Why as long as there are incidental charges?
Because it's their rules.
A stay is a stay regardless of whether there are incidentals or not.
For elite qualification levels yes. For this promo, not necessarily. You're free to decline the promo
Why do stays at Hampton and Homewood not count?
Reward stays do not count. Paid stays do count.
It's a
promo - they haven't changed the base program.