Originally Posted by
Twickenham
Well, if you insist
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Regarding the first bit I bolded above: this part of the rules is both misunderstood and poorly explained by Marriott. In fact, as long as the rate you reserve is the lowest that corresponds to the rate you're comparing it too as far as room type and booking conditions go, it's LNFable. So, it doesn't matter what the Elite member, AAA, senior, etc. rates are, as long as the lowest publicly-available rate can be beaten, you'll be approved. In the same vein, if you have a site with a lower cancellable rate, but the Marriott site's lowest rate is non-cancellable, don't use that rate; rather, use the lowest cancellable rate.
Poorly explained is putting it mildly!
As far as the OP goes, it is not so simple as becoming a member, since those are elite only rates, and you can't just sign up to be a member in a snap. However, you can ask for a Gold or Platinum challenge, and then you will qualify as a member, if they grant you the challenge. As far as what the rates are, they are subject to change at any time, so it is not a great surprise that the member rate which you found, $220, might have changed to $203, and then maybe an hour later, might change back to $220, or even higher or different.
OP, you have PM.