Marriott's best promotions are ongoing and/or very long-running, so aren't seeing them advertised often. FTers talk about them a lot though.

Anytime you see someone on this board talk about HPR, EEO, BB, PP, or Megabonus, they're talking about a Marriott promotion. Not to mention fairly regular and ongoing Marriott Gift Card promotions that can either discount every stay you do by 10% or add additional bonus points to your account. (Or allow you to eBay a bunch of red suitcases. )

Personally, I like the mix of points- and non-points-related promos. I have hit HPR about six times this year alone, and have 2 rooms booked under this promo for family visiting for holidays. I've completely lost track of how many PP/BB certs I've used this year. I was on a roll for a while where I was using one and earning one on every Marriott stay, although that's slowed down somewhat now.

The only catch is that we now expect all of these promos. In that sense, we no longer view them as typical "promotions" in the strictest definition of the word. When we perceive something as permanent, we treat it like a normal program feature and grumble mightily when/if it is altered in any way.