Common sense test or not what amazes me is the way this is handled. Yes, I think most of us will agree that it doesn't make sense for a hotel to honor a $1.39 rate when it was suppose to be $139.99. But under the laws of merchantability (shades of business school days, for which I may get in trouble now) an offer made by someone who normally conducts business in this manner, and subsequently accepted is by all accounts a contract. Now, granted there are disclaimers throughout the Marriott web site, T&C, etc. But if nothing is addressed prior to one arriving at the property, then all bets are off on whether a judge will favor the merchant even taking the common sense test into account, because common sense would also imply that the hotel had weeks, if not months, to identifiy the issue and deal with it prior to arrival. But all that aside...

Throughout the travel industry, airlines, hotels, travel agents, travel web sites, etc. carry E&O (Errors and Omissions) insurance that covers this exact situation. The problem is that the inept front desk folks and the hotel managers aren't following procedures to file a claim. The onus also goes on Marriott corporate for not instructing the Hotels on proper procedure and/or the requirement that they carry E&O insurance to cover errors made during rate input at hotel's end. Not honoring mistake fares result in bad will at best and possibly a room that may well go unsold anyway.

Personally I would not book a $1.39/night room rate because of the uncertainty, but I have booked a $105/night room rate at a hotel where rooms normally go for $389/night. No special code, just happened to be offered on Marriott.com for about 3 weeks. The hotel cordially honored the rate and I frequent that property every year.