Trying to understand the Courtyard business model
 

I've been staying almost exclusively at Courtyards while traveling for work, and the business model has me puzzled enough that I'm considering switching to another Marriott property, such as Springhill Suites or Residence Inn. The business model seems to be to nickle and dime you to death from the moment you walk in the door -- they don't even put out free coffee in the lobby. Even as a platinum I often don't get free breakfast, and the Bistro offerings are overpriced and underwhelming. Also, a lot of the Courtyard properties are a bit on the rundown side.

I know it sounds like I'm complaining (maybe I am), but in all seriousness I'm trying to understand what Marriott's goal is with the Courtyards, especially when not only their competition provides free breakfast but even Marriott's other properties offer more for the money.

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts.

This same sentiment has been expressed before and we are as mystified as you. Hilton Garden Inns, there direct competitor, as you note, provides breakfast to its elites and other Marriott "lesser" Marriott family brands do, as well.

SS provide breakfast, more room, and oftentimes are newer builds/renovated properties, so I am at a loss as to the appeal of C/Y properties.

While we might not understand the CY model, it's Marriott's most successful brand so evidently they understand it (and don't care about elites complaining).

If I'm not staying at a full-service property I stay at Springhill Suites.

Cheers.

Their business model is to make money, and Courtyards make money. So they are happy.

Hilton Garden Inn has a conventional restaurant. When I once stayed at a Courtyard (in western Puerto Rico) that had a conventional restaurant (just under 2 years ago), I got a free (though just cold/continental) breakfast as a Marriott elite too.

But most Courtyards have that goofy "bistro" concept, and that's quite unlike what HGI has.

Btw, my understanding is that the "bistro" concept doesn't date back to the origins of Courtyard. So what was Courtyard like before the "bistro", including for elites?

The same as it is now. Breakfast not included* and incidental spend didn't count. However, there was free coffee in the lobby & the restaurant was better than the Bistro. Also, in the past internet wasn't free.

* A very, very few properties might offer some type of brekkie but it was & remains rare (Asian properties excepted, as Asia CYs were & are more like FS properties).

Cheers.

My perspective is that CY is their no-frills brand for younger professionals that don't have enough money for FS Marriott's. They need a hotel for a couple days, don't need services, only a place to sleep.

I'm new to this, but of the 50 or so Marriott stays I've had over the last few years many have been at Courtyards. Here's why I pick them over other Marriott properties:

- When Fairfield Inns and Courtyards are available in the towns I've traveled to, both are very similarly priced (+/- $20). This isn't exactly a reason, but Marriott always seems to market CYs as the "cooler" brand of the two. As a younger guy, that's where my mouse clicks to first.

- I'm only a Silver so not getting a free breakfast isn't a perk that entices me...yet. Plus I'd rather find a nice local brunch place or prefer to sleep in.

- I rarely travel for more than 2 nights so suite-type setup isn't something I need. Many of the CYs have a mini fridge and that's just icing on the cake for me.

- Yeah, their Bistro is somewhat lame but they have beer, which is great when travelling to a smaller town with nothing within walking distance.

- Most of the CYs I've stayed at have nice lobbies with those mini-lounge setups but FIs seem to be rather compact and not very amenable to relaxing; they seem more akin to a waiting area.

- This is purely a personal opinion but growing up, my family would stay at lots of roadside motels and "inns" so the name Fairfied Inn just brings up memories of the cheap rooms of childhood.

All true, but none of the money they make is mine. I will take a FI over a CY anytime, and in many of the places that I go, they are often on contiguous parcels.

I have relatives who are retired that travel (not enough to get any real status). They choose CY because it's a middle brand, usually they get a decent rate, & their requirements are similar to yours.

I would hazard a guess that people who travel but aren't elite/familiar with all the T&Cs recognize CY as a decent Marriott brand & don't look beyond that.

That reminds me, I need to remind them that if prices are similar to go w/ SHS because then they'd get free breakfast.

Cheers.

I never thought of CY as being cool. Stodgy, but not cool. I must have lost my grasp on what is hip and finally joined the older generation! Granted, I've stayed at some awesome CYs, it just never hit me as cool.

I've posted this many times before. Those of us who stay in hotels 100+ times a year and/or monitor our points and perks closer than we monitor our own health are not the only people that stay in hotels. While FI, SHS, FS, Ren, JW, etc., go out of their way to offer the perks we look for, CY has become extremely profitable without having to court our business. We might feel unwanted, but so be it. We might want to shake the people who stay at CY and tell them they could do better, but they're just not looking for what we are looking for. I've just accepted that CY isn't that into me, and I'm okay with that. I'll stay at a CY when it's a logical choice for some reason, but I do that knowing that I'm just another guest to them and I'm staying there under CY's terms, not mine.

While I might not understand the business model, I cannot deny that the business model works for Marriott and just have to accept that. I can argue that a hotel should give me points for incidentals, should include a quick, free breakfast option, etc., but Marriott has actual performance on its side, indicating I'm wrong about those things being necessary. You can't argue actual facts with perceived common sense. Actual facts always win.

FWIW, I teach a course in our industry about having to accept common sense has nothing to do with risk models that are based on actual performance. CYs remind me of that. An example: Common sense would tell you that if a married couple is getting divorced, both the husband and wife have income and are responsible for paying the mortgage, but one spouse is refinancing into his/her name only, it would be less likely the loan gets paid in the future. After all, less income and only one person would be riskier than two people with more income. But in actuality, the new loan performs better than any other refinance mortgage scenario. While common sense indicates it shouldn't, actual performance shows it does. It's speculated that financial distress leads to divorce in many cases, and the more responsible spouse who has made sure the payments have been made in the past is the one that will keep the house and mortgage, or that we have scrutinized the loan more carefully than other refinances, but I offer this to illustrate common sense doesn't always give the right answer, but actual performance usually does.

Well said. They do it without me, but they do it. Its my last, last choice when paying and last choice on points. But they are everywhere...

Many on this forum express your opinion. However, I generally find that CY's are better built properties than FI's and you hear less sound from your neighbors. For me, that is a a factor that tips the balance.

To the Marriott newbie, Courtyards used to be well known for the inexpensive breakfast buffet. It wasn't free stuff, like at Springhills, Res Inn and Fairfield, but they were quite good.

I haven't been in one that still had a buffet in over a year. Now, you have to pay a lot to get a little at the Bistro, or eat outside the hotel. That's fine with me, a Denny's or McDonalds or a diner are preferable. A lot of people do prefer the Bistro since they can grab a sandwich or a beer at night.

Beyond that, Courtyards do have some advantages over the other non-full service hotels. The rooms are good-sized, the walls aren't paper thin, a lot of rooms have balconies so you can open them and get some fresh air.

Fairfield Inns are low end. The beds aren't bad, but the walls tend to be thin, which is bad for low end places since tourists love these places. You do get free breakfast, which is an enhanced continental with eggs, probably waffles and a breakfast meat of some sort. The rooms tend to be smaller than Courtyards, and the overall amenities are fewer and cheaper.

Springhills were originally started as Fairfield Inn Suites, a two-room version of the basic Fairfield Inn. They are two rooms, with a mini-fridge, sofa and chair, desk and desk chair in the entry room. My complaint about Springhills is that the bedroom is fairly small, and the bed is usually planted right in front of the AC/heat unit. And, like Fairfields, it's rare to find a room with a balcony, so you're forced to use the AC, live with the 3-4 inches you can open the window to, or you're breaking out a screw driver to take out the blocks so you can open the window completely. You get a free breakfast here as well, the same as at Fairfield.

Res Inns are their own thing, being small apartments. Some people love them, some hate them. If it's one of the ones that has all of the doors in the interior, hotel-style, and the appliances aren't old, then they're really nice. If it's an old property that is set up like small apartment buildings, with exterior doors, they can be bad. Either model can have old appliances, and a loud refrigerator banging on and off all night can be bad for sleep. But, if you're traveling with kids, or are going to be there for a week or two, a Res Inn can be great. The free breakfast is maybe a bit better than the Fairfield/Springhill setup, and they do have some free food in the evenings Mondays through Thursdays.

Not every traveler has a cult-like need for a free breakfast. A CY works fine for those people.

Last week, a friend of mine stayed at a newly remodeled CY with the "Gen Next" guestrooms. His room was quite nice, very functional and more than competitive with other midscale offerings.

There are some rare exceptions to the "new" Courtyard approach. I stayed at a new CY in Grapevine TX which was connected to an also new Townplace Suites. Both hotels were amazing imo.

The CY had an expanded Bistro concept which meant a much better menu. For example they offered crabcakes which were damn good. I also wanted chocolate covered strawberries and the sous chef (yes sous chef lol) made a dozen for me every single night at no charge.

Seriously when it was all said and done i felt like I was at a Marquis or something at times. I used my points and the whole 5 days came to 60,000 points at 15k a night.