Originally Posted by VA1379

I would disagree that Marriott is following US. Marriott has elite bonuses. US has squat in that area. Marriott is raising the reimbursement rates to properties in exchanging for getting rid of most of the blackout dates. The tradeoff is that it will cost more points to redeem for the free nights.

Starwood is great if you fit certain travel patterns and needs. For me, Starwood is not a good fit because:
(1) Most Westins have no lounge.
(2) Free breakfast is not an elite benefit, unlike at Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott.
(3) Most Sheraton and Westin properties do not participate with Boingo or T-Mobile's Hotspot. I am not paying an extra $10+/night for internet when Marriott and Hyatt have most FS properties that have free roaming with those two plans.
(4) Most *wood properties in the DC area have cancellation penalties if you cancel before 24 hours of arrival. I can cancel up to 6 pm on day of arrival for most Marriott properties (4 pm for RI). Hyatt is similar to *wood in cancellation policies for FS properties, but they offer a larger AAA discount.
(5) 4 Points and many Sheraton properties at *wood compare poorly with Marriott's equivalent properties. I know *wood is in a major upgrade of the Sheraton brand, but I am not going to bother to put in the effort to look for the good Sheraton properties and avoid the dumps.
(6) No lifetime elite status at *wood.
(7) Gold status at *wood is similar to platinum at Hyatt, a poor substitute for the top status at both brands.
(8) No EEOs

Of course, *wood has stuff that is attractive. Points & cash redemptions, guaranteed suite upgrades for platinum members, more frequent promos, a good credit card, a guaranteed 4 pm late checkout for elite members and a lower threshold for platinum status are some appealing parts of the *wood program. However, most of my stays are 2 nights, and I would rather put most of my one night stays at Hyatt.

Since I am a breakfast person, not having free breakfast would probably cost me at least $1000 extra a year if I stayed at *wood. The extra cost for internet would probably be another $1200 (versus the $480 I pay for my two Hotspot accounts, which I also use outside of hotels) since I stay mostly at FS properties. This is important for me because I pay for my own travel.

The dilution at Marriott is not great for me, since I have usually been able to find standard awards. However, I like the Marriott properties that I stay at frequently, and I am not going to jump ship in the hope of something better. I never stayed at Marriott solely for the points. The customer service has brought me back repeatedly, and I go to properties that offer free gym passes or have decent gyms.

Everyone's needs and wants will be different, and your stay pattern based on geography would play a part in what brand you choose to stay at. If I was visiting Tokyo, New Zealand, Taiwan, and parts of Africa on a regular basis, Marriott would not be such a good fit because they have few FS properties in these locations.