Before worrying about points redemptions, I would figure out where you want to stay, and what class of hotel (Motel 6 vs Four Seasons) you want to stay at, then focus on hotel chains that fit your aspirations. It will be much easier than sifting through all the hotel chains around!

For instance, I do nature-oriented stuff in mostly rural locations, mostly in the US. But I do some international and domestic travel to major destinations, and often like to stay at a nice (but not outlandishly so) hotel when I go to the big city. So I focus my efforts on staying at IHG or Hilton hotels. There are Holiday Inn Expresses in lots of small towns, and Hampton Inns at many rural locations by the freeway. When I go to the big city, the Conrad or Intercontinental is happy to see me and accept the points I earned at the country hotels. It helps that both of those chains have useful credit cards. This works for me, it is unlikely to be your dream setup. You will need to decide what could work for you.

incidentally, if free breakfast interests you, in addition to the Hilton cards, you might consider the AMEX Platinum. It gives Gold Status for free breakfast at Hiltons. Not a cheap card, you’ll have to decide if the benefits are worth it.