That would be a good strategic move if it weren’t for the fact that hotel guests pay next to nothing to Marriott directly.

In my near 20 years of membership with SPG and Bonvoy, only once did I make a payment directly to Starwood when I bought some starpoints. And even then I’m not sure if I wasn’t buying from a licensed points wholesaler instead.

The bulk of Marriott’s income comes from payments made by hotel developers on the guise of fees and commissions. It’s only natural that Marriott is mostly concerned with the well being and satisfaction of those who actually pay it.

Of course, there’s always the argument that if guests aren’t satisfied they’ll stop staying at Bonvoy properties leading to hotel developers dissatisfaction and, indirectly, to a drop in Marriott’s overall revenue. However, with Marriott’s market domination and the industry’s Covid restrictions, that’s really not an issue—people are staying at their hotels regardless of how good the loyalty program is. Actually, I suspect the majority of guests Marriott forwards to its hotels aren’t coming from the Bonvoy program at all but rather from its other global distribution channels, like wholesales to tour operators (like their recent Expedia deal) and corporate sales.