Maybe, just maybe UA doesn't hold the ultimate power in the partnership where it can dictate what freebies elite members get in a program it has no control over.
Marriott elites draw the short end of the straw. How would UA folks feel if Marriott would give its elites comp 1K status?
Is there another more generous airline-hotel partnership out there, where you can get complementary membership in the other program? I didn't think so.