If I had a year-long commitment to one property, no question about it I'd go with Marriott for the Execustay concept. I don't *think* Hilton has anything similar.

I used Execustay for about 4 years - 3 different cities - and loved it. ^ At the time, we received fixed status (Gold) and a flat 20,000 points per quarter rented (about 3 pts/$). I was more than happy to trade off some points earning for a much better lifestyle in those 3 cities. Now the earnings are slightly less (2.5/$) but you can attain Platinum status with a 6 month rental.

The catch, of course, is that you have to know you'll be in that one city for a period of time. I think we did 3 months upfront and then month to month, but we were working for a company who did a lot of Execustay volume so I'm not sure that was a standard deal. I can see them wanting more upfront commitment. (I didn't negotiate my Execustay terms or rent...I only know this because I had a couple of 2-3 month gigs and was told I needed to commit 3+ to go Execustay.)

If I had a shorter commitment but long enough to go extended-stay, I'd make the opposite recommendation: go Hilton, as Homewoods are (IME) newer and nicer than Residence Inns and you don't get hit with the 50% earnings penalty like you do with Marriott. I was happy to take that hit to get an Execustay unit, but I'd be less happy to do so for RI unit as long as comparable Homewood was nearby.

As for the other 15-20 nights, those probably matter somewhat less. Upgrade-wise I've actually done better with HH Gold than I have with MR Platinum. On-property treatment is usually better with HH Gold, with no withholding of benefits for being at a "resort" or doing a weekend stay. Once in a while, I'll have a wonderful experience at a Marriott...a suite upgrade, an unexpected bottle of wine, etc...but 90% of the time it's a very vanilla, predictable experience.

Your extended-stay requirement probably rules out Starwood. Perhaps not Hyatt...I have yet to check out Hyatt Place and see how it stacks up to Homewood or RI.