Just to clarify, my point was a more broad one of hotel chain loyalty, and Marriott being the largest, I posted here.

My main question is what is the point of loyalty, when in reality, you are tied to a small proportion of properties. This is probably why Amex offer their Platinum card holders mid-high level status at a few different chains, rather than just one - which is a great benefit no doubt - however, if you are loyal to just one hotel chain, it does create a significant limit. Is the chasing of top-tier status at a chain (any chain) worth it? And again - it is an honest question purely out of figuring out if it is worth the hassle or not.

When I held Gold with SPG, it was definitely at times useful, however the hotel choices were limited. Now with the addition of marriott and ritz etc, it still feels limited in choice.