I am just a couple of nights away from Gold and I thought I'd do a couple of 'mattress runs'. There are some good values at Marriott properties on Friday and Saturday nights in the 'business' areas around the Washington, DC beltway.

Last night, I stayed at the CY in Tyson's Corner. But since I have worked hard on bringing my cholesterol to an acceptable level, I occasionally like a good breakfast buffet. I know that won't happen at a CY. So I went to the RC thinking it would have a buffet breakfast. Nope. Very expensive, but standard ala carte fare (Jose Andres name). OK, the Tyson's Marriott? Nope - very small breakfast area; ala carte.

By the way, despite being a 'business' area, all 3 properties were teeming with guests.

Is becoming a Marriott trend?