There are things I really like about Marriott, but I've realized bang-for-buck if you stay in pricier hotels in pricier cities is not their strong point. A 35K Megabonus for 20 nights of high $ spend - ehh. On the redemption side the only real value is the packages and I'm not always into spending 7 nights in one spot. So it's time to diversify a bit. If they had come up with a real "cash and points" option maybe I would have thought twice.