You have to decide what is your end game. I tend to base my choices on where I would eventually like to use my points on vacation. My work travel is generally long term travel back and forth to the same city. I like many of the Hyatt vacation properties so I have been piling my stays at the Hyatt Place near my client site. It is less than the project cap for hotels but I still stay there even though many of my coworkers stay at an Autograph (Marriott) Collection hotel nearby. I have stayed at that hotel and it is nice and in budget, but since the HP is clean, nearby and in budget I stay there as a strategy that I will enjoy my vacation travel.

I would not stay at a dirty or unsafe hotel just to earn points in my preferred program, but I will sometimes go slightly further or at a more budget friendly just to stay within my preferred program.

I personally do not like the Hilton Honors program. I felt like they did a major devaluation a while back so I had to break up with them. There is very little incentive to make Diamond so i am not going to throw that many stays at them if I can help it.

You need to look at your travel patterns and goals and make the best decision for you.