Since Dave and I spend so much time harping on the foibles of others, I thought I'd give a little digital ink in praise of a company that consumes far too many nights away from home. Marriott. I stay at Marriotts (Courtyards and Residence Inns most often because they're cheaper) all the time. If there's a Marriott hotel in a city, I'll be staying there, no matter how inconvenient it is for me. Why? Well, because Since Dave and I spend so much time harping on the foibles of others, I thought I’d give a little digital ink in praise of a company that consumes far too many nights away from home. Marriott. I stay at Marriotts (Courtyards and Residence Inns most often because they’re cheaper) all the time. If there’s a Marriott hotel in a city, I’ll be staying there, no matter how inconvenient it is for me. Why? Well, because I’m a points addict (it has paid for many great vacations for my family) and because I’ve found that I get treated better when I show a little loyalty.Case in point: Tonight I arrived in San Francisco to check into my (Marriott) hotel. I had changed my reservation earlier this afternoon so as to stay in San Francisco instead of Oakland, where I was originally scheduled to sleep (cheaper), because the prices on San Francisco had come down. Unfortunately, I must have made a mistake in the reservation process because the hotel didn’t have my reservation. I was tired, cranky, and trying to keep from boiling over. I started calling alternative Marriotts in the city (as did the hotel). No dice. Every single hotel within 15 miles was sold out. I then started to dig out numbers for other, non-Marriott hotels, but before I could undergo that fruitless exercise the hotel manager came up with a solution: He gave me the parlor room (of a suite) and improvised a rollaway bed. For a price that was heavily discounted off the price I thought I was going to be paying with my imaginary reservation.So, let’s get this straight: I made a mistake. I’m out of luck. They figure out a creative solution to the problem (undoubtedly putting out another arriving guest, but I’m Platinum with Marriott, so I guess they figured it was worth it to keep me loyal), and they charge me a pittance for my incompetence.That’s service. Thank you, Marriott, for finding a way to keep me in your hotel. My bill tonight will be small, but the revenue I provide over my lifetime will be worth it. Thanks for thinking of me as a long-term investment. Open Source