Motorskills, there's lots of good advice in this thread. I just want to add a couple thoughts...

First is that there's no guarantee that Marriott will continue its rollover policy down the road. I actually suspect that they won't because they'll find that their policy is allowing people like me to start experimenting with other brands without losing our status.

Second (and related) is that it's not really possible to make long-term decisions about strategy. Rules change, bonus games change, benefits change, redemption values change. So, it's a decision that has to be made on a yearly basis after evaluating the bonus games that are in place for the first half of the year, where your soft landings would put you, and what redemption options you want to save up fore.

There's really no reason to hold multiple high statuses across brands UNLESS it earns you some really cool bonuses (such as Hilton's incredible Q3FN cert bonus earlier this year) or because there are properties that you prefer in various destinations.

Part of the fun of being a road warrior is starting out each year by figuring out a strategy. But no one else can really say what's best for you. It's ultimately up to individual preferences. For example, I like to earn Marriott points because they can be used as "cash" toward cruises of my own choice. But some MR members would rather lose an ear than redeem MR points for such a low "dollar value".