Currently I'm booked for the next 30 days in a Residence Inn and paid up front to get a cheaper rate (saved me about 10% a night). I'll be on the road in one location for at least 6 months staying in this hotel. Hotels are crazy expensive out here (30 days, paid in advance and I still paid $161/night) so I should be able to rack up a fair number of points.

A couple of questions

1. Called MR customer service and the very nice lady I spoke with explained I should probably wait till I hit Gold and do a Platinum challenge at that time to get to Platinum faster. Sounds like it would basically let me get there about 16 days faster, 9 nights vs 25, but I cannot remember what the challenge was to hop from Silver to Gold. If I do decide to hop from Silver to Gold via challenge, would I only be required to get 25 nights after that to reach Platinum or would I have to actually hit 75 nights before I got Platinum? What does FlyerTalk suggest is the best route for the challenges? Is there some super secret handshake I can give to get a better challenge offer?

2. I just finished my minimum spend on my CSP with this hotel stay, will hit minimum spend on my AMEX Plat within the next few weeks, and then will likely be looking to add another card to the mix. Actual hotel stays aren't my goal, would really prefer having airline miles so I can get to Africa first class for free. I'll be staying at a camp, so no need for a hotel for the trip. I thought about getting the Marriott Visa, 10 points per dollar between my regular MR points and the cards bonus, but not sure if 10 MR points are worth more for airline miles than getting 2 UR points using my CSP. Are MR points even worth transferring to airlines or should I just save them up for when I do want to stay in a hotel?

3. Lastly, any general advise on how to maximize this extended road stay?

TL;DR
Long trip staying in a Residence Inn (6 months), enlighten me to your favorite tricks to maximize this.