Stupid gold

live4life · Aug 20, 2014

I just hit the gold elite for the first time! I'm having a party as we speak... the song, "All by myself" :bawl:

by Eric Carmen comes to mind.

I have no more vacations this year, but am planning a few in the upcoming year; maybe I'll get a free breakfast and an upgrade at a non-MVC all by myself :clap:

FractionalTraveler · Aug 21, 2014

live4life said:
I just hit the gold elite for the first time! I'm having a party as we speak... the song, "All by myself" by Eric Carmen comes to mind.

I have no more vacations this year, but am planning a few in the upcoming year; maybe I'll get a free breakfast and an upgrade at a non-MVC all by myself

Congratulations. Eric sounds like a good companion. Enjoy! :banana:

FT

Saintsfanfl · Aug 21, 2014

live4life said:
I just hit the gold elite for the first time! I'm having a party as we speak... the song, "All by myself" by Eric Carmen comes to mind.

I have no more vacations this year, but am planning a few in the upcoming year; maybe I'll get a free breakfast and an upgrade at a non-MVC all by myself

I still haven't bothered to figure out how the free breakfast works. I am platinum and I didn't get free breakfast at a Courtyard in Austin. I didn't get free breakfast at a Renaissance.

live4life · Aug 21, 2014

Well.. now that stinks! I thought free breakfast was part of the perk?

csxjohn · Aug 21, 2014

live4life said:
Well.. now that stinks! I thought free breakfast was part of the perk?

Haven't you heard that there's no free lunch? Well, it applies to breakfast too.:rofl:

Saintsfanfl · Aug 21, 2014

live4life said:
Well.. now that stinks! I thought free breakfast was part of the perk?

It looks like free breakfast only applies to certain brands and only if the lounge is closed. Even though it says Renaissance, I was not offered either although at the time I had recently become Gold and the reservation still had Silver. The check-in clerk was a little on the rude side so I didn't bother pushing it.

Guaranteed lounge access/breakfast for members and one guest (excludes resorts)
Available at JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® and Marriott Hotels® (resorts excluded). In the U.S. and Canada, members can choose between 750 bonus points or breakfast for two in the hotel’s restaurant if the lounge is closed. Select hotels will provide 1,000 points in lieu of breakfast in the event the lounge is closed. In Europe, members can choose between breakfast for two in the restaurant or 750 bonus points for hotels without a lounge.

SueDonJ · Aug 21, 2014

live4life said:
Well.. now that stinks! I thought free breakfast was part of the perk?

It depends on the property; here's a chart with the basics. Free breakfast t&c's are,

"Available at JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® and Marriott Hotels® (resorts excluded). In the U.S. and Canada, members can choose between 750 bonus points or breakfast for two in the hotel’s restaurant if the lounge is closed. Select hotels will provide 1,000 points in lieu of breakfast in the event the lounge is closed. In Europe, members can choose between breakfast for two in the restaurant or 750 bonus points for hotels without a lounge."

What Saintsfanfl said.

BocaBoy · Aug 21, 2014

It is like many of the other most significant Elite perks. It applies only to the full service brands and not resorts. I have received it every time I was entitled to it.

sparty · Aug 21, 2014

BocaBoy said:
It is like many of the other most significant Elite perks. It applies only to the full service brands and not resorts. I have received it every time I was entitled to it.

And the other nice thing that Marriott did was make breakfast free EVERY day.. Prior to June 22 2013 it was only weekdays.

tahoeJoe · Aug 21, 2014

Mexico?

SueDonJ said:
It depends on the property; here's a chart with the basics. Free breakfast t&c's are,

What Saintsfanfl said.

Does anyone know what the Gold Elite or free breakfast perks are in Mexico? I could not find it on there web-site. Are there any perks in Mexico?

LAX Mom · Aug 21, 2014

tahoeJoe said:
Does anyone know what the Gold Elite or free breakfast perks are in Mexico? I could not find it on there web-site. Are there any perks in Mexico?

Is the property a "resort"? My son stayed at a resort property in Costa Rica and there were no breakfast perks. They did upgrade his room to a very nice room with an ocean view.

tlwmkw · Aug 21, 2014

We all love a freebie don't we. We've found that different hotels treat you differently even with the same elite level. We were feted and given gifts at the JW in Orlando but then nothing in Myrtle beach at the hotel. In Europe they made a big deal and rolled out the red carpet when we stayed at various Marriott hotels (and you would expect worse service there than here). Go figure.

tlwmkw

thinze3 · Aug 21, 2014

Saintsfanfl said:
I still haven't bothered to figure out how the free breakfast works. I am platinum and I didn't get free breakfast at a Courtyard in Austin. I didn't get free breakfast at a Renaissance.

Courtyard Hotel do not offer elites free breakfast.

You pretty much have to stay at a Marriott or higher to get concierge level with lounge access or free breakfast. Of course as noted above, "resorts" or excluded.

dioxide45 · Aug 21, 2014

We get very little benefit from gold/platinum. Other than the bonus 500 points at checkin we see really no bennies. We stay in either MVCI properties or lower tier Marriott brands such as Courtyard or Fairfield in.

Fasttr · Aug 21, 2014

dioxide45 said:
We get very little benefit from gold/platinum. Other than the bonus 500 points at checkin we see really no bennies. We stay in either MVCI properties or lower tier Marriott brands such as Courtyard or Fairfield in.

I would say with Platinum, the 50% points bonus per $ spent is a nice perk (25% for Gold). For each dollar spent at a Marriott, assuming you put it on your Marriott credit card, as Platinum, you get....

10 points per dollar spent
5 points bonus for Platinum
5 points per dollar for putting it on your credit card
____
20 points total per dollar spent.....not a bad deal.

I have also gotten some nice room (view) upgrades with Gold and/or Platinum status....most recently a stay at the Marriott South Beach landed me an Ocean Front room when I booked the lowly City View room. That was a nice touch!! And you certainly can't beat the Concierge Lounge bene's (with Gold or Platinum) when staying at full service Marriott's.

dioxide45 · Aug 21, 2014

Fasttr said:
I would say with Platinum, the 50% points bonus per $ spent is a nice perk (25% for Gold). For each dollar spent at a Marriott, assuming you put it on your Marriott credit card, as Platinum, you get....

10 points per dollar spent
5 points bonus for Platinum
5 points per dollar for putting it on your credit card
____
20 points total per dollar spent.....not a bad deal.

I have also gotten some nice room (view) upgrades with Gold and/or Platinum status....most recently a stay at the Marriott South Beach landed me an Ocean Front room when I booked the lowly City View room. That was a nice touch!! And you certainly can't beat the Concierge Lounge bene's (with Gold or Platinum) when staying at full service Marriott's.

I did forget about the 50% bonus. It does add up some, but we don't spend a lot of nights in hotel.

mdurette · Aug 22, 2014

I have been gold for a couple years now....but like others always stay at MVC properties or if need of hotel it is a lower category. Last week I needed a one night stay and the only thing around was a Marriot Cat 9 in New Hampshire. I went to FT forum for info and there was info on the plat gift, the lounge, etc. I had never heard of the lounge!!!

I must say....it did make me feel like I had status....my 8 YO thought it was the coolest thing. Breakfast was nice, the food selection from 4pm - 8pm was very good (I could have ate supper out of it!) and free cold drinks/coffee was great.

Saintsfanfl · Aug 22, 2014

I am also primarily MVCI or lower tier. The lower tiers don't give 10 points per dollar and they only give points on base room and nothing for additional spent. The points still add up and a Fairfield we stay at on way to in-laws is only 7,500 points with free breakfast. We get two double beds and two kids sleep on nap mats so it's nothing great and the food is blah but for a quick sleep and eat for 7 we get good value for 7,500 points.

Pompey Family · Aug 23, 2014

mdurette said:
I have been gold for a couple years now....but like others always stay at MVC properties or if need of hotel it is a lower category. Last week I needed a one night stay and the only thing around was a Marriot Cat 9 in New Hampshire. I went to FT forum for info and there was info on the plat gift, the lounge, etc. I had never heard of the lounge!!!

I must say....it did make me feel like I had status....my 8 YO thought it was the coolest thing. Breakfast was nice, the food selection from 4pm - 8pm was very good (I could have ate supper out of it!) and free cold drinks/coffee was great.

I remember when we first discovered the existence of a lounge, we were amazed however after several years being platinum we've become a bit blase about it and also the kids have grown up as if it is something standard about staying in hotels so they're in for a shock when they start travelling on their own.

I much prefer the European lounges than the US ones, the Budapest Marriott we stayed at recently had a fantastic lounge with amazing food, wine and champagne and a great location overlooking the Danube yet at the San Francisco JW Marriott a couple of weeks ago they wanted to charge me $10 for a glass of wine and the food offering was pitiful. It's a real shame there's not an equal standard across the board.

bazzap · Aug 23, 2014

And the lounges in Asia are even better for their service and offering than those in Europe.
I guess this is at least one real positive to offset all the US benefits we miss out on through living over here.

MOXJO7282 · Aug 23, 2014

Pompey Family said:
I much prefer the European lounges than the US ones, the Budapest Marriott we stayed at recently had a fantastic lounge with amazing food, wine and champagne and a great location overlooking the Danube yet at the San Francisco JW Marriott a couple of weeks ago they wanted to charge me $10 for a glass of wine and the food offering was pitiful. It's a real shame there's not an equal standard across the board.

This is very true. When I stayed at the JW Marriott Shanghai at Tomorrow Square they upgraded me to a corner unit overlooking that amazing city concierge level and it was the best hotel room I ever stayed at. As stated the food offerings are much better and offer free beer and wine.

I will say some US hotels do a good job. We stayed at the Marriott Newport Beach Resort and Spa July 2103 and the concierge there had nice food offerings but no alcohol. We saved a lot by grabbing breakfast and late afternoon horderves of mini beef short rib sliders and gourmet hot dog wraps and cheeses and veggie platters.

Pompey Family · Aug 23, 2014

bazzap said:
And the lounges in Asia are even better for their service and offering than those in Europe.
I guess this is at least one real positive to offset all the US benefits we miss out on through living over here.

I haven't experienced the Asian lounges yet but I can imagine how good they are based on the 'normal' hotel stays I've had. We're looking to take the kids to Thailand soon now that they're a bit older and can manage the 14 hour flight but it's a struggle with work commitments as the ideal time to go would be Easter, I'm not too keen on visiting in August as it's too hot and humid.

As for better US benefits are there any? I understand the Marriott credit card offers a better return than the UK one but that's all I'm aware of.

bazzap · Aug 25, 2014

Pompey Family said:
I haven't experienced the Asian lounges yet but I can imagine how good they are based on the 'normal' hotel stays I've had. We're looking to take the kids to Thailand soon now that they're a bit older and can manage the 14 hour flight but it's a struggle with work commitments as the ideal time to go would be Easter, I'm not too keen on visiting in August as it's too hot and humid.

As for better US benefits are there any? I understand the Marriott credit card offers a better return than the UK one but that's all I'm aware of.

When I was thinking of what we get (or not) compared to the US benefits, I guess what sprung to mind included all the wider Marriott / MVC differences
Yes, the credit card MR points return is far worse here
Perhaps, the DC P33 - Premier Plus Owner 45% Discount when you pay with the Marriott Visa (I will find out on our next visit to Spain whether we can still get this with our Marriott MasterCard)
MF International Owner Service Fees (I still do not understand why we have to pay these, as all transactions and communications are done over the internet)
DC Programme enrolment only added later for European resorts and still not available for Asia resorts
DC Dues Spanish VAT extra charges
DC collection options offer limited choice globally
MVC sellout strategy for European resorts (although it was never contractual and very much sales talk, it is still very disappointing that the later phase Playa Andaluza development was dropped and none of the proposed Denia, Tuscany, Provence, Algarve, Dubai...etc developments ever came to anything - 4 available resorts in total is a real shame
Offers and competitions not available globally
I had better stop there and try to focus on all the more positive aspects!

Pompey Family · Aug 25, 2014

Having not converted to DC points I take no notice of the system so I'm ignorant of the differences other than it's completely nonsensical for us to convert because of our requirement for complete weeks at peak times.

I'll also confess to being pretty much ignorant of all the other points you raised! It is disappointing that there aren't more European MVCI resorts to choose from as from a personal point of view I think that the four that are here are amongst the best in the portfolio. The problem would be where to locate them, to cater for the US market you would look to place them near to the major capital cities to take advantage of the sightseeing requirements whereas for the European market they would be looking at more of a beach resort. They can forget about Dubai though, a horribly boring and repressive place although I must admit the Marriott Executive Apartments in the marina are absolutely fantastic and they do make a stay there more bearable.

I also find the accommodation certificates from II pretty worthless for us as most availability is within the US, I haven't been able to use any of the ones we've received.

macster43 · Aug 25, 2014

If you stay at a residence inn and you are gold or Platnium and book a studio room a lot of times you will be upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite. Also Residence inn has breakfast every day and mon-thur a lite dinner with wine and or beer.

Stupid gold

live4life

FractionalTraveler

Saintsfanfl

live4life

csxjohn

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Saintsfanfl

SueDonJ

BocaBoy

sparty

tahoeJoe

LAX Mom

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tlwmkw

thinze3

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dioxide45

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Fasttr

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dioxide45

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mdurette

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Saintsfanfl

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