Your guide to Marriott breakfast benefits for Platinum Elite and higher members

1 month ago 11

Some Marriott brands, such as SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn, offer complimentary breakfast to all guests as a brand amenity. For stays at most other Marriott brands, though, it's more complicated for Platinum Elite and higher members. They may get complimentary breakfast via lounge access or by selecting breakfast as an elite welcome gift at check-in.

I stay in Marriott hotels for about 90 days each year, yet I still frequently refer to the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions to determine my breakfast benefits at each brand. I wanted an easier place to see the breakfast benefits available to Marriott members with Platinum Elite or higher status, so here's your ultimate source for Marriott elite breakfast benefits.

Marriott breakfast benefits for Platinum Elite and higher members

Marriott Bonvoy members with Platinum Elite or higher status have several ways in which they may get complimentary breakfast during their stays:

Included breakfast for all guests
Complimentary breakfast as an elite welcome gift
Guaranteed lounge access

In the following sections, we'll discuss these options before providing a table summarizing your breakfast benefits at each Marriott brand.

Marriott brands with breakfast for all guests

The simplest scenario occurs when you stay at one of the following brands that offer complimentary breakfast to all guests as a brand amenity:

Element (except in Asia Pacific)
Fairfield by Marriott (except in Asia Pacific)
Residence Inn
SpringHill Suites
TownePlace Suites

Unfortunately, the two brands that offer complimentary breakfast for all guests except in Asia Pacific — Element and Fairfield — don't let Platinum Elite and higher members choose daily complimentary breakfast as an elite welcome gift. Instead, members can choose 500 Marriott points per stay or a food-and-beverage amenity per stay as their elite welcome gift when staying in Asia Pacific at these brands.

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Daily breakfast as an elite welcome gift

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite and higher members can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for themselves and a guest as an elite welcome gift at the following brands:

Aloft Hotels
Autograph Collection Hotels (only resorts)
City Express by Marriott (only City Centro locations)
Delta Hotels (only resorts)
Four Points by Sheraton
Four Points Flex (only if the hotel has an open restaurant that a third party doesn't operate)
JW Marriott (only at resorts)
Le Meridien
Marriott Hotels (only resorts)
Protea Hotels
Renaissance Hotels (only resorts)
Sheraton
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts
The Luxury Collection
Tribute Portfolio
W Hotels
Westin Hotels & Resorts

Of course, by selecting breakfast as an elite welcome gift, you usually forgo other options, such as bonus points or food-and-beverage credit. However, assuming you'll get value from breakfast, it's usually the best choice when it's available.

Marriott breakfast via lounge access

If you have Platinum Elite or higher status, you'll get lounge access for yourself and up to one guest staying in the same room during stays at the following brands:

Autograph Collection (excluding resort properties)
Courtyard by Marriott (only at properties outside the U.S. and Canada that have a lounge)
Delta Hotels (excluding resort properties)
JW Marriott (excluding resort properties)
Le Meridien
Marriott Hotels (excluding resort properties)
Renaissance Hotels (excluding resort properties)
Sheraton
Westin Hotels & Resorts

If you have more than one guest in your room — including children — you may need to pay extra to bring these additional guests with you into the lounge.

This lounge access benefit for Platinum Elite and higher members is guaranteed for some stays, with alternates and compensation provided as follows:

BrandWhat happens when the lounge is closed or the property doesn't have a lounge (or an approved alternative)?What compensation can you claim if a lounge isn't available and the property doesn't offer continental breakfast or a suitable alternative?

Autograph Collection, Delta Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels (all excluding resorts)	Properties in the U.S., Canada and Europe should offer the member a choice of daily breakfast (continental in the U.S. and Canada) in the restaurant for the member and a guest or 750 points per night. Properties in other regions should offer continental breakfast or a continental breakfast alternative.	$100
Courtyard by Marriott (properties outside the U.S. and Canada that have a lounge)	If the lounge is closed, the property should offer breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	None
Le Meridien, Sheraton and Westin Hotels & Resorts	Nothing (although you can select breakfast in the restaurant for yourself and a guest as an elite welcome gift).	None

Finally, it's worth noting that the following properties offer 1,000 points instead of continental breakfast in the hotel restaurant when their lounge is closed through Dec. 31, 2024:

Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile
JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square
Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel
Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina

Overview of Marriott elite breakfast benefits

If you're looking for a single source to explain Marriott breakfast benefits for Platinum Elite and higher members, bookmark this post so you can reference the following table:

BrandIs breakfast included for all guests?Can you select breakfast as an elite welcome gift?Do you get lounge access?

AC Hotels	No	No	No
Aloft Hotels	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy	No	No	No
Autograph Collection	No	At resort properties, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, but this excludes resort properties. (See above section for what happens if the property doesn't have an open lounge.)
City Express by Marriott	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest at City Centro properties (not offered at other City Express properties).	No
Courtyard by Marriott	No	No	This is only at properties outside the U.S. and Canada with a lounge. (See above section for what happens when the lounge is closed.)
Delta Hotels	No	At resort properties, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, but this excludes resort properties. (See above section for what happens if the property doesn't have an open lounge.)
Design Hotels	No	No	No
Edition	No	No	No
Element	Yes, except in Asia Pacific	No	No
Fairfield by Marriott	Yes, except in Asia Pacific	No	No
Four Points by Sheraton	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
Four Points Flex (formally known as Four Points Express by Sheraton)	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest unless the property doesn't have a restaurant, the restaurant is closed or a third party operates the restaurant.	No
Gaylord Hotels	No	No	No
Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy	No	No	No
JW Marriott	No	At resort properties, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, but this excludes resort properties. (See above section for what happens if the property doesn't have an open lounge.)
Le Meridien	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, if the property has an open lounge.
Marriott Executive Apartments	No	No	No
Marriott Hotels	No	At resort properties, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, but excluding resort properties (see above section for what happens if the property doesn't have an open lounge).
Marriott Vacation Clubs	No	No	No
MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy	No	No	No
Moxy Hotels	No	No	No
Protea Hotels	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
Renaissance Hotels	No	At resort properties, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, but excluding resort properties (see above section for what happens if the property doesn't have an open lounge).
Residence Inn	Yes	No	No
Ritz-Carlton	No	No	No
Ritz-Carlton Reserve	No	No	No
Sheraton	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, this applies if the property has an open lounge.
SpringHill Suites	Yes	No	No
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
The Luxury Collection	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
TownePlace Suites	Yes	No	No
Tribute Portfolio	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
W Hotels	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	No
Westin Hotels & Resorts	No	Yes, you can select daily breakfast in the restaurant for the member and a guest.	Yes, this applies if the property has an open lounge.

Platinum Elite and higher members can sometimes select a food-and-beverage credit or amenity as an elite welcome gift at some brands. This credit or amenity is usually worth less than what breakfast would cost at the hotel. For example, I'll usually select a $10 food-and-beverage credit per night for my husband and me when staying at Moxy Hotels. This credit has never been enough to cover breakfast at a Moxy property, but it will usually cover a few beers each night at the lobby bar.

Bottom line

I wish Marriott Bonvoy would simplify its breakfast benefits for Platinum Elite and higher members. After all, members who stay that frequently shouldn't need to check a chart or the terms and conditions before each stay to determine whether they'll get complimentary breakfast.

However, given the current program and its benefits, I hope you find the above tables and lists useful. I'll reference them when booking hotel stays and before I reach the check-in desk.

If you're wondering how to earn Platinum Elite or higher status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, know the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers automatic Platinum Elite status as a cardmember benefit. But you can also earn elite night credits from other Marriott credit cards that may let you snag Platinum Elite or higher status even if you don't stay at Marriott brands frequently.

Related reading:

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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