Originally Posted by
brownc
Based in Glasgow, Scotland so the closest marriotts are in Glasgow and Edinburgh and are looking about £80 a night before my challenge expires mid feb so I'm not sure it's worth it for the gold status?
There are two ways to look at what you're getting for £160.
One, if you're doing what Sharon suggested above, is known an
mattress run. You don't care about staying at the hotel; you're just in it for the status and/or points. Then the full cost of those nights is simply the price you pay to buy status.
The other, if you take my approach above, is to actually
go somewhere and enjoy your stay. Then the cost of the hotel bill is not simply an exercise in buying status. You're getting the value of the trip itself. The cost of status is merely the difference between the MR hotel bill and what you were otherwise willing to pay for that trip (e.g., maybe you would have stayed at a cheaper hotel for £120 instead of £160 for two nights, making £40 the price of status).