Originally Posted by A Traveller

I am a bit confused about udhorky's original post.

I assume the discussion is about Labor Day in 2006?

I went over to Marriott.com. For the days just before Labor Day 2006, it was offering standard rewards for standard rooms at the Marriott Cincinnati Riverview (in Covington).

For Labor Day, awards weren't available. The rate offered was "WEBN/TOYOTA 2005 RIVERFEST WEEKEND $179.00 USD"

The hotel sounds like it has been blacked-out on that date. (And like the Times Square hotels in NYC in Christmas, will probably always be blacked-out.)

As to the question about "why do I earn these points", the answer is obvious. To get free stuff.

You need to carefully examine your needs and compare them to the features available in the program you want to use, and then use that program. If Marriott Rewards (which uses black-out dates and availability restrictions), does not meet your needs in getting free stuff, then you need another program.