1. Luxury Collection
2. St. Regis
3. Westin
4. Sheraton
5. Le Meridien
6. W
7. Element
8. Four Points
9. aloft
The LC is has some great properties and I like the variety of each. The St. Regis has probably more consistency in it's brand, however I like the great experiences the LC offers.
I debated on whether to move Sheraton to 3 because of their lounge standard. If you take out the lounge I think the Westin Heavenly Bed wins out for me. Although if I had a choice I would take a sheraton lounge and a lesser bed than a Westin with no lounge and a better bed, if I'm there more than one day, for the lounge aspect.
The LM's have a wide variety of quality, with most being very good, however there are some low end LM's I would avoid.
I am ambivalent about W's, I like the hippness but I agree they do try too hard to appear to be exclusionary and appeal to the poser crowd.
The element I haven't stayed in but a couple people I know have and they loved it. I anticipate when I stay there I will have it move to 6 above W perhaps.
Four Points in the US suck, however internationally they are pretty good. There are some nice ones in Dubai for example which would mirror a LM IMO.
aloft, I do like because of the price point and simpleness. However, as others have mentioned the AC units, room set up can be a drawback. I feel they are too trendy to be in it for the long haul. In 10-15 years I wonder if their styling will need a serious update.