Funny, I was gold for years. I made platinum last year and it allowed me to experience HH and SPG. What a difference. I have not even made my MR silver yet this year. I also got the where are you? give us 20 nights please. Since I have 50+ SPG night, and my HH almost done, sure I will, but there treatment of elites chafes my butt

Newspapers, mouthwash, breakfast coupons disappear, water bottles cut in 1/2, CL food scaled & hours back simultaneously nationwide and these idiots want us to believe its a local decision? Each and everyone of us should be deeply insulted that they tried to fool us so blatantly and without respect for our sense to figure this out...

Goes back to what I posted months ago. In my business I have to do MORE in today's economy to keep my best customers in the fold. I can't fathom the shortsightedness of doing LESS.

I've got a three-night mandated stay with Hilton coming up in a couple of weeks. The manager has already given me a strong pitch for HHonors. At this point, I'm not seriously contemplating a switch, but on the other side of the coin, I'm not exactly thrilled with some of my recent Marriott experiences. So I'll be curious to see how things stack up.

I have a couple of booked upcoming Marriott stays which include a Sunday night - in Irvine CA and Frankfurt, Germany. Now the CL lounge is closed at both of these hotels on Sunday nights. I am now going to consider cancelling these stays and book with another chain - Hilton or Starwood.

As more hotels close their lounges on Sunday night (along with Fri/Sat) - that means the lounges are now only open 4 out of 7 nights. It just does not make sense to continue to stay at Marriott beyond the number of nights for Plat status (and likely not beyond Gold status).

While at Brussels Marriott last January - the lounge was abruptly close the weekend I was there. Employees still there - but now working in the restaurant, which was not very crowded.

At a full service hotel (which are the only ones with CL) it can not cost that much to fix the food that is served in the CL. The kitchen staff is already there for Marriott hotel restaurants - which tend to be empty. Just have someone bring up some cold plates and sandwiches and drop them off in the lounge.

Marriott needs to patrol the CL in the US hotels. Too easy to get in or just get out of the elevator when someone else is going to the lounge floor.

Also - why are families allowed in the CL? It is supposed to be the Plat/Gold member and ONE guest. Families do not count. Children exceed the one guest limit. Marriott just needs to enforce the people who get in - it they want to cut back.

With all the problems the airlines have - they have not cut back with their FC service and free upgrades for top tier members. It cost the airlines a lot more to upgrade someone from coach to FC, then it does Marriott to serve some snacks in the lounge on the weekend.

Unfortunately, I come around here all to infrequently, but I share much of the same concerns and observations that the rest of you do. While I am sure that this is happening at many, many properties, I did want to share one experience of a location where I had a hard time noticing a reduction in service - the DFW Airport Marriott South location.

I was just there for a four-night stay last week, and I was pleased to see that the staff was just as engaging as they had been previously. The bell staff is courteous and prompt; the room was appointed with all of the previously commonplace bathroom amenities - including mouthwash, q-tips, etc.; the lounge had a decent selection in both the evenings and mornings; the HDTVs actually had the high-def programming. Other than it's horrible location (only really convenient to the airport - but, not at all to either Dallas or Fort Worth!), it has become one of my top choices for stays in the metroplex.

The few negatives....the newspaper issue. Even though it is in my profile preferences, and I confirmed that I wanted one at check-in, there was no paper at my door in the morning. I know that this sounds like a minor issue - but, I actually LIKE reading the paper...and trying to find one in the course of the day is a hassle. I am pretty sure that one unintended consequence of not delivering newspapers to everyone's room is that those who do not receive newspapers might be more inclined to swipe their neighbor's paper. At the very least, papers should be delivered to the concierge floor guests. Desserts in the lounge in the evening were always cookies. It used to be nice to find a slice of cheesecake or torte or something else that the restaurant was offering...but, I seriously burned out on oatmeal raisin cookies. There weren't even any chocolate chip....and I suspect that they might have been recycling the cookies, too. Still, in the scope of all of the cutbacks I have seen elsewhere, this property was a plus.

What kind of elitest are you wow... i'm surprised you want anyone in but yourself. While true at some properties it is easy to get in/out of a CL by tailgating in; many have someone there to check your room number etc.. what you want is either 1. another staff member sitting there controlling the entrance or 2. the staff to do it; either way you will cost additional salary which these properties can not afford as shown by the lounge closings on weekends or you will reduce the already sparce service that we do get if this duty is added to their list. While we all have experienced a tailgater; I don't think that it is a systemic issue that is causing problems in the CL as a whole to justify the extra expense

why are families allowed? how about starting with that the family is (presumably) registered as a guests in the room. AFAIKS registered guests to the CL are allowed in the CL. I personally would not frequent a hotel that excluded kids. I've run into at certain properties (16 and under) where kids are not allowed in or not in say after 4 p.m.. the 4pm doesn't bother me but the a.m. exclusion does and I don't go there.. those properties (no matter the chain) lose my business when traveling with a family. Usually that is when they could use the business the most as well. 2nd of all, sometimes a child is the one guess.. then whats your excuse?

you have to be kidding me.. airlines have not cut back on FC service.. ROFLMAO at that comment.. do you fly FC?

So when an airline cuts a route from mainline to Express/RJ service... thats not a cut back..

sheesh

Maybe there are some hotels that do limit the number of guests that can enter the CL with a Gold/Plat. But my understanding has been that any registered guest staying in the room with the Plat is allowed access. Also, quite often, when traveling on vacation with family and friends, I will get multiple rooms. So far, I have always been told (and I do ask when I check-in) that everyone in all my rooms has access to the CL.

I will agree, that in general, if the hotel decides to have certain rules concerning their CL and access, then they should enforce them. Why have the rule if you aren't going to enforce it? That just shows poor management. But as TrojanHorse mentions, having those rules will definitely affect whether or not I stay at that hotel or somewhere else.

I have been told at Marriott International locations (which patrol admission) is that the rule is the Plat/Gold member and one guest ONLY, which could be spouse - but not the entire family.

Now if the entire family is registered and paying the CL rate for their room - then they get in as registered CL room rates.

Problem is too many times the CL is a free for all. Particularly on the weekend. When Lounges were open on the weekend - families would bring in all their friends (including those not eligible) with their coolers and fill up their cooler with drinks from the lounge. Patrol who gets in - rather than eliminate (the international hotels - Marriott - that do patrol strictly - still are open on the weekends).

On FC travel - not sure what airlines you travel - but CO has not reduced its services in FC.

This is not what I have seen at some international Marriotts. Only one guest (even if more in the room).

The international Marriotts serve free drinks (alcohol) in the lounges. I know at the SYD Marriott - the rules are strictly enforced - and they will call down stairs. If you try to bring in more than one guest - the others will be denied entry.

Are you paying the CL room rate - or just standard rates on multiple rooms and allowed to bring in all the guests in all those rooms?

This is the problem - no wonder - too many people using the lounge and then not buying breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

Maybe the solution for Marriott is to close all lounges, and just issue breakfast coupons and evening snack coupons with softdrinks in the bar to Elites. If you a not elite, then you have the option of upgrading your room rate to include breakfast or evening food items in the restaurant/bar.

I don't fly CO but if they have not reduced their F product in any way whatsoever in the past ten to 20 years, they are definitely bucking the industry trend in a major way, with the possible exception of to/from select Asian markets.

I've never seen anyone load a cooler in a concierge lounge. When I think about traveling with a cooler to begin with, I'm thinking I'm probably roadtripping somewhere and not in one of these large international Marriott business hotels with free beer in the lounge. @:-)

I've seen lounges turn into free-for-alls too. Not often, but once or twice a year. The typical scene I've encountered appears to be a couple guys are Gold/Plat (or booked a CL room), so they invite all of their colleagues up for a poker party or to watch a game and drink some beers. (It's pretty obvious they all aren't Gold/Plat when people have to knock on the door or they have to borrow a friend's keycard to go use the loo.)

I've never said anything...in the grand scheme of things, I don't think that's all that egregious of an offense as long as they aren't crowding out others from using the lounge. These gathering tend to take place after the main evening rush has finished.

Normally, if I'm traveling with my family and friends, it is a vacation trip. That means I'm probably using points for a standard room. I don't think I have ever directly "paid" for a CL room.

As I mentioned, when traveling with everyone, I have always asked if there are any CL restrictions or if my friends in the 2nd room have access or not. So far, I have never been told there is a limit and everyone including those in the 2nd room have always been given CL access. I will admit though that I haven't taken the kids with me on very many international trips. Those have tended to be either by myself or with my wife. So I can't really say what the limits are on a lot of the non-NA Marriott's CL access.

when even four seasons is temporarily closing some restaurants, you know things are bad.

this is odd considering marriott has been very up front about cuts in the media. for example - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...s-flowers.html also seems like a number of ritz carlton club levels are closed during the summer.

related - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...save-cash.html

CO bucks the trend. CO's FC domestic and international BC product has remain consistent.

Plus - top notch clean planes and food served in coach for free. No other US airline serves free food in coach on domestic flights but CO. Depending on length and time of day - the food service in coach is a sandwich and small salad with candy. The sandwich can be somethink like turkey/ham sandwich, a hot hamburger or pizza - all for free on the flight.

On CO's FC service - the only change they made (for a few months only) was elimination of hot fudge ice cream sundaes on transcons but CO reinstated those. CO still serves homemade baked on board cookies on flight > 3.5 hours.

We just stayed 4 nights at the London County Hall and 3 nights at the Shelbourne on points. My husband is Platinum and both our kids were welcome in both concierge lounges. The only items we took out of the lounge were 2 bottles of water each day on our way out. Hardly a free for all.

I've seen it, and it had nothing to do with children. Adults doing it with an attendant present, who said nothing.