Note that only Marriotts proper and Renaissances count toward Marquis status. If you use the lower-end hotels, $10 will get you a one-year membership in Courtyard Club (the free local calls alone may well be enough to pay that back), or a lifetime in INNsider's Club (the Fairfield version). Each has some decent benefits, with more coming if you stay 36 nights a year in the same variety, thus making INNsiders's Elite or Courtyard Gold. (And it might even be quicker to go to www.marriottrewards.com