If CY is intended for business travelers, I don't understand why they withhold benefits from Golds/Plats - both with respect to other Marriott brands and with respect to HGI, the brand that I believe they'd consider their most direct competitor.

(Aloft isn't really targeted at business travelers and Element isn't rolled out in enough places to make Courtyard care too much.)

Anyway, I've never been a big CY fan because of that...but I certainly have been lured to them in the past year because of the room rates. When CY is $44/nt. and SHS/FI are $70, it's hard to pass up CY. (These are North Dallas rates - and there are sometimes five or 6 sub-$50 CY's within 10-15 minutes' drive of each other.)

I for one like the lobby and bistro. The CY in Plano lets Plats draw a "bonus" gift out of a basket: sometimes it's an appetizer, sometimes a breakfast sandwich, sometimes simply extra welcome amenity points. I've enjoyed the food items when I've received them - they aren't bad at all.

Although it is interesting to note: of this cadre of very low-priced Courtyards, only the Plano one has the new lobby. There are also many other CY's in suburban Dallas that don't have rates so low...I think a few more of them have the upgraded lobby.