Is there a chance that the client has a relationship with the hotel and a discount code the op can use? Even if it isn't compliant with his company policy, it should be compliant with the client, who's going to pay the bill in the end...

But as far as the OP's situation, I can see both sides as far as the contract no longer being valid and the opinion that the reservation should be honored since it was made while the contract was in place.

I'm just still curious to find out what the OP's price limit is and why he/she is saying that no hotels are available for that period of time within 2.5 hours.

Looking again, there actually does appear to be less availability today than there was yesterday, so hopefully OP was able to check again last night.

For this week, checking in Monday leaving Friday with no discounts:
Bloomington Marriott $199
Courtyard Bloomington $179
Fairfield Peoria East (45 minutes) $159
Springhill Suites Peoria Westlake $119

checking in Monday and leaving Thursday:
Same prices for all of the above except the Courtyard, and also available are the
Fairfield Champaign (50 miles) $89
Courtyard Champaign $99

The Fairfield in Bloomington is available for Tuesday and Wednesday nights at $149 and Thursday night at $104, but does not appear to be available on Monday.

Edit: And although those two hotels in Champaign don't come up when selecting Monday-Friday, they are also available Thursday night, $119 for the FI and $129 for the CY

Edit #2: If $100 is the magic number, as was alluded to earlier, using AAA lowers the rates in Champain Mon-Thurs by a couple bucks and gets the FI Bloomington to $99 for Thursday night.

There's something still missing here. OP's point isn't just that his reservations have been cancelled, it's that the property and corporate won't reinstate them at any rate. While it's possible that there is no room whatsoever available, even at the rack rate, for any given night, I find it hard to believe that this is the case over a period of months.

This suggests that there's a more deep-seated problem between OP's employer and Marriott and/or between OP and his employer and Marriott. While I realize that OP isn't looking for a $300/night room, the fact that the property and corporate won't even offer it, suggests there's more out there. Maybe OP doesn't know what's going on between his employer & Marriott, but I'd sure find out before posting here or raising the roof with Marriott.

rooms are still available for booking at both the Courtyard and the Marriott.

I bet you do. I quit saying I would never stay with a brand or airline. I could never stick to it!

The issue is with Corp travel, not the property or Marriott. Once the rate/relationship was cancelled, there is no corporate rate to honor. Like using a rate you are not allowed to (giving the code to a friend that does not have the ID to prove it). OP, call your travel center and see what they can do or cancel the trip - no prices within corporate policy! You may also want to call the property and see if they can help. If they have room, and you are platinum, they very much might be willing to. This is not like finding a mispriced item in a store and they have to honor what is on the jar of peanut butter.

exactly

I did not get the impression from the OP that he/she needed to book the rooms through the corporate travel agent, as the OP mentions speaking with Marriott customer care. All of the rates I mentioned above are available directly from the Marriott website, most of which with no discount code.

Thanks to FTers, the OP has been given some other options w/ rates listed that will allow him to stay w/in a shorter distance/timeframe than Chicago.

Since the OP's employer did not renew the contract with Marriott, obviously the previously negotiated rate doesn't apply for future stays. The employer certainly dropped the ball by not doing a company announcement letting its employees know Marriott is not a preferred vendor for '13 & letting them know which chain (if there is one) that the new contract will be with for '13. The OP should, on Monday, contact the company travel dept & have some strong words re: the dropping the ball.

Marriott does have some responsibility in that it/hotel too should have notified the OP sooner than the weekend before his stay was starting that the rate was no longer valid. If nothing else (given the short notice) they might have allowed him to stay at the reserved rate for this week while telling him it will not be honored past that.

To suggest that the OP is trying to defraud Marriott & his account could be locked is simply absurd. When the OP made his ressies the rate was valid. He had no knowledge his company's contract would not be renewed.

Cheers.

I have given up saying NEVER long time ago. You always see people again, that's also why I try to understand the other side as well.

I think that the key here, which many seem to be missing, is the point Mr. Vker is making: Marriott is at least partially responsible for taking reservations under the corporate rate after the expiration of the contract without a new contract being in place. While they are no longer obligated to offer the rate for new reservations, I don't see how this is any different than a "mistake rate", which we sometimes see for hotels and airlines. They tend to honor them and they should do so in this case. The OP had no way of knowing that the contract wasn't going to continue and Marriott wasn't diligent about cutting off access to the rate past when the contract period was.

+1

I wonder where the OP is now, and why he has not come back to FT to fill in some of the blanks?

He, and thank you.

Well I wasn't commenting on what he said, although since you asked I do agree with it for the most part. I was however disagreeing with you calling it a novel, because it was just a collection of short replies.

As it is already Monday, does the OP have an update for us as to what he ended up doing ?