Sign up for all the major US programs i.e. UA, AA, DL, WN. Select your top 2 and try to fly them as much as possible. Do the same with hotels. I am a consultant as well and a bit more travel than yours. I usually end up buying at the last minute and it comes down to who has the cheapest flights with a few $ +/-(within ~$100 for economy and ~$500 for international business).
For hotels, it comes down to your choice and hotel locations. I would say select a main hotel chain and 2 backup hotel chains.