Originally Posted by
pricesquire
My advice? Don't use your "decent amount of SPG points" for hotel stays - use them to get to/from Asia in J/F.
On vacation? Stay at unique places (read: non-corporate-centric hotels).
I would somewhat disagree. Especially for relatively inexperienced international travelers, it can be good to use an American chain hotel in a developing country. There can be fewer problems with standards and things (like AC) working with some recourse when things go wrong, staff are more likely to speak English, and there can be higher standards of hygiene and food safety. This matters most in China (especially in Chengdu) and least in Japan of the list in post #9.