You generally get second-highest status pretty easily.
My experience at Hiltons is that Diamond upgrades are a lot more common than Gold (and Gold doesn't get Lounge access unless upgraded to an appropriate room, Diamond always does).
Starwood Gold used to (15 years ago) get me great benefits, not so much any more.
IHG Platinum hasn't gotten me much either.
But in any case, the points bonus multiplier is lower for the second-highest tier than the highest. (And the relative value of points varies a lot, too.)