But it is similar to many people chasing status. There are threads about people who have "lifetime platinum" on Marriott who are wondering about a mattress run to get titanium status for next year. Why?

I have a friend who goes to the big city from his little town a few times a year. He was trying to figure out how to get Marriott elite status so he can get lounge access. Given how few times he stays I think it is much cheaper just to pay for the room with lounge access, but that's not the way the human mind works (we spend lots of money to get free stuff).