From the dusty archives (Thanks Google News)
A September 1984 article from the LA Times syndicate (reprinted here) quotes Roger Dow, Vice President for Marketing Services at Marriott Hotels, that Honored Guest, which had previously been available by direct mail to business travelers, was now being made available to the general public. No date for the change is given in the article.
The New York Times in a travel section article from 1985 reported
"The (Marriott) Honored Guest program awards a basic 100 points for each room night plus 10 points for each dollar charged to the room, including the room rate, restaurant and bar bills and purchases in the hotel gift shop. Points also are earned by flying certain airlines and renting cars from Hertz. In addition, bonus points are awarded for many things, such as stays at specific hotels, stays at certain times of the year or referrals of friends or business associates to the program. Awards range from a free weekend night plus an upgrade on a car rental (17,500 points), to 11 free nights plus two round-trip economy tickets anywhere on the system of a participating airline plus a week's rental of a full-size car (150,000 points). When you reach 20,000 points, you become a member of Marriott's preferential Club Marquis program, guaranteeing, among other things, a payment of $200 if the room you have reserved is unavailable."
Ah, those days of yore, of big hair, Arena Rock, and Club Marquis! Rock on!