Originally Posted by
pbiflyer
If you are cashing in points for free nights, SPG has better availability typically but Marriott has more choices. SPG is better typically for international reward travel.
Those are imprtant points. There are many places where Starwood has nothing. If one travels to a broad range of destinations he's going to need a backup. IMHO top tier at Marriott beats gold at SPG + nothing at the backup.