Originally Posted by
toomuchontheroad
Lifetime Platinum Member. It might just be me, but it seems over the last couple of years, by experiences at courtyards have been less than stellar. This is from the point of amenities offered as they do not have a club, nor provide free breakfast, instead they have generally an expensive cafe. For the costs of a courtyard stay it seems you get more bang from your buck at a Springhill or another brand. At times they cost is the same at a courtyard as a full service Marriott that has a larger gym , pool, room service, nice lounge, club, etc. Also, for whatever reason it seems that I never get any upgrades at a courtyard. I know this is a rant, but I do not understand the market that they are targeting with this chain. What is the perks they have over other brands in the offering? Thoughts?
I think the answer is, "it depends."
With 1,156 open properties and 282 pipeline properties, Courtyard is the most plentiful Marriott brand.
Sometimes, Courtyard is great choice. It can be the best hotel in town, especially in smaller cities. Or it could be less than half the price of a full-service property for a room that's not that different.
Sometimes, Courtyard is a poor choice. I stayed at the spectacular JW Marriott at L.A. Live at a lower rate than what the Courtyard across the street was charging for the same dates.
The Platinum benefits at Courtyard will improve in August 2018.
As hotel guests, we can pick what looks best to us. With the full integration of Starwood into Marriott in August 2018 (presumably with the ability to see availability across all brands from the reservation website), we'll easily see all properties that participate in the new loyalty program. In some cases, Courtyard will be the best option. In other cases, not.