This thing has been bugging me for months.
If you have enough stays to reach Diamond(HH)/Platinum(SPG), should you concentrate on reaching top tier on one or mid tier on both.

If it was an airline, the answer would be simple. Consolidate

For me I prefer to reach the highest level and give loyalty to those programs I think are best suited to my needs. I think rewards should go both ways - they reward with great service/perks and I'll reward by staying/flying them whenever possible including at higher rates than competitors.

I think that the rewards between the mid tier and the highest tier are great enough that I would go for the highest tier in one program instead of the mid in two.

I believe top tier in any airline or hotel program, with the possible exception of UA 1K (largely because of the systemwide upgrades) is overrated by most. Then again, it really depends on your desires and travel patterns.

If earning maximum points/miles is your thing, then getting Hilton Diamond is a step up over HHonors Gold as the Diamond bonus is 50%. At Starwood, Gold & Platinum both earn 3 pts/$ so there is no difference. Diamond also alleviates the onerous Hilton capacity controls....not an issue at Starwood.

If you can only get top level in one of these programs and mid-tier in the other, it seems to me you are better off with Hilton Diamond (top) and Starwood Gold (mid-tier). You give up no point earning potential at Starwood and increase it at Hilton.

As I do not have any business travel, all the stays are either mileage run nights or vacations. Based on the figures, there are just enough nights for one program's top elite status.

The only reason compelling me to look at Starwood was an extra choice of properties. With my inclination towards Hilton, and based on the comments above, I guess I'll stick with Hilton and try to shoot for diamond.

FWIW, please see:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum57/HTML/000628.html