Agree, but as one who'd been an early adopter of the Surpass card and now carrying the Aspire card, the cards don't hurt on making it to Diamond status on a yearly basis.

And, whether folks like it or not, both Hilton and AMEX are liking more people who spend on the cards.

And, to the original question, if you are more of a Hampton/HGI/Tru Hilton Diamond, then lifetime total nights are the way to go.

David