Ok Guys,
The question is simple.

Why did you choose Marriott as your fav place to sleep/stay when travelling?

Company make you to stay at Marriotts? Services? Locations? Personal preferences? Loyalty program? Any other perks which I'm not aware of?
And why not Hilton, HI, Starwood etc...

Hopefully we will be able to pick all those good things about Marriott in general and share them with others.

Bad things we can pass to Marriott guys present on this forum

Cheers
Chris

Twenty three years ago I started travelling for a living. I knew little about hotels or airlines.

I started off by staying in Holiday Inns and hotels that were similar. I worked my way up to trying Hiltons, Marriotts, Sheratons, etc. It took me a few years to realize that by staying in one hotel, I could maximize points and get free vacations.

Sixteen years ago I settled on Marriott. I have been happy with my choice ever since. I still stay in other hotels on occasion, or if Marriotts price is too high I am happy to move to another choice. Overall, Marriott has served me well and I like the various brands that are offered.

I think if you stay 75-100 nights a year in a hotel, you tend to find one that satisfies your needs.

I agree with Fripp, except I started out 18 years ago. Most of the cities I work in, I can find a Marriott property (Riverton, Wy. is one exception).

I hit between 75 - 150 nights per year and I like the service I'm offered, I get upgraded to suites alot, even though the T&C are very clear that suites aren't included as an upgrade. I do alot of seminars in Marriott properties and if something goes wrong, and on occasion it does, Marriott gets fixed forthwith.

Other threads have disected the changes in the Stay Anytime rewards. While I may have to use more points for a reward stay in the future, I'm not worried because I've never had so many opportunities to earn points. With the black Premier card, I get 18 points/$1 in most Marriott properties.

Mrs Hazmike prefers Hiltons (I hope not because of Paris), but we got in when they were still offereing the Mutual Fund Account (where stays by either party counts toward elite status). Hiltons are fine, but there is nothing like a Marriott.

If Marriott came up with a property equal to Embassy Suites and the Residence Inn is kind of like it, it's not a full service property and you only get 5 points per dollar spent, that would be the icing on my cake.

Starwood send me a a Platinum card last week as a teaser to stay in their properties. Thanks, but I'd rather stay at a Marriott to build my nights toward Lifetime Platinum.

Hertz has a tagline: "Hertz and not exactly..."

Marriott could use: "Marriott or everyone else..."

Mike

I used to stay almost exclusively in Marriotts, but over the past three years I have been staying almost exclusively in Hilton family hotels. I still check Marriott prices regularly, and the main reason I choose to stick with Hilton is that Marriott prices are significantly higher for a product that seems to be basically the same. Hilton also comped me Gold status to encourage me to try them out - I have been Gold (earned) ever since. Marriott did not even bother to send me a replacement Silver card when my last one expired.

Right now, for me, it's simple: Marriott offers the maximum rewards earning bang for my buck. It also has multiple properties in the cities I travel to for business, so I always have backup if one or two of them are sold out. For example, next week in Seattle, both the Renaissance and Marriott are sold out - but both a Courtyard and an RI downtown have rooms. (And both of them are good properties. I'll be at the CY.)

Hilton is a close #2. As a Gold earning points+points, I find that their rewards earning power per dollar is almost the same as Marriott. But they don't have enough props where I need them. Right now, anyway. If my mix of cities changes, then Hilton might start to look better.

I wish I could say "Because Marriott treats me wonderfully and because their properties are unique, different, and exciting." But the reality is that all of these midscale hotel brands have become a commodity. A Marriott is a Marriott. To their credit, they do the midscale business hotel very consistently with adequate service and few major problems. They also appear to do the upscale properties well, but I don't stay in enough Ritzes and JW's - or St. Regises or Conrads - to really compare/contrast them all.

I travel a lot on weekends especially in Northern Virginia and to a lesser extent on the East Coast. Marriott's Bonus Bucks give me a great deal in saving money and earning points. I am known as a frequent guest in two properties, and I receive great service from them. Also, Marriott has been willing to let me cancel reservations on occasion when I had to do it past the cancellation deadline without penalty. I have always been able to get problems resolved to my satisfaction. They are annoying, but I have always received excellent customer service. Of course, not everything goes well, and I have contacted Chris, Marriott's official rep on FT, about some concerns regarding a recent stay.

Marriott treats me well with upgrades. I can usually get an upgrade to a junior or full suite if it is available at properties with a lot of suites (over 5 % of all available rooms). It is not an official benefit , but I have gotten the upgrade enough times to know that it was not a one time event as a platinum. At other properties with good views, I can usually get an upgrade to rooms with views (like a corner king room at the Philadelphia Marriott West or a city view room at the NYC Marriott Marquis).

The opportunity for lifetime status is a big lure for me. I have earned almost 1 million points in the past four years, and I expect to reach lifetime gold by 2014, twelve years after I joined Marriott. Lifetime platinum may take longer depending on how long it takes me to reach 1000 nights. I only have 241 lifetime nights right now. I am considering using the travel packages to buy my way to lifetime status on American Airlines.

I like Marriott for two reasons: they're reasonably consistent and they're everywhere. They're no longer my primary hotel chain because the dropped out of Amex' Membership Rewards program, so now I stay with Starwood. I do miss the Marriotts, though.

it was fairly simple for me.. everywhere I traveled (starting 3 years ago) there was at least one marriott chain... couldn't say the same for Hilton. So I started accuring miles and plat came soon after.

Not sure how many more marriotts there are.. but I definitely see a difference .. one year I traveled to 23 states.

My stereotype of a happy Marriott customer is a heavy business traveler that is MORE concerned with responsive staff and things not going wrong than in style, amenities, views, etc. Marriott rewards is also low maintenance. That is they don’t have a lot of promos and things you need to monitor… just a fairly good… easy… reliable… program that works well when you travel on other peoples money. Finally there is a Courtyard next to nearly every suburban corporate park… everywhere (in North America).

Marriott has the properties I like to vacation at, though I am sad to see that the Reach Resort in Key West is no longer on the list.

I stick with Marriott because they seem to be everywhere (except Galveston Island, Texas) - and you can pick your poison as to how much you want to spend.

I once stayed 200 nights in a full service Marriott for $100/night. I spent a lot on dry cleaning and room service also - but those people treated me like I was a king.

They did add (or will next summer) FIJI though

• Marriott ensures a constant, high quality product experience
• Well trained and motivated associates ( and Marriott employees in general like working for the company )
• Good locations & most usually good restaurants etc.
• Marriott Rewards is a solid program
• Mr. Marriott is a good man ( I met him and looked him in the eyes -- he & his company credo are for real )

Barry

I travely mostly for work (state govt employee). Although there isn't a Marriott hotel in every small Iowa town, they do hit most of the major ones, and they offer a competitive government rate. Some Hampton Inns are nearly double the reimbursement rate for us. Most of my stays are at FIs, and I find them pretty consistent as well. Some other programs have decent hotels, but you never know what you're going to get, one Comfort Inn might be nice, and I've had two Quality Inn stays that were terrible.

Love the MR program too. I have the MR Premier VISA program too, and enjoy the earnings I get from it.

Marriott has the most consistent product across the board, whether it's a Fairfield, a Courtyard, or a "real" Marriott. Due to my line of work, I tend to have to spend some time in very remote areas and generally have the choice of a Best Western or a Comfort Inn, which isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world, but there is very seldom any consistency from one to the other. When I check into any Marriott property, I know exactly what I'm going to get.

So long as Marriott keeps doing what they're doing, they'll get a solid chunk of my 200 hotel nights per year.

I agree with JerseyFinn (except I've never met Mr. Marriott!)

For the most part, I've been very happy with the consistency of the hotels...for the price. I know what I'm getting when I make a reservation, whether I've ever been to the hotel or not.