I am wondering if the problem here is the property, not the chain. My wife used to stay at a Marriott hotel every week. She liked the staff but there were some room issues that were never addressed.

Finally she changed to the JW in the same city. World of difference. She received hotel cards from mgmt including personal cellphone numbers in case she ever had problems. Always received nice rooms and was given valet pkg for the price of self-park because she was traveling alone.

IME, Marriott is kind of okay domestically but really shines in their intl hotels. Besides always receiving nice rooms, often suites, the staff is outstanding. They regularly ask if there is anything they can do, no matter how small. In other words, they act like they really appreciate the business.

Hotels live and die based on their services. Marriott has some great properties but also some lousy ones. If I stay at one that stinks, I don't think twice about packing up and going across the street.

Some hotels/staff don't seem to care that you stay at other Marriotts 100+ nights a year, they treat one time/first time (especially on points) elite guests just like anyone else, because they aren't incentivized to treat you great- you aren't likely to come back as a paid guest to *their* property.