I'm nowhere close to retirement age, but now being self-employed (after F50 & F500 cos) & dependent on clients my travel goes up/down each year. On the down years the Lifetime Plat comes in handy.
And actually since I've gotten it I've thrown more bizness to Marriott than other chains. Guess those silly marketers aren't that stoo-pid
If one's travel is down & you've got top tier, why even chase status on other chains? Go w/ the one where you know you've got top tier.
On heavy travel years I get chasing the 2nd chain in case you're somewhere Marriott isn't or doesn't offer a competitive rate, but unless you know you're doing to do enough to get mid or top tier on the other, might not be worth the chase.
OVMV. Cheers.