The Difference Between Consistently Good and Average

I am a Marriott man. If I have the opportunity to choose where I stay when traveling, either for business or vacation, a Marriott property is always my first choice. One reason--the employees at all Marriott properties, from value priced to most expensive, are always consistently better than almost all other hotels. The last two nights, I've been staying at a Radisson near the San Francisco airport. I've been here before in previous years for the same annual meeting I attended today. Facility is nice--relatively new, clean, has most of the amenities I expect. The employees are generally okay, but just miss on a few counts where Marriott people very rarely misses anything. For example, when I returned to my room today, the message light on the phone was on. Seems simple enough, words on the phone around the message light say to "Press When Lit To Retrieve Messages". Well, as you might guess, not so simple. So, I call the front desk and the person asks me if there is a guest guide in the room, the black portfolio, and tells me to look in there to find out how to retrieve messages. Not good, barely average, and why I won't pick a Radisson if there is a Marriott anywhere nearby.