Originally Posted by
sfozrhfco
Marriott will be by far the best option. IHG status is very easy to obtain--especially if you book a few points packages. I have stayed 4 nights so far this year with points packages plus a little credit card spend and already have 53,000 status points with IHG. Worst case scenario you can just get the credit card and have Platinum status. You don't gain much with Spire. Aspirational rewards during retirement with Marriott are far superior as they have a lot more luxury properties. You can also transfer points out to various airline programs. When you are travelling for leisure in retirement, having access to club lounges and suite upgrades is also a nice perk.
Fair points sfozrhco. Yes, although free breakfast isn’t critical on a work expensed trip, I’d certainly want it on vacation or in retirement.
The IHG credit card is not available where I live.
One other thing is family members that I travel with and meet up with are fully entrenched in the IHG program. They’re not switching programs at their stages. Not a huge biggie right now as that’s only say 1 trip per year but I can see that increasing during retirement.