In my case, it was very hard to even find a hotel that even sold gift cards. There are about 15 Marriotts within striking distance of where I live and only one of them sold GCs. When I got there, it literally took them 45 minutes to process the transaction. However, redeeming them proved surprisingly easy after the horror stories I've read here and on other forums. Every property I used them at redeemed them no problem and these were all smaller properties in smaller cities and towns. I guess it all comes down to how knowledgeable the staff is. That being said, it shouldn't be that hard to issue or redeem them. You never hear these issues at McDonald's or Old Navy about their GCs.