There were two things fundamentally wrong with Marriott (for all the greatness they arguably have):

1. Absolutely awful design, it was Crystle&Alexis meet Florida Design (the magazine). This sure is Mr. Marriott's taste. It started to change over the last few years (thanks to Arne?), if only they could accelerate the pace of change and have Host Marriott and other proprietors up their FF&A investment - which I guess they won't, because Marriott-branded hotels deliver solid RoA, so it would be a hard push. But until they do, I will avoid staying at most Marriotts, I don't want to travel back to when bad taste was the mainstream.

2. WiFi. Get over it Marriott, it's not a service, it's a necessity. Too many properties still charge for it.

I hope this article signifies Bill and Arne are out to address both. And the proliferation of unnecessary brands (no I don't want to stay at a "Gaylord" hotel, thank you, although a visit to the sauna could be... interesting!).