But on the other hand, some of those "negotiated" rates gotten that way may not be "qualifying" rates (for points, for promos, etc). While getting an LNF is "qualifying", no matter how low a rate that gets you. (But getting a good LNF every week is a challange, even when you have many Marriott properties in the area to choose from. That's a challenge that I'm familiar with, though even in my case it's only "every week" for a few weeks at a time, then a gap, then repeat, since I only stay at Marriott up to the point where I max out each MegaBonus / Unexpected Bonus / MegaMiles bonus that I'm chasing.)

And if you're not going to get anything with a "negotiated" rate, what's the point of limiting yourself to Marriott properties?