Free breakfast benefit for Titanium elites was turned into free continental breakfast with the option of a $10/person "upgrade" fee. Free continental breakfast included cold foods only (e.g. cereals, yogurt, pastries), but an upgrade was required for any hot food (e.g. eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes).
This is an absolute joke. To nickel and dime your most loyal customers is petty and insulting. This change to the breakfast policy I think is a relatively new development, but i experienced it at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott and the JW Marriott Desert Springs on consecutive stays...so it seems they're rolling it out fairly consistently, disappointingly.
Lifetime Status: Lifetime Gold
Hotel: JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
Location: Palm Desert, CA, USA