I'd skip the venture and do the arrival plus first too. Similar but better IMO. Also, get it early, in your apps, else you might get denied, like the us bank cards, they don't like too many previous apps..

getting the the city Hilton is dicey since you already have the amex Hilton. (read about that) besides club Carlson is better than the Hilton in bonuses and redemptions, especially in Europe. I'd say switch the city Hilton for a business club Carlson.

And, I'd follow Kenny's advice closely, they're valid points...

Also, you could put all your spend on the Barclay's (2x), club Carlson (10x/5x), and the CSP (dining and travel) prior to your trip in preparation.. Don't bother with wasting spend on a cap1 card...

and you can get the amex plat business for 100,000 if you call (do the research for the number, and what to say). I'm personally waiting for the 150,000 offer.

as an aside, have you gotten your into the nights promo done? I just got my free 2 nights and 50k extra points..

If you didn't know spg had a 30k offer (historically around nov-dec) then you should slow down and do your research on cards before applying... . Say, I'd find out for each card you want to get, what's the highest that's been offered on it, and when.. Otherwise you might end up applying for 30k, then miss the 100k a few weeks later lol