The T&C were changed this year to make clear that SPG Amex activity keeps an account active
This is NOT what I was told by customer service or *Wood Lurker. I was told that just stopping by for lunch (for example) did NOT qualify as a stay. You had to actually be a hotel guest.
As for combining accounts or leaving them seperate. I believe the reason we opened 2 accounts originally is so that f.f. miles could be transferred into either one of our f.f.mileage accounts rather than into only one account. If we only have 1 account (say mine for example), I think all f.f. miles would go into only my account. Is this a correct understanding?