How well connected a TA is by far the most important thing, all of the consortia and preferred partner programs are just a "toolbox" they use to get the best deals for their clients.

But, there's never a one size fits all solution. Sometimes, particularly Centurion FHR has clear benefits such as confirmed upgrades. But so do other programs. Just like Virtuoso etc... FHR and LHW leaders club, among others, sometimes have the best rates and inclusions for a particular stay.

But, as a regular at certain properties, often booking directly with management is best. If you have a connection with someone in management or at the corporate level with an hotel group, they can work magic at their own property or pull strings at any sister property to deliver far greater value than one gets when booking publicly available rates with benefits from all of these consortia.

So, at the end of the day, any well informed hotel guest should use whatever is at his or her disposal to get the best deal. But, it is definitely a huge help to have a working relationship with a good TA, because they often have clout with hotels and can negotiate things that most people cannot negotiate by themselves.