Welcome to the evil step-child of the Marriott hotel brands.

There are quite a few threads (rants really) lamenting the short comings of the CY brand. So you are not alone. For the most part, Marriott does a good job of providing a brand for the different market segments. I am lucky that I can usually stay at a FS property and Marriott tends to do those very well. (Staying a Reniassance right now that is pretty darn good. ^ )

I would tend to agree with you that if I were forced to stay more at middle-tier brands, I would probably not have stayed with Marriotts as much as I have been.