I was HHonors Diamond from 2007 - 2010 before a job change and a drop in business travel. I traveled so little 2011-Q3 2013 that I didn't even bother maintaining HHonors Gold through CC or even keeping up with FlyerTalk too much. As such, I missed out on most of the devaluation chatter. After another job change I picked up travel again in Q4 2013 and, without much thought, I jumped right back into HHonors with a Fast Track to Gold. Based on my current travel plans I'll hit Diamond on stays by the end of the year with a good bit of mattress hopping. My stays are probably 40% HGI, 40% HI, 10% ES/HS, 5% DT, and 5% Hilton with no Conrad or W=A.

Even back in '09/'10 I was really impressed with both a handful of Hyatt and SPG properties I had stayed at to the point I researched switching programs, but I came to the conclusion at the time that there were too many cities I visited with either Zero properties or only top-tier properties that I wouldn't be able to stay at on my business travel. Marriott was too difficult to obtain top-tier status and IHG didn't impress me with their low/mid-tier properties where I'd be doing the bulk of my stays. I settled in to HHonors and was never dissatisfied.

After coming back here in Q4 2013, I started reading up on the state of the program and the devaluations that had occurred over the past couple of years. I wasn't thrilled with what I was reading but, it seemed, that my stay pattern or low/mid-tier properties on business AND lack of aspirational stays on redemption meant I wasn't really that affected. I also continued to tell myself that no other appealing program had enough properties where I visited most. I was being treated pretty well as Gold at HGIs and HIs with frequent suite upgrades (for whatever it's worth at HGI/HI) and a familiar level of quality at various properties. Again, I settled into HHonors without much dissatisfaction

Then, after noticing more and more Hyatt Place and Aloft options on the drives to/from clients over the last couple of months, I started to wonder if maybe I could successfully move to HHonors Gold + Hyatt Platinum + SPG Gold. I'm currently HHonors Gold on track for Diamond on stays (with a good bit of mattress hopping) by the end of the year. I think my justification of lack of Hyatt/SPG properties may be a bit outdated given the growth of Hyatt Place and Aloft. It seems that, combined, there's at least one mid-tier Hyatt or SPG brand pretty much everywhere I go. Now, this is in cities where there are 10-20 Hilton properties and probably 30-40 combined Hilton/Marriott/IHG options.

Tulsa, OK is a perfect example... within 20-miles of TUL there are 14 Hilton properties, 2 SPG properties, and 2 Hyatt properties. The Hilton properties range from $84-$169 while the SPG and Hyatt properties range form $84-$107 for the same nights. Back in '10 when I quit traveling, there were no SPG properties and only the (expensive and dated) downtown Hyatt Regency (I think the Hyatt Place was being built/converted at the time). Hyatt/SPG options are still islands in the stream but, maybe when combined, they are a bit more widespread and viable that I originally thought.

I can live with the current level of service I see as HHonors Gold. I know a lot of Diamonds think there's not enough differentiation between Gold and Diamond, but that happens to work out well for me in this situation. What I have to figure out is if the splitting my earnings across 2 or 3 programs will severely limit my redemption options. Right now I'm thinking somewhat, but not horrendously. Over the last 4 years I've sipped my HHonors points, redeeming mostly Cat 1/2/3 and often on Points+Cash. I'm also a HGVC owner (bought a crazy low resale with a lot of banked points or I wouldn't even have considered it) so a good chunk of my leisure stays (mostly around Disney World as we have 4 young kids) are already paid for.

My points usually get used when we travel anywhere other than Orlando, always driving, and usually split up in multiple locations. A good Example would be a trip to Chicago last fall. We drove from Atlanta to Scottsburg, IN where we stayed at an HI for 10k/night (strangely, there was a Handicap Accessible Suite available as a standard booking). My mom joined us and we traveled on to Chicago where we got 2-rooms at the DT Wood Dale for 3 nights, one at 10k/night and the other at 4k+$50/night (one room upgraded to a king suite and the other an attached 2-queen). On the way back we stopped off again at the HI Scottsburg at 10k/night. So for 62k points + $150 we stayed 8 room nights, 5 of those in suites. This is probably the best I've stretched points (it was the bottom of the barrel at the time), but 8 nights for about the same as one in a tiny room at the Palmer House or Conrad, it makes much more sense for travel with a bunch of young kids.

Given how we travel, stringing together stays across multiple brands/programs likely won't be a problem and will probably add flexibility, at least when we are in medium-to-large markets where there are some SPG and Hyatt options. That's really the last hurdle to cross.

I'm now at a turning point as I'm currently sitting at 12 stays for the year. If I'm going to make the change, I probably need to start being very strategic and making every Hyatt/SPG booking I possibly can for the rest of the year. I already have enough HHonors stays booked for the rest of the year to maintain Gold next year. I also have an HHonors AMEX I could upgrade to Surpass to maintain Gold in the future, but I'm not keen on signing up for new cards. All of my company spend has to go on a non-earning (for me at least, I'm sure they get something out of it) company card.

One last consideration... even if I do decide to make a change, should I stay put with HHonors and start the split as soon as I hit Diamond (assuming sometime in November '14)? Would this allow me to match/challenge to higher status with SPG/Hyatt, maximize earnings for 2015, and also put-off the need to upgrade my HHonors AMEX to Surpass to maintain HHonors Gold?

This post turned out A LOT longer than I expected it to, but it's a pretty clear expression of my thought process concerning what I'm considering doing. I've already changed FF programs (from DL SkyMiles to AS Mileage Plan) so I could be more price-agnostic. This change would likely let me do the same next year, though I'll probably end up staying at some slightly more expensive propertied this year to secure my SPG and Hyatt Status (if I'm unable to match or fast-track).

I'm open to any/all thoughts and suggestions on multiple mid-tier status vs. single top-tied. I'd love to avoid the "See ya later" type of posts that many other leaving HHonors are receiving. I'm honestly looking at help in the analysis and comparison and, if my analysis above doesn't hold up, I'll once again settle in with HHonors and likely not bee dissatisfied. Any constructive conversation is GREATLY appreciated.