Thanks all for the input. I had kind of decided to get both cards, but started with the Marriott Brilliant for a couple of reasons.

First, I already have Hilton Diamond status with my Centurion card and the majority of my domestic travel is road-tripping, not flying. For the past couple of years, due to Covid, we've only made one annual trip abroad and not sure how that will change going forward, so using the airline credit isn't a slam-dunk. More importantly, the terms and conditions say that the welcome offer is not available to applicants who have or have had this card. And that they will consider the number of cards that have been opened and closed when making a decision on welcome offer eligibility. I think I may have had an Aspire card in the past that I downgraded to Surpass some years ago (but honestly can't remember, it may have had a different name). Plus I have just cancelled my Surpass since I have a no-fee Hilton card (and don't need a branded card for status).

Since I've never had a Marriott AmEx, and only was Marriott Gold, I grabbed the Brilliant for the Platinum status and welcome offer. I also think I'll more easily be able to use the $300 dining credit (despite the inconvenience of remembering to use it every month) over any airline or resort credits.

So I'm set for now and will keep an eye on the Aspire in case I decide to add it. I still have a handful of free night awards to use up this year and early next (Hilton, Marriott and IHG) and it's nice to get the 150,000 point boost since I've burned a bunch of points across hotel brands this past year.