I have never been a frequent traveler for work, but I will soon be traveling out of the SF Bay Area to Philadelphia 12-16 times per year for 3 night stays each time. Looking at the flight schedules it seems best (least time consuming) to go with the SFO-PHL and PHL-SFO non-stops on either UA or US.

I would appreciate tips on how to maximize the 'bennies' from these trips. I don't have any existing FF or hotel status. My place of work will be in the city center, where most of the major DT PHL hotels are.

Which airline FF program would be 'better' to go with -- UA or US?
Which hotel program? There's a Westin, Sofitel, Kimpton, LeMeridien, Hyatt within walking distance of my work destination in PHL.
Anything else I should think about?

If there are existing threads to help me figure this out, please let me know.

Thanks very much in advance!