The "disease" part, to me, is how the hotel chains are addicted to marketing these programs as a utopia for travelers, never any warnings that the points may devalue or that some elite benefits may not always be available. The Marriott Bonvoy page often shows hotels that aren't actually available for a reasonable number of points, or shows suites that aren't regularly given as upgrades. The most savvy FTers realize it's all marketing nonsense and doesn't constitute a real promise. We're jaded, we expect bait & switch - especially from big hotel chains, some of the more ethically dubious businesses I ever interact with.

But I can see why so many travelers are annoyed. They respond to the marketing, maybe even do enough stays to reach an elite tier. But what they think they've been promised - slivers of future free nights and suite upgrades once the 50th/75th/whatever night is complete - was never actually there to begin with. Their "funny money" is vaporware and could disappear at any time, at capital's discretion.

If the hotels were honest, the rewards programs would be a very minor element of the hotel's value proposition, as they are with smaller boutique brands where far fewer implied promises are made.