OP, I guess I don't see your issue. For me, a 100+ night a year Titanium, my status means I always check Marriott first, but it doesn't lock me in. There are many locations in which I still choose to stay with other chains or independents.

I certainly don't expect my loyalty to Marriott to allow me to book any of 500+ non-Marriott hotels in London and have them treat me like a valued frequent guest. If I don't stay at a Marriott (or Hilton where I am Diamond), I make sure to book the room I want and pay for the benefits I want.

The research psychologists say that too much choice can actually make people unhappy because they feel like it’s additional stress and hard work if they have to try to figure out the best choice from, say a pool of 200 good options compared to a pool of 20 good options.

so the flip side of ‘being tied to a small number of properties’ is that it can actually be helpful in lowering the research time required and stress of the decision-making process since restricting by chain is such an easy filter

Bt the same standard, we should drop Design Hotels from the Bonvoy count.

I think you've summed up the entire point of loyalty programs entirely right here. If every property in the world earned Bonvoy points/benefits, there would be no point to the program. The point to the program is that when I go to Rome (for example), I probably look at the 12 Bonvoy options first, and if one of them meets my needs with respect to location/quality/budget, then I'll probably book it. In return, Marriott offers me points and benefits. If none of the Marriott properties meet what I need, or if I find a better deal elsewhere, then I book elsewhere. The loyalty program incentivizes me to book Marriott properties when all else is substantially equal. Pretty simple.

I agree. I have Titanium with Marriott, Spire with IHG, and Gold with Hilton.

I start my search every time via Google Maps. I understand where I need to be in relation to a client/attraction/neighborhood and then narrow down the choices.

My hotel statuses are more of an after thought as up until recently I was spending 150+ nights a year in hotels.

I wouldn't chase hotels just because of the status, but it is nice to have in Asia for sure. Everywhere its a wash IMHO.

It's a consideration for me, but not determinative.

I have top tier with Marriott but am booking almost exclusively now with Hyatt (where I am mid-tier) or program-unaffiliated properties.

In the past I would often book with Marriott despite the availability of more attractive properties due to the rewards program, but as a consequence of program devaluations, those days are over.

I understand that when you compare 55 with 2000 it's a big difference, but I usually choose between 5 hotels and seems reasonable.Especially when you're looking for 4 and 5 stars, the price shouldn't be such a problem anymore (only special cases).

So, first of all, many of those "four star" hotels on Booking.com are nowhere near true four star quality. I would take faux star ratings on those kinds of sites with a massive grain of salt.

Secondly, if true luxury hotels are what you're primarily booking, I would not waste your time trying to get higher Marriott status, it really doesn't offer much. To be honest, you'd be better off grabbing an Amex Platinum (or other Amex card with Fine Hotels & Resorts) and booking through that program. The benefits are better than pretty much any level of Marriott status and you're not tied to any particular brands so you get to experience the best of what is out there including some truly magnificent independent hotels or much smaller chains. There are other similar programs out there with Visa and MasterCard but IMO neither is as comprehensive or diverse as FHR.

If true luxury hotels are not what you're primarily booking, then you won't do better than Marriott when it comes to global network of hotels as they are by far the largest. As others have stated Rome, and really Italy in general is a place that has a lot of very nice independently run properties. Because of that, chain hotels are less popular and therefore have a smaller presence. This is also true of many other old world cities and countries with London being an obvious exception, at least with regards to Marriott.

There isn't really any one brand that will fit everyone's travel patterns all the time. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people staying at subpar hotels in less than ideal locations just because they want to stick to their 'preferred brand' all the time. It's one of the biggest pitfalls to having status because you end up missing out on some much better experiences.

How in the world do you feel like this is being limited for choice? Marriott has approximately 7,500 hotels. 12 in Rome, and several of the best ones in the entire city are theirs. What more choice do you need? There is a Marriott I would like to stay at in almost every city in the world I would want to stay in.

OP - I would recommend hotels.com loyalty program. You still get rewards as a loyal customer, but have the maximum choice in terms of where you stay

Well, you've been roasted here and primarily, I would suggest, for your final sentence here which is patently not true given the fact you're talking about the largest hotel chain in the world and therefore no other chain offers greater choice.

No matter, I'd suggest your real problem lies with the fact you're Silver with Marriott. IMO, Silver and Gold are worthless and you'd be better off booking on the OTAs that offer free hotel nights as a loyalty scheme like booking.com. For me, the value of Bonvoy only kicks in at Platinum (lounge access, late check out, breakfast etc.) but if you're not staying enough nights a year to qualify as Platinum then you should book your hotels using booking.com (or equivalent OTA) and get their free nights which will have more instant tangible value for you than collecting a few Bonvoy points for redemption.

Can you help me with google maps? When I check "nearby hotels" I get nothing but prices, and I have to hover over every single one to see what brand it is - is there a toggle someplace that can switch me from prices to brands?

Have a look at google.com/hotels

It combines the map with the list of the properties.

10+ per city is actually a fairly nice selection. Trying finding Marriott properties in Scandinavia, and we can talk again about choice.

What's the point of my Waitrose card when there is a Sainsbury's next to it?