Doesn't Hilton also own Red Lion, a true discount motel chain in the US -- hey, I'm a foreigner, we don't have such things up here in Canada, just now getting Hamtons -- which does not participate in HHonors? Considering it costs about 2-cents a mile to buy FF points, most hotels charging under $100 take a heavy hit setting aside even $2 to cover the 100 airline miles they issue, given their margins. And of course, they also are buying points from HHonors, prob ably doubling this take. So expecting ultra-budget hotels to fork out both miles and points is a stretch.

As for Hamptons often being more expensive than Hiltons, on weekends this may well be true since the latter are primarily mid-to-up scale business hotels which have a severe drop-off in business on weekends. Thus they drop their rates considerably to draw the tourist trade. Hamptons and the like are essentially fixed rate properties, attracting budget conscious business travellers during the week, and tourists/families on the weekend. As well as families year round looking for good quality, basic affordable accommodations.

From time to time, one needs to look at things from the business' point of view, too: Every bargain you and I get, comes at the expense of the profitability of the hotel, and the salaries and benfits it pays its staff.