To a great extent, we determine a hotels category since it's place on the table is determined by the number of redemptions each year.

It's all about demand, a $500 night hotel at cat1 will be inundated by redemptions. A $100 night hotel at cat9 will never see a redeeming guest.

When a hotel first joins the group it's categorized based on expected redemption activity and recategorised depending how that works out. It's worth remembering Marriotts annual redemption adjustments generally see a similar number of moves down to up, although usually the annual balance is on the up reflecting a slow stealth devaluation (saving last year when Marriott used the redemption categories to give effect to a large devaluation, with the vast majority of changes being properties moving up, and only the tiniest minority moving down).

This gave rise to the cat4 certificate issue and led to Marriott offering a choice on megabonuses of either 3xCat4 or 2xCat5 certs. The most obvious redemption venue for such certs is airport hotels, since there are few luxury or leisure options in those categories, hence cat5 airport hotels were bombed with redemptions resulting in the upward move. Now of course as a cat 6 it's out of the certs but represents poorer value on points, and hence will see redemptions collapse so it'll almost certainly be busted back to a cat5 where the process will then restart!

As far as CPH Marriott is concerned, I liked the hotel. It's a bit industrial, but the rooms are a good size, exec lounge offerings are strong and it seems well maintained. Certainly planning a trip with the kids as it's within easy walking distance of the train station, city centre and Tivoli. Bearing in mind I joined MR in 2006 when the top category was 7, I guess it could be deemed surprising it's there, but now that the top category is 9, I'd say its category broadly reflects it's price, location and facilities, though as discussed above, that's not the criteria!