+1.
I always viewed Marriott as a large, fairly reliable but a cookie cutter collection of brands while SPG stood out with some of its really unique, historic and character-rich properties. I might have forgotten what I did or saw in Evora, Portugal or Hague, Netherlands but I definitely remember Convento do Espinheiro and Hotel des Indes in Hague, respectively.

And the beauty of booking a Luxury Collection hotel was that it in the past it wasn't that much more expensive, if at all, to book than a typical hotel - about cat 4 pricing or 10,000 SPG points - nothing outrageous. I would definitely start paying more attention to Marriott in the future as they attempt this.