I'll chime in praise of "those garbage roadside motel brands" as platbrownguy calls them. Like swested I've enjoyed many of the newer ones. I'd much rather a new Courtyard or Townplace over a ragged-out 1970s Sheraton or dodgy US Four Points.

At the same, there are hotels in this group which have no business carrying the Marriott flag such as the Residence Inn Portland North. It was bad in 2018. Reviews show it's still a dump some 4 years later. Obviously Marriott corporate doesn't inspect the properties anymore.

If you want to pop that disappointment cherry, go stay at The Lexington NYC, Autograph Collection. Our office used this hotel for many years, all the way back to when it was a Radisson, to when it was unflagged, to Marriott... Staff is hit-or-miss, but when it's miss it's a bad miss. Room cleanliness and HVAC have always been issues. However, The Residence Inn next door has always been solid for us.