Originally Posted by
birdiedouble
If they stay firm on the cancellation penalty and you decide not to travel, you might ask if they will move the dates to another time you could travel there.
That being said, I would wait until the forecast gets a little closer to your travel date so you and the hotel have a better idea of what your trying to avoid.
Actually, have you tried to change your dates online? I've never done it, but I think you might be able to push out your reservation to say a month off, and then cancel. Sometimes Marriott's crappy IT works in your favour!