Originally Posted by pmaddock
2. Marriott's lower tier properties tend to get in much worse shape than Hilton's lower tier.
I agree with this 100%. If your travels call for a lot of rural stays or a lot of roadtripping, HHonors is your program. Hampton blows Scarefield Inn out of the water.
Even if you are doing a lot of bigger towns where HGI vs. Courtyard is the choice, the HGI's are typically new and clean whereas those smaller-city CY's are tired and old. (Marriott does seem to be investing in the CY brand with big, new, near-full-service properties in major cities, but the ones you'll find in smaller markets are not like that.)