I know we're on the Hyatt forum, but some people really seem to disregard this. There are SO MANY wonderful Marriott properties - yes, there are many more games at the corporate level, but still, it's the hotels where we're resting our heads, not the conference rooms of executives.

Sure, if you're only looking at the biggest US markets, you might think Hyatt wins. In my opinion, Hyatt wins pretty easily in NYC, but Marriott has solid options, too, at the higher end. But, in another large market, San Francisco, Marriott blasts Hyatt out of the water with great properties like the St. Regis, Palace, Westin St. Francis, and Marriott Union Square. All Hyatt has in SF are a couple of Hyatt Regencies, a poorly-reviewed Grand Hyatt, and a really nice airport hotel. Hyatt is known to be sorely lacking in choices in LA. Hyatt's situation in Boston is ridiculously bad. Chicago is more of a wash - lots of good Marriott and Hyatt properties. Hyatt is lacking across Florida, except for The Confidante and Grand Cypress. In my opinion, these larger markets suffer from the lack of true high-end Hyatt options. The fact that there are only 3 urban PHs in the US is ridiculous. The Thompson brand helps, but Hyatt really needs to expand its luxury footprint in urban markets, rather than focus solely on resort expansion in California.

If we open it up wider to smaller cities, the only cities that come up to mind where Hyatt likely wins are Denver (lots of good choices) and Wichita (the well-reviewed HR seems to beat out an odd lack of Marriott choices).