Originally Posted by
bocastephen
I can only think of 1. corporate contract or 2. they need the stay credit to maintain or climb status
That's the beauty of Lifetime status - I can sample other options and not stress out over losing anything with Marriott.
It's odd that McDonalds has so many franchises all around the world, but a Big Mac essentially looks the same whether I buy from a franchise in Iowa, New Jersey or Ireland, yet Marriott can't keep everyone on the same page with regard to cleaning standards, or providing a minimum set of workable benefits to different Elite tiers during this issue. The example upthread with the $50 resort fee in exchange for basically nothing, is just over the top insulting when hotels should be taking this opportunity to try and incentivize more loyalty and business vs swatting around customers like we are all personally to blame for their financial issues.
Marriott already have different standards for different regions. You should know given how well traveled you are. Marriott in the Greater China Region is so much better in terms of elite recognition. I agree with you that McDonald's does a much better job ensuring consistency across all franchises.