I don't know what the before and after is, but I hoped to use my Chase Marriott certificate (good for up to 25,000 points) for the Courtyard Lenox/Berkshires (in Western Massachusetts) and was surprised to find that was 35,000 for a mid-week stay this week. I thought that was high and instead paid the $144 for a room rather than burn 35,000 points. It did not seem like a good use of points.