So many average hotels in an major city in America were made Cat 5's after it was all said and done. Really frustrating that if Marriott deems some time "peak", I won't be able to use my Cat 5 certificate anymore. I get 3 35k and 1 25k cert a year so this feels like a pretty decent hit to their usability. I will strongly consider closing at least one of the Amex cards and opening up a different co-branded card because of this.
For those abandoning Marriott over all the changes entirely, I just wonder where they are going to go. I rarely have a "not bad" experience at a Hilton property and Hyatt while great has a pretty limited footprint if you want to stay outside of a major city or tourist destination. Feels like it's Marriott or Marriott.