I don't know about 'obsession' but it's clear to me that Marriott will quickly dumb-down the once "special" program that was SPG. Just this morning I called to cancel my SPG AMEX (after 17 years). Why? Because I'm LT Plat (or was ) at SPG, I used to get 1 point for every dollar (going to 2 - a 33% reduction) and it just isn't worth it anymore. Nothing is sacred, nothing is special. Marriott wants to get over this speed-bump with the SPG members and in six months it won't matter anyway. They are lousy at posting points and they are diminishing the loyalty (which was well-deserved) of the SPG members in the process. They may not care- they are the winners in the purchase, but there are other hotel chains out there and for the first time in 20 years, I'm shopping around. I hated Marriott before they bought Starwood for a variety of reasons and those reasons still exist. They are cheap.