Originally Posted by
astan100
I think one other thing to consider is the types of properties you're looking to redeem your rewards at. I find that despite Marriott having so many more properties, they don't have as many "high end" places. I.e- JW Marriotts.
Quite often, a Westin or Sheraton at Starwood will be in a very very nice place and that's ignoring the really high end properties like st. regises etc. In general, I rarely feel like a full service Marriott is "special", but even westins in good areas will stand out to me.
Maybe it's just personal preference or where I end up traveling, but that really separates the two programs for me. If you do a lot of travel to mid-range cities and want lots of travel options for cat 3-4 hotels, then Marriott probably will have a superior selection. If you are doing cat 5-7 places then SPG gets the nod in my book especially with the treatment you potentially get as a platinum.
astan100 has a good point - the best option for you depends on the types of properties you're looking for. I have both the Marriott Premier Visa, the SPG Amex and the Hilton Amex. For my personal travel, my price range is more in the Marriott-Hilton range when I'm paying for the room. Marriott and Hilton have a wider range of mid-priced hotels that work well for me, and then I redeem points to stay at the higher end properties. When travelling for work, our preferred hotels tend to be either Four Season or Ritz Carltons (the latter now part of Marriott Rewards). So I don't find a lot of opportunities to earn SPG points through hotel stays either for work or vacation travel.
That said, I have been making an effort to collect enough SPG points to redeem for some decent stays at high end properties, and I am on the lookout these days for reasonably priced stays or worthwhile splurges. Also, there's a good chance I'll at least achieve Gold status with SPG this year. (For example, I recently switched my Dublin hotel reservation from a Marriott Rewards reservation at the Shelburne to a partly paid/partly points stay at the Westin.) I also typically redeem the Amex points I get with my corporate card for SPG points.
Bottom line - I like all three programs and all three points-earning credit cards, but find that overall, Hilton and Marriott suit my travel and spending patterns better.