Why not just get the Chase IHG Club Rewards MC card, get Platinum status as long as you hold it, and (after getting bonus points the first year) get an uncapped free night certificate every year for just a $49 annual fee.

I would think you'd have a hard time not finding a good value for one free hotel night certificate a year (to offset that $49 AF), and then you'd have Platinum status automatically from card.

Also, if you ever do points redemptions, the card (not the status itself) gives you a 10% rebate on all your hotel point redemptions.

So why worry about Gold status (which has precious few benefits) if you're USA-based and it's so easy to get Platinum status for less than $0 net with 0 annual stays needed?

For more on the card and its benefits, see here (starting with that thread's wiki):