I pretty much agree with FFlash.

IHG has been my primary program for nearly 20 years, but has been hit hard by recent devaluations.

That said, where else do I go? I have the Hilton credit card, which gives me gold (credit card pickings are slim in Europe), so the free breakfast is nice. But Hiltons are expensive.

SPG/Marriott: Too expensive and all non-smoking worldwide. Poor earn/burn rate.

Choice: If I lived in the USA and never travelled abroad, Choice would probably be my #1 program (yes, I'm an incurable cheapskate), but hopeless almost anywhere else in the world.

Club Carlson: Never really tried it. Worth researching?

Hyatt: Too expensive.

I still get decent Accelerate offers from IHG, so I'll still do those. But I don't see myself hitting platinum again this year.

I can see myself spending a fair bit of time in the lower scale Choice properties on a 3 week USA road trip later this year, simply because they allow me to smoke. I think I might give the Choice program another go.