And I'm not talking about hard things. I'm talking about:

1. Lack of recognition of elite status. Remember when Platinum's use to get a 'thank you for staying' note in your room, as well as your "platinum perk"? Now I usually get a grunt and the check-in clerk saying something like 'what do you want as your perk, points or free bottle of water' ". Gee, I feel special.

2. Remember when you use to get a newspaper at your door when you stayed at the Courtyard. That is now hit and miss (mostly miss), even though my profile clearly states the request.

I'm closing in on the end of the year and have stayed about 160 nights in hotels this year, only 60 of which have been in Marriott. In past years, I have made an effort to book mainly with Marriott, this year it's been with their competitors. Granted, none are much better than Marriott, but as I am not elite with them, I wouldn't expect more.


In this economy, I would think that companies would try to keep their best customers. Guess I'm wrong...