I’m in somewhat of a similar boat, but a year farther along.

I’m into Marriott after starting out SPG/Hilton (but I still have the Aspire and I am not particularly “goodbye cruel hotel chain” about Hilton- TBH I think Aspire >>> Brilliant in overall value), basically because the AMEX Brilliant started offering all time best signup bonuses (in my case, 100k + Platinum for 2021 + 25k + 50k FNC at renewal). This plus two years of $300 Marriott spend rebate + $220 in restaurant credit for 2021 made the card positive value in years 1 and 2 (easily worth double the $900 in annual fees). Also, thanks to the 13 night boost in nights from Gold from holding the card + the double nights promo I actually earned Platinum for 2022 (this is highly unlikely to repeat, even though I will be spending 6 weeks in Europe that will add some nights to the 2022 night count). The card was also pretty decent in return for spend in 2021 because of some stackable promotions.

I’m pretty skeptical that Marriott eliminating award charts and going to dynamic pricing awards based on cash prices for 2023 is going to work out well, so I’m neutral at best for retaining the card for 2023 (my renewal is December)- it would help with lifetime Gold (which I am a ways away from on nights), but it basically boils down to prepaying a single night of a hotel room for $150 every year. It also isn’t a great card for ongoing spend the same way it was as an SPG card.

I appreciate that Marriott has more high end properties than Hilton, but my wallet is unlikely to allow me to afford them very frequently- most of my luxury travel experiences are cases where circumstances (points, miles, deals) allow me to punch above my financial weight. As such I am not sure that Marriott outweighing Hilton here means a lot to me. Platinum status was very nice indeed on a recent trip to India and experiencing five star luxury at modest three star prices, but it hasn’t done much in the US at Courtyards aside from welcome amenities (which is pretty much par for the course for Marriott and Hilton- I actually think my Hyatt Explorist has been more useful for stays at Hyatt House/Place). I guess keep your expectations low and you won’t suffer for it. The problem Is truly dynamic award charts make earning in Courtyards/redeeming at St. Regis problematic- if it comes down to that I might as well get cash rebates.