I'm with Dillman and Pinniped, as well as AAUpgrade.

Dillman, your post was a riot. At first, I thought that you were actually agreeing with the OP stating the Sky is Falling, but then I got to the rest of your post. Phew! ^

Having turned my attention to this matter in the last several days, I have given this some more thought and of course, I am not overly joyed at the change, as it does represent change and many of us just like things to remain the same rather than dealing with a whole new rewards structure.

Having said that, Marriott is just the latest to adopt a relatively black-out free awards schedule.

SPG pioneered this concept and Hilton adopted this last year.

Now, Marriott is replicating the Stay 4 get 1 Free offer that SPG offers and Hilton, in its own way, offers something comparable -- the AXON reduced 4 night stay award for those holding the HHonors AMEX. Now, any HHonors member worth their salt would have that card as it is fee free, comes with a generous point bonus for first use, has good multiples for points for non-Hilton hotel stays, and permits you to get that 4 night stay award at a discounted rate.

In all, then, all of the big players have demonstrated a convergence in their awards programs, albeit with some differences that demonstrate that one should certainly be a member of more than one awards program, given the differences in locations and travel patterns one might have.

So, the sky is not falling, in point of fact, it is stabilizing.