I will be traveling to Melbourne for four weeks on a business trip and want to maximize my points while I'm there. I will have my pick of hotels -- SPG, Hyatt, Hilton, etc.

My question is: How can I maximize the amount of hotel points I earn on this trip?

This could be a combination of negotiating with different hotels, signing up for a new credit card, or doing a status challenge. I am already an SPG Platinum member, so I may end up going with SPG. But I also thought this could be a great opportunity to get status at another hotel.

Please let me know if you have any creative ideas! Thanks!