In my opinion, CP is probably the most rewarding program out there. The trick is finding high quality properties. Choice doesn't really have strict brand standards between hotel brands, so you can often stay in a Sleep Inn or Quality Inn that exceeds the service and room quality of a Comfort Suites. Also, there is very little consistency in the quality of accomodations. The key is to check online reviews very closely before you book - anything less than a 4 star rating on TA or the Choice Hotels website is going to be a no go.

As far as point redemptions go, there is really no rhyme or reason to how the redemptions are set. I've stayed in immaculate properties that go for $200 a night for only 8,000 points, and some real dumps for 12,000. IMHO, if you spend over 12,000 points on any Choice property, you're wasting your points. You've always got to weigh the cash price vs point cost. Always try to get a minimum of $.01 per point on your redemptions. You can often get $.015-.02 or better if you play your cards right.

One other thing to note - when redeeming points, typically every room in the hotel costs the same number of points. So when cashing in your points, you can choose the one room whirlpool suite, or the standard room. Either way, it's all the same number of points. That's huge value-wise.

Choice runs "stay 2 nights get 8,000 points" promos pretty frequently. Take advantage of those, as long as the cash price you're paying is less than $90 a night. You can often snag a night at an Econo Lodge or Sleep Inn for less than $60 a night. Don't let the prices fool you; most Sleep Inns seem to be newer properties, and there are some really nice Econos out there. You probably want to avoid Rodeways. Think of it this way - if you can redeem those 8000 bonus points for 1 cent per point, you're getting a discount of $40 per night on the two you're paying for. Plus, on top of the 8000 points, you'll still get your midweek bonus points, welcome gift points (if you're elite), and 5x points on the CP Visa card (if you have it).

Speaking of the credit card, the typical sign up bonus is 32,000 points- which isn't terrible, but hold off until the 64,000 point bonus deal comes around. 2 points per dollar on everyday purchases is ok, but you can probably do better on a different card. There's no annual fee, so definitely get it, if for no other reason than to get the sign up bonus and the 5x points you get paying for your stays (they sell it as earning 15x on Choice purchases, but they're including the 10x points that you already get as a CP member whether you have the card or not). Plus you get automatic Gold elite status, which is nice, because you'll earn an extra 10% bonus points on each stay.

Finally, Choice Hotels are everywhere. I travel a lot, often to small towns and out-of-the-way places, and many times your only options are Choice and Wyndham. And since Wyndham's standards are rather low in my opinion, I'm a Choice guy. If you frequent medium and large size cities, always have a backup mid-to-upper tier loyalty program, in case the Choice options aren't that great where you're going, or you just feel like staying somewhere a little more upscale once in a while. My backup is Hilton, but it sounds like you have some experience with Marriott; Hyatt is great, but doesn't have as many properties. IHG might be a good choice, since most cities have at least one Holiday Inn Express (plus their brand standards are pretty consistent).

Anyway, if you travel through CA a lot, I would just say to browse the Choice website to see what their property selections look like. Because if you can find the right properties, Choice Privileges can't be beat for value. Hope that helps. But in closing, I'll say it one last time: Always read the reviews.