I know this thread is about IHG and hotel stays. But unless you are flying in business class or at least Premium economy class, you might be better off with a different FF program. Using M&M miles for flights requires a "co-pay" that sometimes can be higher than an economy ticket bought normally.

In some programs you can get Star Alliance Gold Status in the time it takes you to get Frequent Traveler status (Star Alliance Silver) on LH.

HTB.