Where are you traveling? How many total nights per year? What are your reward goals? Are you in the U.S. or outside the U.S.?

Marriott and Hilton have a lot of similarities but a few key differences. I'm active with both, but Marriott gets my revenue hotel stays for the most part. Hilton gets some credit card activity and I direct some AA miles there when I need more HH points.

HH strengths:

- At the lower end of the spectrum (rural and suburban brands), it's stronger than Marriott.
- Elites are treated fairly at resorts. (At Marriott, they aren't.)
- HH Gold, for being a giveaway status with the new credit card, is still a pretty good status right out of the box.
- The primary HH award - 175k for 6 nights - is within reach for most moderate business travelers. You reach this "sweet spot" award faster at Hilton than at other programs.
- Good transfer-in option from AA miles without loss of value (by most reasonable measures)

MR strengths:
- More consistent product at the full-service brands. Very few "bad" Marriott and Renaissance hotels.
- Great Travel Package awards...one of my favorite awards in any program. It's a good transfer-out option at great value that indirectly (via AA) can yield Hilton nights if you choose. Longer haul to get to this level for most travelers though.
- Good non-points-related promos once you hit mid-tier (Elite Exclusive Offers, etc.)
- Many more extended-stay offerings than HH (two different true suite brands plus a division dedicated to furnished apartments in many cities)