused: :confused:
Back to the topic of the post. Everyone mention Platinum and lounge and breakfast... true, but now also as a simple Gold I have it !

I was comped to MR Platinum a few years ago so I know a bit what Platinum meant in the past and I was not too impressed.
30% bonus and not 25%, welcome gift (in my case a nice ice cream) perhaps a room with an additional chair and a few more sq meters (well, I do not sleep on the floor).

My point is that I do not see incredible improvements for me. Anyone is freely to disagree.

Sorry, do you really think "48-hour reservation guarantee " is useful ?
I had this option with a competitor of Marriott but when I tried to used I was quoted the rack rate. Something like 350% of my usual rate at that property. "No, thanks". Hilton Diamond guarantee for awards is something else in my opinion and I used it quite a while.

I agree 100%. ^

It's useful; but give me suite upgrade availability, guaranteed breakfast everywhere everyday, free hs internet, award room blackout waiver, or elite night credit for award stays. Any of those would be, to me, more useful.

MARRIOTT Plat vs Gold
 

Can someone answer the question, and compare being MARRIOTT Platinum versus Gold? Are there ANY upgrade and/or breakfast/lounge differences being Platinum versus Gold?

I received an offer whereby I can retain Platinum one additional year for 50,000 MR points. Since I have never been MR Gold--have no idea if I should go for one more year at the top? Have three seven day award reservations booked in Capri, Hing Kong and Ko Olina this year....

I have always been treated great as a Platinum. I would go for Platinum!