Originally Posted by bgriff

Thanks, sorry I hadn't seen that you had already shared.

The Hilton card is interesting, especially for the Diamond status, but the return on spend is ultimately nothing special. And for me the idea of taking on a third $450+ card just feels absurd.

I am also torn because at the end of the day I really like a lot of SPG's hotels, and while every chain has its range of variance, SPG's brands are just more premium than Hilton's. The typical breakfast and club lounge offerings at a Sheraton are better than those of a Hilton-brand hotel, for example, and those of a Westin are significantly better, especially outside North America. (I haven't stayed at a Conrad or Waldorf, which I assume are a step up, but their footprints are much smaller than that of Westin.)

It feels like defeat, but for people who don't need more airline miles (or UR/MR points to be converted to airline miles), a 2% cash back card might offer the best return toward decent hotel stays. In theory CFU points moved to the CSR can get you a return of 2.25% toward travel spend, but booking hotels through the Chase portal loses the ability to claim hotel points and elite benefits (or the ability to book through Virtuoso/FHR), so that doesn't really work as an option for hotel bookings for me.