I would second the idea of focusing on a hotel earning card. If you like the Hilton brand then definitely get one of their cards.
Once our weekly air travel ceased I started maximizing the Hilton points. I realized that I could stomach sitting in coach for 8-9 hours if I had to buy a coach ticket, but wanted to stay in a nice hotel for the 1-2 weeks holiday. I would rather hoard hotel points and get a free 1-2 week stay in a nice hotel.
Check out the Hilton forum here to see about a fast track to gold and info on the Surpass card and its' benefits.