What no one has mentioned so far is that a money-paid stay in a Marriott room earns 10--13 points per $, at Hilton it's 10--20, while a *wood stay earns only 2--3 points per $. So naturally, 1 *wood point >> 1 Marriott or HH point.

On the CC front, the problem arises from *wood Amex's extreme generosity > HH Amex > HH Visa. vs. the stinginess of the MR Visa (for general spending) & Priority Club Visa.

Finally, I second the 1 *W = 3 MR = 4 HH formula.